Free Agency Primer: Defensive Linemen

With Super Bowl XLIV in the books, we begin our lookahead to 2010 free agency by breaking down the top players available at every position. Coming next: Linebackers.

Oh, to be Vince Wilfork.

"It's basically a slap in my face."

Wilfork, a very good nose tackle for the New England Patriots, is a rare in-his-prime player set to be an unrestricted free agent in a whacked-out NFL offseason where the UFA pool will be diluted due to rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement heading into an uncapped year. The Patriots don't want to lose the 28-year-old Wilfork for nothing, so there's talk the club may use -- and should, if need be -- the "franchise" tag to lock him up with a one-year deal.

The franchise price, of course, means no fat signing bonus or long-term contract. It also means, for a defensive lineman, a one-year salary of $7.003 million.

Where do the rest of us sign up for such abuse?

"I want a long-term deal or I want to be free. Point blank," Wilfork told Boston radio station WEEI last week, adding that the $7 million was "decent money for most people out there."

Decent?

Forgive most of us among the great unwashed for not empathizing to Wilfork's plight. Brings to mind when Latrell Sprewell turned his nose up at a $10 million-a-year offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves and mumbled something about having to feed his family.

Anyway, the deadline to use the franchise or transition tags is Feb. 25. And even if the designation is applied, teams still have months to negotiate contract extensions with the player. So Wilfork, the former University of Miami standout and first-round draft pick, may yet be spared that slap to the face. It doesn't, though, appear he'll hit the open market and be allowed to shop his services to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the two teams Wilfork said last month during Pro Bowl week that he'd like a chance to play for.

The defensive line is one of the few areas where some marquee names are unrestricted free agents. A number of the players below will be in the big-money mix -- though don't expect any $100 million deals with $41 million signing bonuses, ala Albert Haynesworth and Washington last March -- when free agency starts March 5.

Some, perhaps like Wilfork, will be slapped with tags ... and in the face, pending one's perspective.

[Note: *RFA denotes a restricted free agent who will become an unrestricted free agent in the unlikely event the league and players negotiate a new CBA before the deadline.]

1) Julius Peppers (DE/Carolina), UFA. Maybe the No. 1 unrestricted player out there, period. Peppers, who has 25 sacks the last two seasons, made $16.8 million under a franchise designation last year -- that's more than $1 million per game -- and under CBA rules a second straight tag will require a one-year deal of more than $20 million. Nobody is worth that. But Peppers, 30, probably will settle for a fair-market deal (with a big bonus, of course) from a contending team, such as New England or Philadelphia.

2) Elvis Dumervil (DE/Denver), *RFA. He led the NFL with 17 sacks in '09 and would have been poised for a monster pay day, but as a fourth-year pro heading into the uncapped year the Broncos can assign him RFA tender at around $3.2 million. Can't be happy.

3) Vince Wilfork (DT/New England), UFA. A lot of teams could be in the bidding for a 325-pound run-stuffer, but the Pats hold the cards.

4) Casey Hampton (NT/Pittsburgh), UFA. Speaking of run-stuffers, this guy is one of the best in the business, having manned the inside of the Steelers 3-4 through a pair of Super Bowl titles. Pittsburgh usually takes care of its own, but the Steelers also don't overspend very often. Hampton's situation bears watching.

5) Ray Edwards (DE/Minnesota), *RFA. Tony Romo's newest best friend (kidding) is a fourth-year guy, like Dumervil, whose timing would have been perfect if it wasn't so imperfect. With Edwards opposite Jared Allen, the Vikings have the best duo of ends in the league. Why mess with a great thing?

6) Aaron Kampman (DE/Green Bay), UFA. After ringing up 37 sacks the previous three seasons, Kampman looked lost in '09 when Dom Capers came on as defensive coordinator and went from a base 4-3 to 3-4, moving Kampman to outside linebacker. The Packers still had the No. 2 defense in the league, but Kampman finished with only 3 1/2 sacks. If Green Bay lets him wade into free agency, Kampman, still just 30, could make some team very happy.

7) Richard Seymour (DT/Oakland), UFA. The Pats held the cards with Seymour last year, but traded him to the Raiders for a first-round pick in 2011. Al Davis would be foolish to let him walk given what the club gave up, so look for the Raiders to lock up the five-time Pro Bowler one way or another.

8) Ryan Pickett (NT/Green Bay), UFA. Mostly an underachiever during his first five seasons in St. Louis, Pickett has developed into a pretty reliable obstacle in the middle. The Packers led the league against the run in '09.

Among the rest:

Mark Anderson (DE/Chicago), *RFA. Had 12 sacks in his '06 rookie season, but just 9 1/2 total in the three seasons since.

Tony Brown (DT/Tennessee), UFA. Started all but two games for the Titans the last three seasons.

Derrick Burgess (DE/New England), *RFA. Had better years with the Raiders than the one he had with Pats.

Barry Cofield (DT/NY Giants), UFA. Four-year starter since being drafted by the Giants in '06.

Ryan Denny (DE/Buffalo), UFA. All eight of his seasons in Buffalo.

Jason Ferguson (NT/Miami), UFA. Bill Parcells has sworn his defensive fronts by this guy in New York, Dallas and now Miami ... but he is 35.

Aubrayo Franklin (DT/San Francisco), UFA. His blue-collar work up front has made Patrick Willis look All-World at linebacker.

Tank Johnson (DT/Cincinnati), UFA. Once a disgraced Bear, he's behaved himself for Marvin Lewis.

Johnny Jolley (DE/Green Bay), *RFA. Two-year starter who made the 3-4 transition better than Kampman did.

Jevon Kearse (DE/Tennessee), UFA. At least one of his four tackles last season was a sack.

Leonard Little (DE/St. Louis), UFA. Even at 35, Little can still rush the passer and come up with the splash play (6 1/2 sacks, interception return for TD in '09).

Chike Okeafor (DE/Arizona), UFA. Seven straight seasons with at least 4 1/2 sacks, including four seasons with at least eight.

Cory Redding (DT/Seattle), UFA. His best days were as a Lion ... seriously.

Fred Robbins (DT/NY Giants), UFA. Like the rest of the Giants, his productivity dipped in '09.

Marcus Spears (DE/Dallas), *RFA. Taken nine picks after DeMarcus Ware in Round 1 of '05 -- and he has 56 1/2 fewer sacks.

Darryl Tapp (DE/Seattle), *RFA. Pete Carroll may want to keep him around.

Jason Taylor (DE/Miami), UFA. League's active sacks leader with 127 1/2, but he'll be 36 on opening day and and has that whole acting Jones going on.

Kyle Vanden Bosch (DE/Tennessee), UFA. With no strings attached (and still only 31), might be worth a close look.