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Tag: nfl free agency

  • Chicago Bears Sign Jared Allen With 4-Year Contract

    One of the best remaining free agents in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball has finally found a new home. The Chicago Bears just agreed to terms with Jared Allen, who has been a big star for the Vikings over the past 6 seasons.

    Jared Allen is a defensive end, and has been with the Minnesota Vikings since 2008. Prior to joining the Chicago Bears, he has been to the Pro Bowl 4 of the past 6 years, and has a total of 128.5 career sacks, which places him at 12th in the history of the NFL.

    The deal could be worth up to $32 million, which would include $15.5 million in guaranteed money, and could void after three years, and $24 million. Allen should be a valuable asset for the Bears after getting in on 93 percent of the Vikings’ snaps from 2008 to 2013.

    The Chicago Bears had one of the best defenses in the league several years ago with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but in the past few years, they have struggled greatly. They were kept out of the playoffs last year after Jay Cutler was injured for most of the season, and they were poor on the offensive end as well.

    Prior to the signing Allen, the Chicago Bears had released veteran Julius Peppers in order to make room for others, and bring in new talent. Peppers has since signed with their rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

    Since the Vikings and Bears are in the same division, the NFC North, Jared Allen will be able to continue to pursue the quarterbacks that he has already become familiar with, and the Bears also play with a similar defensive style that he is used to. It was previously rumored around the time of the trade deadline that Allen could have been traded, and several teams had shown interest.

    Allen should be a nice addition to the Chicago Bears, and coach Mark Trestman showed his excitement to introduce him to the program when saying “We know what his abilities bring to the table. We believe he’s going to come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe he’ll fit right in.”

    The Chicago Bears should see a great improvement with their defense after signing Jared Allen. He needs only 4.5 sacks to move into sole possession of 10th place on the career list, and he could climb as high as fifth next season, and pass Michael Strahan, since all he has to do is record 13.5 sacks.

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  • Pittsburgh Steelers Start To Get More Active In Free Agency

    The Pittsburgh Steelers have been fairly quiet in the first week of the NFL’s free agency, and have not made moves to pick up any stars like other teams have. After failing to make the playoffs last year, one would think they would have been more active by now.

    Pittsburgh’s latest move has been to show interest in running back Maurice Jones-Drew, and their former star linebacker James Harrison. The Steelers are beginning to increase their efforts, and have set up some visits with other free agents as well.

    James Harrison has always been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, and was one of the best players on their defensive squad until they were forced to let him go last years as a salary cap disaster. He would certainly be welcome back in Pittsburgh, and their former star recently showed interest in returning.

    Maurice Jones-Drew could be a nice addition to the offense, and a change of pace for a team that mostly relied on Le’Veon Bell as a rookie last year. He rushed for 803 yards on 234 carries with five touchdowns last season.

    Bell is a great back, but it could help to have the veteran on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, giving them a sense of leadership, and he may still have a few good seasons in him. The official offensive move that they have made already was securing that veteran Heath Miller would return, along with Troy Polamalu in the same move.

    As a team, they started the 2013 with a horrible record, but managed to salvage it enough to almost make the playoffs, and were left out after a missed call in the game between the Chiefs and Chargers.

    The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been known for the power of their defense, with the famous “Steel Curtain,” and the few moves that they have made already have been focused on defense.

    They had released a couple of veterans in Larry Foote and Lamarr Woodley, but of course needed to re-sign Troy Polamalu, who is set on finishing his career with the Steelers.

    The Pittsburgh Steelers have changed a bit in the past few years, and due to some injuries to players like Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, and Troy Polamalu, they had some troubles in 2013. It is hard to know what they will do in the draft since, when healthy, the Steelers could still be a top team.

    Perhaps they could use another receiver after losing Emmanuel Sanders to the Broncos, and Mike Wallace to the Dolphins in the previous year. Where could they use the most help?

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  • Darren Sproles Traded To Eagles For Fifth Round Draft Pick

    It is the time of the NFL free agency, and while most teams are signing and releasing players, Darren Sproles was involved in a recent trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Eagles.

    The veteran Saints running back was sent to the Eagles in exchange for a fifth round draft pick, which does not seem like much, but sometimes late picks in the draft can turn out to be stars in the NFL.

    Darren Sproles has been an effective running back for the New Orleans Saints, but as a team that tends to rotate between him and Pierre Thomas, and sometimes a third back, they do not seem to rely on him as much as they did previously.

    Philadelphia seems like a bit of an odd place for him to land with the strength that they already have at the running back position with LeSean McCoy, who was the NFL’s leading rusher in 2013. However, he can be used as a receiver as well, and is an offensive threat in multiple ways.

    Eagles coach Chip Kelly spoke about the addition of Darren Sproles when saying “He can do it all — run, catch — plus he’s a proven winner. And on top of that, he can bring all of those dynamic skills to the return game as well. There is no question we were all excited once we found out we were going to be able to trade for him.”

    Before the trade, Darren Sproles had expressed his frustration with the team, but said that he would want to be released by the Saints, rather than traded. Several offensive weapons have been released, and signed recently, while some receivers such as Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers are still available.

    In addition to picking up Sproles in a trade, the Philadelphia Eagles signed a two-year deal with former Miami Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll. They also signed Malcolm Jenkins, a safety who used to play with the Saints.

    After barely making the playoffs last year, the Eagles will look to improve in every aspect of their game, and take control of the NFC East in 2014. They had one of the most explosive offenses last year, but the thing they needed to improve on most was their defense, which ranked 29th in the league last season.

    In his past three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Darren Sproles had a total of 1,067 rushing yards, 1,981 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. In previous seasons, the Saints were one of the dominant teams in the league, and he was able to set an NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season, reaching a total of 2,696 in 2011.

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