Once NFL free agency gets underway, it’s going to be the wildest signing spree in league history, with players hitting the open market and hooking on with new teams at a fast and furious pace. In the rush to fill rosters, there might not even be much time for the usual rumors and speculation to circulate, as training camp deadlines will be merely days away.
Free agency hasn’t started yet, though, making this a fertile time for agents to plant seeds they hope will germinate into cold, hard cash. One such seed was recently watered by Drew Rosenhaus, who specializes in making sure his clients receive publicity. Ahmad Bradshaw not long ago hired Rosenhaus, as the Giants running back prepared for the inevitability of the lockout ending. When free agency begins, Bradshaw will be one of the most talented running backs on the market and the Giants want him back.
Rosenhaus has a strong history making deals with the Giants, but he’ll follow the money. He fired the first salvo as far as Bradshaw is concerned. In a Sunday night interview with 7SportsXtra in Miami, Rosenhaus said Bradshaw is training in Miami (with Plaxico Burress) and would have an interest in playing for the Dolphins if the feeling is mutual.
“If they are interested in Ahmad, we’re interested back,” Rosenhaus said.
However, Bradshaw last night reiterated what he has previously stated, saying on ESPN 1050: “I love New York more than anything” and that the Giants are his first option.
“Right now not knowing where I’ll be is a headache,” he told ESPN 1050.
There are multiple reports that teams will have a three-day window to re-sign their own free agents, and if that is the case, the Giants will be wise to lock up Bradshaw before he hits the market. He’s coming off a career-best 1,235 rushing yards and supplanted Brandon Jacobs as the starting running back. Bradshaw’s production tailed off late in the season and he revealed in February he needed surgery to flush out “a bunch of junk” from his left ankle.
If the Giants lose Bradshaw, they will have to look outside their roster to replace him. They have Jacobs and D.J. Ware under contract, and selected Da’Rel Scott in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
The Dolphins make sense for Bradshaw, as they are seeking to upgrade a running game that fell on hard times in 2010. Both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are set to be unrestricted free agents. Bradshaw, also a threat as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, has the versatility Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano wants out of his backs.