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Horse Tracks: Broncos safety Mike Adams has hardly slept since the Super Bowl


Good morning, Broncos family. Broncos safety Mike Adams - soon to be an unrestricted free agent - says all the right things, and NFL free agency rumors are flying.

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Mike Adams says all the right things

The Broncos are expected to pursue an upgrade at safety when free agency begins Tuesday. Whether that's Mike Mitchell or T.J. Ward or someone else remains to be seen. Mike Adams, who started at free safety for the Broncos in 2013 when injury required it and was the team's starting strong safety in 2012, even said he would rejoin the Broncos at a discount and felt optimistic about reaching such an arrangement.

Adams said he wants to retire the Broncos, noting he "won more games in two years here" than in his previous career with the Browns, but still wasn't happy with the way last season ended.

"I just started sleeping again probably a week ago, and I'm not kidding," Adams said. "All that stuff about being pleased with what you accomplished by just getting to the Super Bowl, no matter if you win or lose, that's bull. You come so close to winning a Super Bowl and come up short; it's an awful feeling that sticks with you."

The North Jersey story is worth a read if for no other reason than to gain some appreciation for Mike Adams. He has unfinished business in Denver.

NFL free agency rumors are flying

It's tough to keep up with them all, but Michael Bennett may be Chicago-bound, Rashard Mendenhall is retiring, and the Arizona Cardinals are offering Karlos Dansby the big bucks to stick around. More free agency rumors:

More on free agency

Michael Vick, Golden Tate, Alterraun Verner set to hit NFL free agency | The MMQB with Peter King
1. Cornerbacks are this year’s quarterbacks. When a pedestrian corner like Sam Shields of Green Bay gets four years and $39 million ($9.75 million a year for Sam Shields!), significantly better players at a vital position had their bargaining postures strengthened mightily. Specifically, Alterraun Verner, Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Aqib Talib will be in the $8-million-plus neighborhood annually.

Klis: Free-agent wide receiver Eric Decker is worth the big bucks - The Denver Post
Eric Decker can catch the ball in traffic, and cornerbacks Marcus Cooper and Brandon Flowers would tell you he can beat you deep.

Broncos free agency primer: LB - Denver Broncos Blog - ESPN
Plenty of folks in the league say they expect the Broncos to buzz in early for some specific targets, then back off to finish out with shorter-term deals weeks later after the initial wave of signings has passed.

Broncos free agency primer: DB - Denver Broncos Blog - ESPN

The Broncos are expected to aggressive and active once the signings formally begin on March 11th. Their executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway has repeatedly made clear he believes free agency is the time to shop for need and the draft is then the time to secure potential long-term Broncos who were the best picks on the board when their picks arrived.

Bell: Free-agent market set by more than salary cap
The "legal tampering" window that opened Saturday and allowed agents and teams to gauge interest is apparently more vibrant than last year. Pre-market deals, sign-your-own contracts, have set a tone, too. Over the weekend, the Minnesota Vikings locked up defensive end Everson Griffen (five years, $42.5 million) and the Green Bay Packers kept cornerback Sam Shields (four years, $39 million) off the market.

Antonio Cromartie released by New York Jets - NFL.com
Antonio Cromartie's days with the New York Jets are over, following a rough 2013 season. The 29-year-old cornerback spent four often memorable seasons under coach Rex Ryan in the Big Apple.

The Various Types of NFL Free Agents - Over the Cap
Since I’ve been getting a number of tweets and emails about free agency I though this would be a good time to do a quick overview of the types of free agents that will be available over the coming months: