It's a free-for-all for the free agents
By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch
03/26/2005
The competition for talent early in free agency has become so keen that neither the team nor the player wants to mess around.
Almost every year since the start of the current NFL free agency system, the top players go quickly, and this year has been no different.
On March 2, at the start of the free agency period, the Post-Dispatch listed the top five free agents in nine positional categories. Of the 45 players listed, only eight are still looking for jobs just 3 1/2 weeks into free agency.
So the feeding frenzy hasn't changed. If anything, it has become even more frenzied. It used to be that free agents visited several cities before deciding on a new team.
Remember the Reggie White "Tour Across America" in 1993? The late Minister of Defense visited enough towns to have a division named after him before deciding on Green Bay in '93, the first year of the current system. But such tours are nearly nonexistent these days. Players usually go to a city to sign a contract. No fuss. No muss. Some sign without even taking a visit.
"This year, it seems to have been very dramatic," said Jay Zygmunt, the Rams' president of football operations. "I don't know the exact percentage, but so many players are not making the multiple visits."
The competition for talent early in free agency has become so keen that neither the team nor the player wants to mess around.
"The best players are available early on," Zygmunt said. "The most money's available early on. And it's almost like there's a synergy that just says, 'Hey, this is the time to make a deal.'"
This year, the Rams did just that, signing linebackers Dexter Coakley and Chris Claiborne on the first two days of free agency.
Similarly, Dallas made waves early in free agency by signing cornerback Anthony Henry (Cleveland), defensive tackle Jason Ferguson (New York Jets) and offensive guard Marco Rivera (Green Bay). Those three players accounted for nearly $28 million in signing bonus money.
Carolina jumped on cornerback Ken Lucas (Seattle) and offensive guard Mike Wahle (Green Bay), for a combined $16.4 million in signing bonus.
"Everyone's looking for the big splash," Zygmunt said.
But the best players aren't necessarily the ones with the most name recognition. Teams frequently fall into the trap of buying "names" instead of buying players.
"As you well know, the best players (often) are the guys signed that the public doesn't even know who they are," Zygmunt said. "As opposed to signing the aging veteran, which everybody does. ... Sometimes you get caught up in the thrill of the chase."
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-03-27-2005, 04:12 PM
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