Tomorrow at 3pm marks the beginning of the free agency period for the National Football League. Teams and players will be scrambling to lock in contracts and negotiating furiously over salaries and commissions.
For the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, this week promises to be brimming with trades and deals. Here in Texas, teams stand a shot of making or breaking their rosters as well. Sports reporter Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the free agent market is a good way for teams to pick up a veteran who has already proven his worth. That way, they don’t have to roll the dice in drafting a rookie right out of college.
Davison works in DFW, and says there are a couple of big names in Dallas that a number of teams (other than the Cowboys) might be courting. Running back DeMarco Murray, the NFL’s leading rusher from last year, will be a free agent that could garner a lot of attention. The Cowboys hope they can reach an agreement, but Davison says teams with a lot of salary cap room could swoop in and make him an offer her can’t refuse.
The Houston Texans will try to lock up a quarterback and some help on the defensive side of the ball. But the big news in Houston revolves around one player who has asked to be traded or released – Andre Johnson. Many argue that Johnson is the greatest player ever to put on a Texans jersey. He’s spent his entire 12-year career in space city. Drew Davison says Johnson is probably chasing a championship.
He says it’s sad “to see these players end their careers without the teams that drafted them or the teams that they’re known for. How many little kid Houston Texan fans bought Andre Johnson jerseys? It’s kind of the unfortunate nature of free agency, regardless of the sport, the player has to go for the money because his playing shelf life is so short. But it’s also the downside of it, as well.”
