As expected the days following the end of the NFL lockout have been frantic to say the least. I get ESPN mobile alerts sent to my phone but usually I average no more than one or two a day at the most. Since 10 AM Tuesday morning I have received 73 text messages from ESPN NFL which is almost exactly 1 per hour.
Obviously there is far too much to talk about for this one post (for anyone interested in that you can find Adam Schefter on one ESPN network or the other a minimum of 6 hours a day) so I'll just highlight some of them major deals.
The biggest (and most long-awaited) trade finally took place on Thursday with the Philadelphia Eagles sending QB Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals in return for 25-year old CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick. The Eagles went with DRC over pursuing the big free agents Nnamdi Asomugha and Jonathan Joseph because of his age (25) size and speed (6'2", 189, 4.29 'nuff said) and perhaps most important the fact that he will only cost the team a little over $2 Million for the next two years, in other words about 10x less than Asomugha would run them. Kolb will finally get his chance to being the starting QB (wait haven't we already done this dance?) and got his big contract to the tune of 5 Years for $63 Million.
The New York Jets and New England Patriots have been making the most noise in the AFC. The Jets were able to bring back top WR Free Agent Santonio Holmes by giving him the largest amount of guaranteed money ever given to a receiver at $24. That huge bonus actually works in their favor however as Holmes' $50 Million contract will only count about $2.5 Million on this year's salary cap allowing them to aggressively pursue Asomugha. Nnamdi appears to want to play for the Jets and they clearly want him. The Jets will likely land the Star CB to pair Darrelle Revis this weekend but Asomugha will be sure to draw as much money from them as possible before that announcement is made. The Patriots made big moves in the trade market by first acquiring DT Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins for a 5th-round pick before adding WR Chad Ochocinco for two more late round picks. The Ochocinco deal appeared likely after it was clear Cincinnati wished to be free of the aging receiver's $6.5 Million contract but the Haynesworth move was surprising. The Redskins wanted no piece of Haynesworth and have to be happy they were able get at least something in return for him. More importantly perhaps they were happy to choose where he went rather than release him and have him sign with a team like the Eagles who play them twice a year.
Clearly there's more to come
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