Dwight Freeney is realizing that the chances of him getting on a team in time for the 2013 season are slowly shrinking. The free agent is still sitting on the market. The NFL Draft is over and most teams have filled their roster holes and added needed depth. Yet, Freeney still remains. The veteran pass rusher had drawn interest from multiple teams when he first was released from the Colts, however never signed a deal. Now, Freeney is saying that he will lower his asking price, willing to take a lesser deal in an effort to sign a contract.
Freeney is now targeting a deal in the ballpark of what Osi Umeniyora singed with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a two-year deal for $8.5 million. Freeney is willing to reduce his original request of $8 million per year to now nearly half of that. The longer he remains unemployed, the lower his number will get.
While Freeney is an aging veteran, he could still be extremely valuable to a team. Freeney will likely be primarily a pass rusher after leading the Colts in sacks for most of his career with the team. The question now becomes who will actually take him on.
The Denver Broncos were originally showing a lot of interest in Freeney after they lost Elvis Dumervil to free agency. However, they would not give in to Freeney's contract request and instead signed Shaun Phillips during the draft. The Falcons are no longer an option after signing Umenyiora. That leaves the Detroit Lions as possibly the only option.
The team originally showed interest in Freeney back in March. They did draft Ezekiel Ansah with their first-round draft, but could bring Freeney in as a third-down guy. He would provide some depth at the defensive end position. They do not have much outside of Ansah who could easily benefit from taking tips from a seasoned veteran like Freeney. He would give the Lions a good roation.
At this point, his only option might be the one-year deal route. No one is really calling his number and even with the lowered salary request, most team's may wait until training camp to see where they stand before reaching out to Freeney.
