PAY DIRT! The Dolphins made a big splash on the opening day of NFL free agency, landing former Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (above) and ex-Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
As the opening of free-agency showed yet again Tuesday, it can be really expensive to be a bad team in the NFL.
Two perennial also-rans, the Dolphins and Browns, sprinted out of the gate at the 4 p.m. kickoff of the new league year by showering big money on free agents who aren’t exactly a sure thing.
Just two months after Miami owner Stephen Ross said free agency wouldn’t be the answer to the Dolphins’ lengthy woes, Ross reversed course and lavished contracts worth more than $120 million — including at least $50 million in guaranteed money — on former Steelers wideout Mike Wallace, ex-Ravens inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and former Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler.
The Browns also used a huge check to raid Baltimore’s linebacking corps, snagging Paul Kruger from their hated AFC North rival with a reported five-year, $41 million deal, though Kruger has just 15 1/2 sacks in four seasons as a pro.
Cleveland didn’t stop there, adding Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant with a five-year, $34 million deal that included $15 million guaranteed — or almost $1 million for each of the Harvard graduate’s 18 career starts.
Those were just the most eye-opening moves on Day 1, which included the release of a starting quarterback (Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick) and began with a more intense flurry than usual after the NFL legalized tampering by instituting a three-day “negotiating window.”
With just one playoff appearance in 13 years since returning to Cleveland, the Browns were willing to overlook the fact that just 1 1/2 of Kruger’s nine sacks last season came in games that Baltimore pass-rush terror Terrell Suggs did not play.
The woeful Chiefs also continued their expensive offseason makeover, spending nearly $10 million yesterday to lure defensive tackle Mike DeVito from the Jets and tight end Anthony Fasano from Miami.
Kansas City and new coach Andy Reid have spent $60 million — half of their 2013 salary cap — on DeVito, Fasano, Dunta Robinson and quarterbacks Alex Smith and Chase Daniel.
The Dolphins’ decision to splurge, however, was more startling and open to second-guessing, though Miami opened free agency with nearly $50 million in salary-cap room.
Wallace commanded a five-year deal worth $65 million, including $30 million guaranteed, despite steadily decreasing production in Pittsburgh that convinced the cap-strapped Steelers he was replaceable.
Surpisingly, Wallace — who has just one career Pro Bowl appearance — commanded the third-most guaranteed money among current NFL receivers behind superstars Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson.
Ellerbe, meanwhile, got $35 million over five years, including a reported $10 million guaranteed, to leave Baltimore and replace Karlos Dansby as the Dolphins’ strong-side linebacker as Dansby was simultaneously released. Miami, which is in the midst of a tense campaign to get public money for extensive stadium renovations, didn’t want to stop there, either.
The Dolphins also made a big play for pass-catching Titans tight end Jared Cook, but he signed with the Rams instead. Cook landed a five-year deal from St. Louis, terms of which were not immediately known.
Cook was the headliner in a surprisingly large group of tight ends to land deals on the first day of free agency. Joining him in changing teams were Fasano, ex-Texan James Casey (now with the Eagles), former Giant Martellus Bennett (Bears), ex-49er Delanie Walker (Titans) and former Cowboy John Phillips (Chargers).
While it was a good day to be a tight end, yesterday offered further proof of how dangerous it is to your financial health to be a veteran NFL cornerback.
The Eagles broke up the last of “The Dream Team” by releasing former free-agent prize Nnamdi Asomugha, who joined former Redskins DeAngelo Hall on the long list of prominent corners now on the unemployment line — and perhaps struggling to find a spot for decent money next season in light of the current bumper crop of college corners.
Despite the presence of Dolphins’ All-Pro tackle Jake Long, this wasn’t considered a good year for offensive linemen in free agency. That was borne out yesterday when the first significant lineman to change teams was a guard, Andy Levitre, who bolted the Bills for Tennessee.
Levitre plays the easiest position to fill on the offensive line, yet the Titans still had to pay an extreme premium to get it done. Levitre was handed a whopping $46.8 million over six years, including $13 million guaranteed.
But that was quickly overshadowed by the Bears making Saints tackle Jermon Bushrod the highest-paid offensive lineman in franchise history with a five-year, $38.75 million deal that included $17.7 million guaranteed.