The 2018 free agency maelstrom is currently underway and part four focuses on an underrated part of the process. A lot of time is focused on the deals that see player movement. Equally as maddening and potentially destructive is the effort teams make to resign players. Teams are willing to overpay on guys that they know. Sometimes its okay to do so and other times it reeks of Nixonian paranoia.
2018 Free Agency Grades: Part 4; Stay With Me
Josh Kline Stays With TITANS
4 YEARS $26 MILLION
In the grand scheme of things, this was a reasonable deal. The Titans are rebuilding their offense and both their guards were free agents. They opted to sign the better player. Kline is not only another ex-Patriot to be on the team but he is one of their most valuable run blockers. To paraphrase Mrs. Hoover, this is a perfectly cromulent deal.
GRADE: B-
Prince Amukamara Stays With BEARS
3 YEARS $27 MILLION
After overcoming early injuries in New York, Prince found a new home in Chicago. He signed a one year deal last year and managed to stay healthy enough to earn a spot on the team. He and Kyle Fuller should provide a solid foundation for a rebuilding defense. It’s not a bad deal either even though he’s only played one full season.
GRADE: B
Nickell Robey-Coleman Stays With RAMS
3 YEARS $15.8 MILLION, $8 MILLION GUARANTEED
Wow. The Rams went from having an overpriced shaky secondary to having one of the best in the league. Instead of paying Trumaine Johnson a ton of money they essentially traded him and E.J. Gaines (dealt last year to Buffalo) for Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Not only that but they tagged up-and-coming safety, Lamarcus Joyner. This is all for about $20 million. That’s incredible. Resigning Coleman gives them an embarrassment of riches at corner. He comes in at a relatively cheap deal. If they keep Kayvon Webster who’s coming off an Achilles tear then they have the deepest secondary in football.
GRADE: A-
Nigel Bradham Stays With EAGLES
5 YEARS $40 MILLION
The Eagles just keep finding ways to overcome the cap. They not only added Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata but they managed to keep some of their key role players. Bradham’s price tag seems a little high though. He doesn’t get to the quarterback very often and it seems like they were bidding against themselves. Still, when you’re the champs you can flex a little. In 2018 it’s not a biggie, but down the road, it could be a problem.
GRADE: C
Marqise Lee Stays With JAGUARS
4 YEARS $36 MILLION, $18 MILLION GUARANTEED
This is an example of a team overpaying because they trust the devil they know. It’s understandable that they wouldn’t want to pay Allen Robinson big money but at the same time its weird they’d pay Lee this much. He’s been a good player but not a great one. 2018 will be a big test for Lee as he becomes the team’s number one receiver.
GRADE: C
Josh McCown Stays With JETS
ONE YEAR $10 MILLION
In a vacuum this isn’t so bad, but when coupled with the team giving quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a one year deal, its bad. Furthermore, the Jets have the 6th pick and could’ve just drafted a quarterback. The Jets quarterback situation is essentially an Astral plane. They know they need to start over and its okay to have a veteran caretaker. It’s not okay to shell out ten million while not having a plan. Luckily it’s only for a year but that’s an expensive way to kick the can.
GRADE: D