Surprise Signings: NFL Free Agency

Sam+Bradford%2C+the+former+Rams+quarterback%2C+throwing+a+pass+during+an+NFL+game

Sam Bradford, the former Rams quarterback, throwing a pass during an NFL game

As of March 10th, the National Football League (NFL) has begun a new season. The biggest thing for people to know about at the start of a new season would be the players heading to free agency. Big names around the NFL, even if they were still in contract, have been dealt, signed, and approached by teams they were not on before. There were a lot of big deals this year, and now we can review the most important ones as of right now.

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints to Seattle Seahawks: 

        Did anybody see this one coming? I kind of doubt it. Probably one of the least expected trades would be when the Saints gave away one of their best offensive weapons to the reigning NFC Champions, the Seahawks. Jimmy Graham, the tight end for the Saints, was only just signed to a monster contract last season, and now their giving him away? That sounds pretty harsh, but this might be a good deal on both sides. Jimmy Graham joins a Super Bowl team that has already gotten a very good offense. For the Saints, giving away Graham to the Seahawks gave them a first-round pick in the NFL Draft and Max Unger, the Pro-Bowl center for the Seahawks. The Saints beefed up their offensive line and are most likely going to use the extra pick to work on their defense.

DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys to Philadelphia Eagles: 

        Well, LeSean McCoy, the halfback for the Eagles, was dealt to the Bills. While that was shocking, the Eagles got Kiko Alonso, a young Bills linebacker, in return. The move made sense for Chip Kelly, the head coach for the Eagles. What most surprised people was the signing of the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to the Eagles. DeMarco Murray, the former halfback for the Cowboys, was signed to the Eagles for a high amount of money. The move doesn’t make sense for a couple reasons. One would be that Murray was behind an elite offense in Dallas, and losing them will result in a lower performance than his record-breaking season. Another would be…the Eagles? Chip Kelly’s scheme calls for more passing and less running. Murray’s role will become diminished, especially when comparing the Eagles’ offensive line to the Cowboys’.

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams to Philadelphia Eagles:

        The Eagles are probably the biggest team in free agency right now. Not only did they capture DeMarco Murray, but they also traded quarterbacks with the St. Louis Rams. The Eagles gave up on Nick Foles and gave him away to the St. Louis Rams. What the Eagles got in return was someone who has the same situation as Foles. Both quarterbacks have talent in them, but are derailed by their pattern of injuries on the field. Foles has gotten injured in his rookie year and last season, and Bradford has played seven games in the last two seasons. Okay, let’s put aside the durability part and start looking at the positives. The Rams have gotten another young quarterback that they can attempt to develop better than Bradford, and the Eagles acquired a quarterback who played a scheme similar to Chip Kelly’s in college.

        Some other notable signings would be receiver Andre Johnson to the Indianapolis Colts, tight end Charles Clay to the Buffalo Bills, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the Miami Dolphins. As the free agency craze starts to cease, the main focus will go on the NFL Draft. The Draft occurs from April 30th to May 2nd, as several talented college players transition to the next level. Although the Draft is important, the free agency craze has seemingly been equally important to both teams and players.