NFL free agency two weeks away

The start of NFL free agency on March 5 is a mere two weeks away from today. The deadline for teams applying the franchise tag, Feb. 25, is less than one week away. This offseason is one of the more important offseasons in recent memory for the Patriots, as they transition from one decade to the next, and one core group of players to the next. The Pats are primed to make this a big one that could set them up for future success if they make the right decisions, and that starts with the upcoming franchise tag deadline. In a perfect world, they will have Vince Wilfork signed to a long-term before they need to apply the tag. Whether that’s a real possibility or the two sides are still worlds apart is anybody’s guess. There has been absolutely no leaked news updating the contract negotiations. We will likely not know Wilfork’s fate until the Patriots announce that they’ve struck a deal or they apply the franchise tag. Could they simply let Vince test the free agent waters without the constraints of the franchise tag? I give that possibility a zero percent chance of happening.

Aside from Wilfork, as has been mentioned numerous times, the Patriots have a plethora of free agents, both unrestricted and restricted, that they need to try and re-sign. Also casting a shadow over the team is the contract extension due Tom Brady. To Brady’s credit, he is likely not to make a big deal about it and will probably have a deal done, quietly, before he takes a snap in 2010. Besides these storylines, the real attention grabber of the free agency period is the speculation of what new faces the team will bring in to try and win a Super Bowl. NFLlabor.com provide the most complete lists of restricted and unrestricted free agents, as well as providing restricted free agent tender numbers and rules. To see the complete list, by team, of unrestricted free agents click here and to see the list, by team, of restricted free agents click here.

If the Patriots really like a restricted free agent, they have the draft pick ammunition to try and acquire that player. The Pats have 4 picks in the first 2 rounds, and they may decide to try and get proven commodities as opposed to NFL unknowns.

During the week leading up to free agency, I will put together lists of players, position by position, the Patriots could target. I will narrow down the days and positions based on the poll results. Currently, you guys have voted “linebacker” as the Patriots’ top position need. If you haven’t voted yet, be sure to make your selection!