Life as an Unglamorous Free Agent in the NFLBy Matt Bowen , NFL National Lead Writer Mar 4, 2015By the end of the second week of March 2006, I was tired of lifting in public gyms and running on muddy grass fields at junior high schools in Northern Virginia. I wanted a phone call, a visit and eventually a new deal to keep playing ball.I had waited for the top names to sign in the first couple of days of free agency. The big money, guarantees and starting jobs had been handed out. Great work if you can get it, but after being cut by head coach Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins going into the final year of a four-year contract, I had become just another out-of-work veteran.That's the reality of free agency in the NFL. Most players won't bring in multiyear deals with massive signing bonuses when free agency opens next Tuesday. Most will be waiting around, like I did. Those low- to midtier free agents, who make up the majority of the talent pool, will be waiting for a phone call and a new deal.
Safety Jim Leonhard knows the drill. He came into the league undrafted out of Wisconsin and ended up playing 10 years for five different teams."Eighty percent of free agency is those guys [who] all of sudden months later everyone goes, 'That guy is still in the league?'" Leonhard told me recently. But most of those guys bouncing around and hanging on are the same ones who "do all the stuff that nobody wants to do."These are the players who do the dirty work on special teams, like blocking on the front line of the kickoff-return unit, running down on kickoff coverage or playing the wing on punt protection. The guys who would hit the wedge back in the day before the rule changes in the kicking game or play spot duty as an extra safety in a heavy personnel or dime package.You need a veteran to give you a look on scout team during practice? That's part of the gig, too.The more you can do, right?These guys, the vets picked up weeks after the start of free agency, don't get drafted in fantasy leagues, and you might not even notice them on game day unless they screw up. But they add valuable depth to the roster and play a specific role that caters to the chemistry of a football team in the pros."These are the guys that make teams," Leonhard said.I call them "glue guys," because of the versatility they can provide. These players are assignment-sound on the field, rarely bust and usually lean on technique to win matchups. That's why they are still in the league. And coaches can trust them when they are thrown into the fire on Sundays if a starter goes down with a hamstring, ankle, whatever.
Look at veteran cornerback Will Blackmon, who will test the free-agent market very soon. The former Jaguars defensive back can play outside the numbers at corner, slide inside to nickel and contribute on special teams. That's what you want with a second-tier guy on the market: the versatility to play multiple roles while providing a veteran example to the young players on the roster who need guidance in order to prepare like a pro.But the money, the term of the deals and the cash up front doesn't even come close to the first-day guys, who bring home a treasure chest full of loot.In the second-tier market, there are very few comps like we will see with the top free agents this offseason. Players such as Ndamukong Suh, Devin McCourty and Randall Cobb can use previous contracts of the top players at their respective positions to negotiate numbers, the length of the contract and signing bonuses.That's just not the case with the lower tiers, as the agent has to work hard to create a market. And there are usually two types of clubs looking for the services of these players: the young squad that is desperate for some type of leadership in the locker room, and the competitive, veteran team that needs depth and core special teams players."You got a young team, they want veteran leadership, guys to come in that (1) already know how to be a pro, and (2) they're not going to complain. They're going to do their job. They know what is expected in the NFL," Leonhard said. "Not even necessarily the leadership, as much as just the example. This is how you study, this is how you work out, this is how you take care of yourself. I think it's huge on young teams."The veteran teams? That's different, as the leaders are already established on a roster that has produced or made some noise in the playoffs the year before. Those teams don't need a 30-something vet to teach them how to study tape or read the wide receiver splits before the snap. They've been to the postseason dance, and maybe even the Super Bowl stage. In that situation, the approach is different for both the club and the free agent coming in."They're trying to solidify the back end of the roster to where, OK, if this guy gets hurt, we're not going to have a drop off," Leonhard said.Like any pro ball player, I overvalued my own skill set back in '06 and grew frustrated while watching guys take visits and sign new deals. Man, I wanted some of that too.
The Oakland Raiders called first after two weeks of dead silence from every team in the league. They showed some interest. But Al Davis said I had to fly out West and run a 40—and it had better be in the 4.5 range (at worst) if I wanted to wear silver and black.While thinking about running my first 40-yard dash in over seven years after two knee surgeries (and the time I would actually post on grass), I got invited up to Buffalo to visit head coach Dick Jauron and the Bills. I flew in on a Thursday night and signed a deal by Friday afternoon. I knew going in that the Bills and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell were going to draft a safety—or two—but my role was already defined. I was going to play special teams for Bobby April and serve as a veteran backup in the secondary.The point here is simple: Free agency isn't always as glamorous as it looks on the first day with all that cash being handed out—especially for vets on the wrong side of 28. Your role is pretty much already defined at that point regardless of where you end up.But the way I see it, the opportunity is the reward. Sure, the free agents signed in mid-March or early April this offseason won't get the big sacks of cash like Suh or Cobb; however, it's another chance to keep your foot in the door of the NFL.And that's still pretty sweet.link
