2009 NFL Free Agents

Free Agents by position: QB | RB | WR | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P

Top Quarterbacks

Age as of 9/1/09. All free agents listed here are done so with an optimistic outlook that a new CBA will be agreed upon. Accordingly, only four accrued seasons are necessary to obtain an Unrestricted Free Agency status on this list.

Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos (26)
After leading the Broncos to a perfect start heading into the bye week, Orton has put himself in a great position for an extension in Denver. His numbers have improved across the board, posting a 100.1 QB Rating with only one interception through six games. If Orton continues to keep up his exceptional level of play, look for Denver begin talking with his agent to work on a lucrative extension. Should the signal caller make it to the end of the year without a new deal, he will enter free agency as the top quarterback available. The team needs to extend him so they and their fan base can finally put Jay Cutler in the past.

Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins (27)
Campbell has been an enormous disappointment; in his make or break season, he hasn’t taken the big step forward to live up to his potential and has even seemingly regressed. He doesn’t push the ball downfield enough and has turned it over too much to be considered a legitimate game manager. Campbell has a 67.3 Quarterback Rating on 3rd downs which has led to an ineffective Redskins offense which has consequently converted only 29.1% on the money down. Campbell will likely not be retained by the Skins this offseason and will become an unrestricted free agency. I’ll be curious to see if any team tries to continue to develop him.

Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins (33)
Pennington wasn’t finding the same success this year as he was in last year’s great campaign, even before suffering another season-ending injury. His shoulder injury luckily showed no damage to his rotator cuff which has already been operated on twice. He should be able to start throwing again in December or January, but is unlikely to be retained by the Dolphins where Chad Henne has played well enough to keep the team satisfied. Henne has the arm strength to stretch the defense and potentially develop a connection with Ted Ginn who has also been a moderate draft bust. A 33 year Chad Pennington coming off a third shoulder injury won’t garner much excitement in free agency, but may have the opportunity to compete for a one-year job on a needy team. Pennington doesn’t have age on his side, the arm strength, or the durability to be considered anything more than a stop-gap solution at this point in his career.

Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota Vikings (26)
It’ll be interesting to see how a season behind Brett Favre will have changed Tarvaris Jackson. He looked like a player improving each season with the potential to finally turn the corner this year. Favre’s retirement decision will likely come down to the last moment again and will depend on he and his team’s play down the stretch of the season. If a new CBA isn’t agreed upon, Jackson will become a Restricted Free Agent in which Minnesota will most likely retain him. If not, his decision to stay or leave Minnesota could very well come down to how Favre’s decision turns out, or he could stick it out and go the Aaron Rodgers patience route.

Kellen Clemens, New York Jets (26)
Drafting Mark Sanchez spelled the end of Kellen Clemens’ future in New York. He was rather disappointing in his duty as a starter, making little progress. If Clemens is satisfied being a career back-up, he could decide to accept a small contract to play behind Sanchez. Perhaps he could get some more reps and another chance if Sanchez goes through some tough growing pains, but Clemens could be better off moving on and competing for a job on one of the less successful teams in the league. This is pure speculation, but Oakland seems like a potential landing spot where the Raiders can’t really afford to tie up another top-end contract to a quarterback.

Other Notable Free Agents:

Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers (34)
Kyle Boller, St. Louis Rams (28)
David Carr, New York Giants (30)
Daunte Culpepper, Detroit Lions (32)
Rex Grossman, Houston Texans (29)
Joey Harrington, New Orleans Saints (30)
Jon Kitna, Dallas Cowboys (36)
Matt Moore, Carolina Panthers (25) – Restricted FA
Brett Ratliff, Cleveland Browns (24) – Exclusive Rights FA
Troy Smith, Baltimore Ravens (25) – Restricted FA

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