With Eric Reid, Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro unemployed after 2 1/2 months of free agency, safety market’s served as a persistent talking about this offseason. One former defensive coordinator attributed this oddity to teams having difficulty placing values on modern safeties due to myriad responsibilities. An agent for a top safety has a darker view of what’s transpiring.
“(Teams) are basically avoiding everyone because they’re ignoring Reid,” the agent told CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. “That’s exactly how I am looking at it, absolutely. Our (client) hasn’t done anything like that in his past and neither have most of these guys. But that’s exactly what we think is going on here. They just shut the safety market down entirely, and the guy who got paid, by and large, didn’t make much.
“It’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever seen that you can tell us that this group of safeties aren’t worth signing, period, at this point. And saying maybe some other guys have turned down $2MM or $2.5MM, but we have a pretty damn good safety and we haven’t even seen money like that on the table. I know for our guy, we haven’t had a contract offer at all; not one on paper and only one verbal offer, and that offer was for the league minimum with a split and no guaranteed money. So that’s not even an offer; that’s an insult. For these guys to have no jobs right now you can’t tell me ‘that’s just the market.’ That’s BS.”
“The guy who got paid” is likely Morgan Burnett, the other member of what was viewed by some as the top quartet. The Steelers signed him for three years and $14.35MM — 27th in the league in terms of AAV. Reid currently has a collusion grievance against the NFL pending, but Boston and Vaccaro are both in their primes and have received scant interest. Our Rory Parks asked PFR readers which of these players will sign first, and Vaccaro is winning that vote. Both Reid and Vaccaro appeared on PFR’s original Top 50 Free Agents list.
Here’s the latest from around the league:
- Adrian Peterson is also trying to fetch a contract, though age and injury concerns are likely to blame for his unattached status. Peterson mentioned the Texans and Saints again as possible fits while adding some other teams to the mix. Although, he hasn’t received much interest as of yet. “You know obviously I’ve mentioned Houston a couple of times,” Peterson said on a YouTube video (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “I feel like Green Bay wouldn’t be a bad look as well. Carolina. There’s some options out there. You know Miami. Down there in (Los Angeles). That would be a nice look, too, with Todd Gurley. You see around the league they have a two-back system. Guys are not really not pounding the ball 20, 30 times a game, so I think that leaves the door open for a couple of opportunities for me.”
- The Eagles saw Jordan Hicks participate in individual drills during OTAs, per Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com. Hicks ruptured an Achilles’ tendon in Week 7 of last year but is believed to be ahead of schedule. After releasing Mychal Kendricks, the Eagles are counting on their middle linebacker to return.
- Derek Barnett practiced fully for the Eagles, Kempski notes.. The second-year defensive end underwent sports hernia surgery shortly after the season ended, and it appears he’s recovered sufficiently.
- An agent who represents some upper-echelon quarterbacks expects Aaron Rodgers to sign a deal that includes $110MM fully guaranteed within the contract’s first three years, and La Canfora writes that number may be low. Matt Ryan‘s $94.5MM in full guarantees represents the league’s current bar, and Rodgers, despite having two years left on his current Packers contract, should be able to demand a figure north of that.
If the safeties were really that talented, they’d be signed because their social baggage would be outweighed by their on-field contributions.
Maybe. They don’t have any social baggage except for Reid tho. This article is saying how it’s possible that bc of Reid, they are just avoiding signing ALL top safties, in order to discredit the collusion suit by saying “oh we just don’t need any safety’s, it’s not that we are avoiding reid”
If what you say is true, then the goal may also be to get Reid to back down by making his fellow FAs suffer because of his actions.
I’m sure the owners collided against Kap but aren’t dumb enough to document it. They are dumb tho by not signing these talents. Top teams have good safeties.
It’s not a conspiracy against anchovy producers if no one likes anchovies individually. Kaepernick is an anchovy. No one likes him for their own individual reasons. Some of those reasons may be more common than others, but they’re not calling each other up owner to owner. Those guys can’t order a cup of coffee together let alone keep a secret.
MLB lost a collusion case in the 90’s. And we’re more likely to find e-mails (see my note about Steve Jobs) than logs of phone calls, but you never know.
And remember, it only takes two parties conspiring together to make a collusion case.
Steve Jobs did, or someone that he sent e-mails to saved them. His e-mails confirmed that Apple and a whole slew of Silicon Valley companies were colluding to deny software engineers opportunities to be hired by other companies to keep wages down.
If the teams ARE trying to discredit Reid’s case by not signing the other safeties, they’re just confirming it instead, because it really makes no sense from a football stance at all that Boston and Reid, especially, aren’t signed.
If the agent is right – and that is a big IF, and he is NOT a disinterested party, so several grains of salt need to be taken here – but if the agent is right, this just reeks of collusion, and very possibly even more widespread than Kaepernick’s case.
You didn’t even read the article, it says the client and most of the others have no history of protesting. Plus you look at the PFF rankings and Boston and Reid were tied for the 30th best safety, AND Vaccaro and Reid were both in the top 50 free agent list on this site. But you’re right they aren’t talented enough
30th best safety is likely the reason neither is signed.
You say that like its a good quality to be 30th out of 32.
So many teams play with one safety… 30 out of 64, possibly more with teams playing 3 safety sets.
Top 30 safety would be an above average starter, remember there are two safeties starting per team.
And you didn’t read the article…
No
So many teams play with one safety… 30 out of 64, possibly more with teams playing 3 safety sets.
We don’t know all the variables. Are they asking for more money or a greater term than teams feel they are worth?
It is surprising they are not signed yet in business, sometimes people are price buyers over quality and sometimes buyers realize when a seller is grossly overcharging and choose to look elsewhere or wait out the seller.
Because of fit and scheme and the importance of the QB knowing the system, etc. legitimate arguments can be made for teams not signing Kaepernick even as they roster less talented players.
There are 100+ safeties in the NFL so teams not signing a handful of top 50 safeties is harder to explain away.
Sure, and I’ve been willing to cut some teams some slack, for instance when the Dolphins signed Jay Cutler because he had experience playing with Adam Gase. But, after a while, it just got %#$@*&! ridiculous.
There have also been enough reports of people speaking on deep background from enough of the teams that a reasonable estimate of the number of teams that are not signing Kaepernick because someone in ownership or top management just plain hates his guts is about half the league or more. Lack of scheme fit and/or “he’s just not much good” jockey for two or three if memory serves, with fear of fan reaction surprisingly bringing up the rear.
Obviously Reid isn’t being signed because of the social baggage associated with him. But I agree, there’s no legitimate reason why Boston and Vaccaro haven’t signed yet and are likely being punished for Reid’s collusion case. Both are capable starters and at the very least would make good backups/rotational safeties. The same goes for Reid although him being unsigned is not surprising given the lack of interest in Kaepernick (regardless of whether or not he’s a starting caliber QB).
Kenny V should have a job as a starting safety, plain and simple..The fact he doesn’t is absolutely ridiculously crazy..
IMO, the Agent is spot on, nothing else even makes sense, nor even represents a plausible argument..
Kenny Vaccaro is the best Safety out there by far as a Free Agent . He plays his game and well and that’s coming from a NY Giants fan ! Eric Reid great great Safety but might be watching games with Colin on the sidelines .. 🙁