Well the Denver Broncos finally got off the scneid and made a ripple, albeit a tiny one, in the Free Agent Pool by signing DB Mike Adams to a 2 year deal. In my mind this is an acceptable solution for the transition period to give 21-year old Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter a chance to blossom without leaving the Defensive backfield in the hands of inexperience. And with Brian Dawkins chances of being in a Broncos uniform about as likely as Peyton Manning's, some kind of move needed to take place. Free Agency was a much better option than drafting yet another Safety don't you think?
We can see the results of the Rookie Salary Cap as evidenced in the monstrous contracts handed out in the first days of Free Agency. Calvin Johnson and Mario Williams with $100 Million contracts, Cortland Finnegan and DeSean Jackson at $10 Million per year. Man, divas are getting expensive and I have mixed feelings about that. Being a paying customer, all I can see is an escalating cost to watch a live game. It's definitely an event, but HELLO!, we aren't exactly living it up in the USA. And I've seen more than one statement by a player saying they wanted to be the highest paid at their position.
Take for instance ILB Stephen Tulloch. The Broncos could dramatically improve the middle of their Defense by signing Tulloch. In fact, quite a few of the MHR staff would like to see him patrolling the middle of the field in 2012. Trouble is, Stephen wants a 5-year deal and I'm not so sure the EFX team wants to project that far out. I have heard faint murmurs that the team is happy with Nate Irving's progress, but outside of Dove Valley, that would seem to be speculation and something that likely won't be known until August.
Anyway, backing up for just a second, the signing of Mike Adams should be looked at as the Broncos having the opportunity to get a player for a limited time frame. Most Free Agents are looking for a 4-5 year deal with a fat contract. I can't say as I blame them for wanting that either. Well Tulloch is no different. He is looking for a long term deal that will eclipse D'Qwell Jackson's 5-yr, $42.5 Million contract. Is he worth it? We shall see. Stephen made $3.2 Million last season, but there are plenty of Inside Linebackers in the Free Agent market this year. Many of them are only 2-down players though and the Broncos don't have a need for that.
For me, I'd love to see a strong MIKE Linebacker come to Denver, but I don't have the insider info on the near future. With the recent past, EFX has shown that they wish to grow the team through the draft and temporarily fill positions short term through Free Agency, giving the rookies time to grow. There isn't much to pick from in the upcoming NFL Draft, so I figured our beloved team would shop for one in Free Agency. I'm not going to panic though, because like I said, there are a few keepers remaining on the market such as Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne and London Fletcher besides Tulloch. If Irving is close, I could see trying to get Fletcher on a 1-year deal. But that would be contingent upon his willingness for a short term contract. Sometimes we forget that the player has to agree to the length also.
I see that Jameel McClain and Jon Abraham are coming for a visit and Rddie Royal is now a Charger. Interesting.
Well that's all I have for now. I just needed to get that off my chest.
Go Broncos!