Age as of 9/1/10. “(UFA-CBA)” represents a player that will become an unrestricted free agent if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is put into place. Otherwise, free agents will be considered with a more realistic outlook of a 2010 season without a CBA in place.
Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins (34)
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 very soon, but is unlikely to be retained by the Dolphins where Chad Henne has shown promise as one of the league’s better young quarterbacks. Henne has the arm strength to stretch the defense, something Pennington has always been heavily criticized for lacking. A 34 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.
Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
Losing Orton for the equivalent of a full game in weeks 10 and 11 showed the worth of Kyle Orton within the Broncos’ offense. With Chris Simms at the helm, the offense became anemic. Orton really strung together an underappreciated season with a passer rating of 86.8, including 10 games at more than 90. He doesn’t have the potential to develop into an elite quarterback, but the Broncos are capable of winning games with him under center. Their 4 consecutive losses (8 out of their last 10) may reflect poorly on Orton, but he was hardly the biggest target of blame during that stretched. Orton will become a restricted free agent without a new CBA, which would allow the team to retain him for one more tryout year, but if he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team should consider overpaying in hopes of not losing another quarterback capable of winning games.
Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins (28) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
Despite captaining the Redskins to a 4-12 record, 2009 was really the best season for Jason Campbell. He set career highs in completion percentage, yards, yards per attempt, touchdowns, and quarterback rating. Campbell has the potential to be a high-end quarterback, but hasn’t been consistent enough to string together a couple of complete, consecutive games. He made some improvement over the 2nd half of the season, but nothing in the Redskins’ front office has shown confidence in his abilities. With Mike Shanahan set to become the new head coach, Campbell could thrive with some tutoring from a great quarterback coach, but will the Redskins give him that chance? In a best case scenario, Campbell will be given a high restricted tender, or a short-term offer, depending on the CBA.
Matt Moore, Carolina Panthers (26) – Restricted FA
Any chance Matt Moore had of being lost this season disappeared after leading the Panthers to 4 wins in 5 games, including victories against the Vikings, Giants, and Saints (without Brees). Barring an foolish decision by the Panthers’ coaching staff, Moore should begin next season as the team’s starter. Not only did he win more games in 5 tries than Delhomme did in his 11 attempts, but he also equaled Delhomme in TD passes on the season. Moore finished with 8 touchdowns, 2 picks, and a 98.5 quarterback rating. While he may not replicate those numbers again over the course of an entire year, that’s the type of potential Matt Moore has.
Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota Vikings (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
It’ll be interesting to see how a season behind Brett Favre will have changed Tarvaris Jackson. He looked like a player showing gradual improvement 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 how his final games pan out. 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 what Favre decides; he could or he could stick with the Vikings and wait for his shot like a former back-up to Favre did, or take the opportunity to leave and compete for a starting job right away. Regardless, in the spare time he’s gotten this year in blowout wins over the Rams, Seahawks, and Giants, Jackson has completed a high percent and has a 113.4 QB Rating on the year through 21 attempts. Keep in mind he was coming off a preseason rating of 118.4. In limited playing time, the numbers are impressive over the last year.
Kellen Clemens, New York Jets (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
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 before this season. If Clemens is satisfied as a career back-up, he could decide to accept a small contract to play behind Sanchez. When he finally got the chance to play in Buffalo, after Sanchez’s injury, Clemens took 3 sacks, threw 2 passes, and ran twice against a tough Bills pass defense in 22 snaps. Against a below average Buccaneers defense, he was only able to muster 111 yards through the air, minimizing mistakes and allowing his defense and running game do the brunt of the work. Clemens didn’t have a particularly great game, but could compete for a starting position on one of the league’s lesser teams if the Jets let him walk.
Other Notable Free Agents:
Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers (35)
Kyle Boller, St. Louis Rams (29)
David Carr, New York Giants (31)
Brodie Croyle, Kansas City Chiefs (27) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
Daunte Culpepper, Detroit Lions (33)
Charlie Frye, Oakland Raiders (29) – Restricted FA (UFA-CBA)
Rex Grossman, Houston Texans (30)
Joey Harrington, New Orleans Saints (31)
Jon Kitna, Dallas Cowboys (37)
Chris Redman, Atlanta Falcons (33)
Brett Ratliff, Cleveland Browns (25) – Exclusive Rights FA
Troy Smith, Baltimore Ravens (26) – Restricted FA
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