Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com has been following free agency very closely, giving updates on the cap situations of every NFL team and details on current player contracts. Earlier today, he took a break from crunching numbers to examine the possible destinations on some of the league’s top free agents. After outlining the effective cap space of each NFL team, which takes into account the amount of money they would have to pay their draft selections, he shows a picture of where some of the biggest names could land.
Of his top ten free agents, he sees more than half of them returning to their teams in 2014, either via long-term contract or because of the franchise tag. Some of those players we already thought would end up with extensions or playing next year under the tag,
However, he does see a few key players changing uniforms this offseason, finding some big money with a new franchise:
- Cohen predicts Panthers‘ star Greg Hardy finding a team that run a 4-3 defense and has some cap room, such as the Raiders or Jaguars.
- The top receiver this offseason, Eric Decker has already been linked to Cleveland by Cohen earlier this offseason, and the Browns are still thought to be a front runner for his services, along with the Jets.
- Bengals‘ pass rusher Michael Johnson played under the franchise tag in 2013, and is unlikely to be tagged again. Cohen could see the Falcons cutting Osi Umenyiora and plugging Johnson into his role.
- Because of the Steelers‘ cap woes, Cohen does not think they will have the opportunity to offer Jason Worilds a contract comparative to what he would get on the open market. For that reason, he sees the pass rusher leaving for greener pastures. According to Cohen he might not have to leave the state, as he sees the Eagles 3-4 defense as a perfect landing spot for the outside linebacker.