Free agency is the equivalent of Christmas to many NFL franchises. Looking to improve their rosters with top-notch talent, desperate teams are more than willing to throw plenty of dollars in the direction of players that on paper, instantly make their squads better.
For instance, if recent reports are true, the Washington Redskins may be on the verge of making Albert Haynesworth a $100 million man once free agency starts on Friday. As far as I know, Kerry Collins won’t be offered a similar deal but as a result of the price-tag of Arizona’s Kurt Warner increasing, another team may feel inclined to spend a little extra to take KC away from Nashville.
Yep folks…free agency hasn’t even officially begun and already, the Tennessee Titans are faced with some important decisions to make in the immediate future.
I’m a huge fan of Albert Haynesworth. He possesses the formidable combination of the brute size and strength to stuff the run and the cat-like quickness needed to chase after helpless opposing quarterbacks. In a nutshell, he’s arguably the game’s most dominant defensive player.
However, as much as I’d love to see Albert sign a hefty new contract to remain a Titan for the remainder of his career, there is no way that the Titans are going to match the rumored $100 million deal with an average of $15 or $16 million per season that the Redskins may offer. Extending that type of money to one player just isn’t the Tennessee Titan way of doing things.
It would be tough to stomach Haynesworth’s potential departure if a team is able to snag him with a deal at or around the 4-year, $36 million offer that he rejected from the Titans. However, I’d have no regrets if Albert were to leave for the literally and figuratively greener pastures courtesy of a contract reaching the triple-digit stratosphere.
Meanwhile, if Kerry Collins is serious about being paid Kurt Warner-type money, then he must be doing cartwheels upon hearing about Warner’s new contract possibly exceeding the $10 million per season mark.
With Vince Young sitting on the bench, the Titans already have a fair amount of resources tied into the quarterback position. However, despite the prospect of paying two signal-callers starter-level salaries, I have a hard time picturing Collins playing in another NFL city next year.
It may be costly, but I’m still cautiously optimistic that the Titans will reward Collins with a somewhat lucrative ($8-10 million per) two-year contract.
What do you guys think? Should the Titans break the bank to retain Haynesworth? Is Kerry Collins worth $10 million per year?
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