Bart Hubbuch talks about how this year's free agency could get crazy.
But once a deal is reached, and it could be imminent, the free-agency period that will begin thereafter will be unlike anything anyone in the sport or who follows the sport has ever seen. The steady stream of signings spread over five months in a normal offseason will become a swarm of deals crammed into as little as 10 days.
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But here’s the kicker (or receiver or outside linebacker): Because of the salary "floor" that accompanies every NFL salary cap, teams would be required to spend as much as 93 percent of the cap, up from approximately 86 percent in 2009.
The short window makes it more difficult for a team to resign its free agents. The fact NFL teams might have to spend a lot more money gives players an incentive to hit the open market. Some clubs will have to spend like crazy to hit the salary floor. Landing a guy in free agency usually requires overpaying. Think Bart Scott or Calvin Pace. Even though both have been productive, can you really say either was not overpaid?
This makes it a bit trickier for a team like the
Jets with a number of key free agents. The one thing that hedges against that is the fact Mike Tannenbaum has had plenty of time to think about strategy. He probably has prioritized free agents and already come up with parameters of aggressive offers to keep the guys he wants to keep along with backup plans.
