The offseason of every professional sport is often highlighted by player trades between teams in exchange for draft picks in the upcoming draft. These trades are what coaches hope will help them build better teams for the upcoming season. The NFL was no exception to this tradition and the headlines of sports pages have been dominated with big trades between teams that have caused certain teams to emerge as front-runners in the favorites to win the next Super Bowl, while other teams seem to be slipping through the cracks.
As was the case last offseason, the Denver Broncos once again find themselves in the spotlight, this time gaining Pro-Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker. Welker comes off an impressive season with the New England Patriots where he was one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. This pick up for the Broncos, along with the signing of Peyton Manning last year, sets up what promises to be an impressive team this Fall. One shortfall for the Denver Broncos is the loss of defensive end Elvis Dumerville. Dumerville, who contributed greatly to the Broncos defense in 2012, was traded to the World Champion Ravens.
The most impressive moves this offseason, however, go to the San Francisco 49’ers. After losing in the Super Bowl, the 49’ers seem to have stacked their team for a come back season. The Niner’s have signed wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who just helped the Ravens win the 2013 Super Bowl. With the 14 draft picks that San Francisco has in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft, the 49’ers have put themselves in a position to certainly be serious contenders for the Championship heading into next year.
While some teams have shined this offseason, others have failed to even meet the expectations of free agency.The New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, as well as the New York Jets have all failed to fill the holes in their offense, as well as those in their defense.
The biggest loss, however, probably goes to the Patriots, who lost Pro-Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker, who was one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets for the previous season. The Patriots quickly signed wide receiver Danny Amendola to a five-year contract hoping that he will be able to step-up and fill Welker’s shoes. The Patriots will still be a solid team this fall, but will certainly be less explosive on offense.
The New York Jets also lost more than they gained, just as what has happened the past 2 off seasons. The team signed Tim Tebow out of Denver last year, but he saw little action, despite the poor performance of quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Jets have been trying to clean up the mess that recently led to the termination general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Cleaning up this mess isn’t going to be easy and it will take more than this offseason and a few good draft picks to build the team back up to being a play off caliber team.
This offseason has certainly been a crazy one, as teams attempt to grab the veterans of the NFL. This is a time where it is most difficult for teams that performed poorly the previous season, as they struggle to compete with teams that made play-off runs. A team that made it to the Conference Championship is certainly more appealing to a free agent than a team that struggled to win a game. The teams will continue trading around right up to the start of the season. All of these trades signal a great season of NFL football to look forward to next fall.
