Teams Spend Over 600 Million On Pass Rushers And Pass Protectors As Free Agency Opens

Denver started the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots with two touchdown drives, but then did little afterwards. That ended up being enough, since Von Miller and the rest of the Denver defense made it next to impossible for Tom Brady to do much till the last few minutes of the game. In the Super Bowl, the Broncos offense did not score an offensive touchdown till late in the fourth quarter, but thanks to the defense having recorded a touchdown in the first quarter, three Brandon McManus field goals, and a stellar defensive performance, they never trailed. When one team finds a formula that works, everyone else tries to copy it. So, after watching the defensive front lead the way to a Super Bowl win for the Broncos, many teams looked to beef up their pass rush through free agency. Within a couple days after free agency opened up, just under $300 million was committed to defensive lineman by various teams around the league. The following are a few of the deals that were made:

Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants: one-year, $10 million Mario Williams, Miami Dolphins: two-years, $17 million Malik Jackson, Jacksonville Jaguars: five-years, $85 million Olivier Vernon, New York Giants: five-years, $85 million Brandon Melbane, San Diego Chargers: three-years, $13.5 million Derrick Shelby, Atlanta Falcons: four-years, $18 million Cedric Thornton, Dallas Cowboys: four-years, $17 million

While the Broncos proved how valuable a pass rush can be, the Patriots and Panthers proved how valuable a good offensive line could be (if only they had one). So while some teams have been passing out the big bucks to pass rushers, others were busy dishing out high dollar contracts to the offensive lineman. Just over $300 million was handed out to offensive lineman shortly after free agency began. What follows, is a handful of the deals that have been made.

Donald Stephenson, Kansas City Chiefs: three-years, $14 million J.R. Sweezy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: five-years, $32.5 million Mitchell Schwartz, Kanas City Chiefs: five-years, $33 million Bobby Massie, Chicago Bears: three-years, $18 million Jeff Allen, Houston Texans: four-years, $28 million Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles: five-years, $40 million Kelechi Osemele, Oakland Raiders: five-years, $58.5 million Alex Mack, Atlanta Falcons: five-years, $45 million Ben Jones, Tennessee Titans: four-years, $17.5 million Richie Incognito, Buffalo Bills: three-years, $15.75 million

As nice as the payday has to be, there is one problem that comes with every high-dollar contract. Eventually, there will be a time where the salary cap hit will make him expendable no matter how well he is playing. It sucks, but such is life when it comes to the business side of the NFL.