There are a ton of quality free agents available as we head into the 2016 offseason, however only a few of them can actually translate their skills to another team. We see it every free agency period, teams making mistakes by signing players that cannot produce year round for way too much money.
The difference this season is that there are actually some legendary players whose contracts are just about up (Von Miller, Eric Berry, Josh Norman, and Muhammad Wilkerson just to name a few), according to CBS Sports. If they were to leave and head to another team it could completely change the power balance in the NFL.
Here is a list of the top 30 free agents for teams to consider.
1. Von Miller (Denver Broncos/Outside Linebacker)
2. Eric Berry (Kansas City Chiefs/Safety)
3. Muhammad Wilkerson (New York Jets/Defensive End)
4. Josh Norman (Carolina Panthers/Cornerback)
5. Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears/ Wide Receiver)
6. Cordy Glenn (Buffalo Bills/Left Tackle)
7. Olivier Vernon (Miami Dolphins/Defensive End)
8. Malik Jackson (Denver Broncos/Defensive End)
9. Janoris Jenkins (Los Angeles Rams/Cornerback)
10. Brock Osweiler (Denver Broncos/Quarterback)
11. Danny Trevathan (Denver Broncos/Inside Linebacker)
12. Sean Smith (Kansas City Chiefs/Cornerback)
13. Bruce Irvin (Seattle Seahawks/Outside Linebacker)
14. Trumaine Johnson (Los Angeles Rams/ Cornerback)
15. Derrick Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs/Inside Linebacker)
16. Ryan Fitzpatrick (New York Jets/Quarterback)
17. Brandon Marshall (Denver Broncos/ Inside Linebacker)
18. Marvin Jones (Cincinnati Bengals/Wide Receiver)
19. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears/Running Back)
20. Eric Weddle (San Diego Chargers/Safety)
21. Lamar Miller (Miami Dolphins/Running Back)
22. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Running Back)
23. Jason Pierre Paul (New York Giants/ Defensive End)
24. Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins/Quarterback)
25. Tashaun Gipson (Cleveland Browns/Safety)
26. Prince Amukamara (New York Giants/Cornerback)
27. Travis Benjamin (Cleveland Browns/ Wide Receiver)
28. Sam Bradford (Philadelphia Eagles/Quarterback)
29. Greg Hardy (Dallas Cowboys/Defensive End)
30. Aldon Smith (Oakland Raiders/Outside Linebacker)
The last two names obviously have asterisks by them, as they are highly controversial players. Smith will likely face a season-long suspension, so any team thinking about acquiring his services will have to wait until 2017 to get a realistic look at what he could bring to the table. Greg Hardy will be released by the Dallas Cowboys, which will give teams plenty to think about. Hardy got negative reviews from the Cowboys so his market could be small according to the Washington Post. But make no mistake about it, a team will offer him a contract.
As we jump to the quarterback position, there are only four of them on this list, and two of them come past 20. Brock Osweiler is viewed as the best quarterback in free agency because he has had the least amount of chances at becoming a franchise quarterback. Sure, Ryan Fitzpatrick had an excellent season, but that doesn't mean he hasn't absolutely bombed with every other team he has been with.
This leaves Kirk Cousins and Sam Bradford, two players who will likely be the least sought after big name quarterbacks during free agency. You of course have to factor in the franchise tag, though. The players likely to be tagged are Von Miller, Kirk Cousins, Brock Osweiler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cordy Glenn and Muhammad Wilkerson, according to ESPN. Josh Norman could be tagged, but he will likely receive the biggest contract in free agency.
Running backs are so low on this list considering their value in the NFL has plummeted. These running backs will find new homes, however it is hard to imagine anyone would pay top dollar for them considering the draft class coming in.
