With the NFL Free Agency period set to begin in less than 24 hours, let’s take a look at the list of teams in the NFL and their current cap numbers.
Oakland Raiders – $64,302,920
Jacksonville Jaguars – $59,338,623 (before the Red Bryant deal)
Cleveland Browns – $49,918,501
Indianapolis Colts – $41,014,750
Miami Dolphins – $35,181,273
Minnesota Vikings – $33,163,489
Green Bay Packers – $33,122,928 (before the Sam Shield deal)
Cincinnati Bengals – $27,554,957
Buffalo Bills – $25,634,541
Baltimore Ravens – $24,929,100
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $24,100,000
Philadelphia Eagles – $24,010,804
New York Jets – $23,328,558
Atlanta Falcons – $18,649,379
Arizona Cardinals – $17,800,087
Seattle Seahawks – $17,734,558
San Francisco 49ers – $14,999,984
New York Giants – $14,717,183
Denver Broncos – $13,701,763
New England Patriots – $12,946,420
Detroit Lions – $12,175,130
Tennessee Titans – $10,601,952
Kansas City Chiefs – $9,626,444
Washington Redskins – $9,585,235
Chicago Bears – $8,949,726
Houston Texans – $8,628,210
St. Louis Rams ($6,942,232) A few restructured deals are needed.
San Diego Chargers – ($5,633,735)
New Orleans Saints (-528,992) Before release of WR Lance Moore.
Dallas Cowboys (-650,690)
Pittsburgh Steelers (-672,066)
Carolina Panthers (-5,470,036)
As you’ve been reading, we’ve touched based with the offensive and defensive lineman, linebackers and running backs. Now we’ll touch base with quarterbacks and tight ends.
QB – Michael Vick – Probably one of the best veteran free agent options out there because of his ability to beat you with his feet. Vick will check out some teams like Cleveland, Jacksonville and Oakland but the surprise team will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They want a veteran and they could use some explosion from a guy like him.
QB – Josh McCown – A nice year as backup with the injuries to Jay Cutler has helped McCown get some starter consideration. I think the favorite is his hometown team of the Houston Texans.
QB – Josh Freeman – Still young QB who has some experience but a lot of baggage. Freeman could very well be a quarterback who doesn’t get a deal until the summer. If he does, I think the Rams could be a fit as they look for a back up to Sam Bradford.
QB – Shaun Hill – It’s being rumored that he’ll return to Detroit or head to the New York Jets. Either way he’ll be a backup and I think he’ll realize his best shot to win is in Detroit.
QB – Kellen Clemens – He played well in relief for Sam Bradford but not well enough to be considered a starter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes elsewhere such as the 49ers.
Switching from the quarterbacks, we move to the top tight ends in free agency.
TE – Brandon Pettigrew – As much as Detroit wants him back, I think it’s unlikely to happen. Pettigrew will be getting calls from Atlanta, the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins. There’s even a chance the Oakland Raiders throw him money. Overall though, the best fit for him is Atlanta and that’s where I think he goes.
TE – Garrett Graham – I find it hard to believe that he’ll go back to the Texans so with that being said, I find him finding his new home with the Green Bay Packers.
TE – Ed Dickson – A promising young talent who never panned out in Baltimore. He could see some good money thrown his way and I think the team to do that will be the Redskins.
TE – Brandon Myers – He didn’t have the best year in 2013 he also didn’t have the worst. Because of that I think the G-Men bring him back.
TE – Jermichael Finley – I wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers bring him back but I think he’ll hit the market and find a team like the Bills to take a chance on him.