Teams' Free Agent Signings Likely to Cause Problems

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Cornerback Nate Clements got an 8-year deal worth $80M. Guard Eric Steinbach got a 7-year deal worth $49.5M. Guard Derrick Dockery got a $16M signing bonus on a 7-year deal worth $49M. Fullback Olvie Mughelli got a 6-year deal worth $18M. Strong Safety Michael Lewis, who was benched in favor of Sean Considine by the Eagles, got a $10M signing bonus. The exhorbitant free agent contracts are not terribly surprising. A lot of teams have a lot of money to play with, multiple holes to fill, and need to outbid other cap-rich teams for the few quality free agents.

An unforeseen complication of these signings, however, is that they are likely to increase the number of players who seek to be released or traded in the hopes of hitting that jackpot. These signings just dramatically changed the market, and therefore the worth of every player in the league. Sure, teams can tell players, "You must honor the contract you signed." But I wonder how meaningful such pleas will be to guys like Shawn Merriman (5 yr. deal, $15M, $9M guaranteed) who are earning 1/3 of slightly-above-average guards like Derrick Dockery.