Free Agency Primer: Linebackers

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: Defensive Backs.

You know that saying about timing being everything?

Karlos Dansby does.

The Arizona Cardinals linebacker had one of the greatest single-game defensive performances in recent memory last month when his splashy plays -- including a mid-air fumble recovery for a game-winning touchdown in overtime -- keyed a pulsating victory over Aaron Rodgers and the red-hot Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

Turns out Dansby is going to be an unrestricted free agent; really and truly. The Cardinals, who designated Dansby as their "franchise" player the last two seasons and paid him a one-year deal of $9.68 million in 2009, reportedly will not tag the sixth-year pro in 2010. That means Dansby (unlike his unfortunate colleagues restricted under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the pending uncapped year) will be free to shop his services to everyone around the league.

In an interview with Sirius radio last week, Dansby said he has four teams in mind: San Diego, Miami, Washington and the New York Giants.

Why not the Dallas Cowboys, given Jerry Jones, those deep pockets and the missing salary cap?

Well, because even in an uncapped year, there are some caps for some teams; eight of them, to be specific. The league is calling it the "Final Eight Plan" and "Final Four Plan" -- teams that advanced beyond the wild-card round have some ties preventing owners from showering cash on free agents, and the reigns get tighter for the four teams that advanced to their conference championship games. All eight, however, can re-sign as many of their own unrestricted free agents as they choose.

Here's how it works:

The Final Eight Plan: Baltimore and San Diego in the AFC, and Arizona and Dallas in the NFC, lost their divisional games. They can sign one unrestricted free agent with a first-year salary that does not exceed $4.924 million and as many as they want that do not exceed $3.275 million in the first year. Those figures include base salary, roster and reporting bonuses and a prorated chunk of the signing bonus.

The Final Four Plan: Super Bowl participants New Orleans and Indianapolis, along with conference runners-up Minnesota and the New York Jets may not sign another team's UFA until they lose one of they own; and that incoming player can't make more in the first season of his new contract than the outgoing one.

Sound complicated? It is. A little. The players, though, will understand the rules. They won't like them, but they'll understand them.

Dansby, 28, is going to get a nice contract. He may even get one from, say, the Chargers, who are one of the eight teams saddled with divisional-round restrictions. If San Diego loses a player -- RFA linebacker Shawne Merriman comes to mind -- that nearly $5 million door opens for Dansby to come on board, but he may be looking for an even bigger payday.

Below is a list of linebackers who should illicit interest in free agency (most of whom won't be as free as Dansby).

Note: * 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) DeMeco Ryans (Houston), RFA*: Defense is rarely associated with the Houston Texans, but Ryans was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 with 155 tackles. He has averaged nearly 130 tackles over his four seasons. And in '09 he helped his unit finish in the top 10 against the run, while helping the Texans to their first winning record in franchise history.

2) Karlos Dansby (Arizona), UFA: Led Cardinals in tackles in each of the last two seasons, including the improbable '08 march to the Super Bowl.

3) Shawne Merriman (San Diego), RFA*: He hasn't been an elite linebacker since 2007 when he had 12 1/2 sacks, giving him three straight seasons in double digits (including 17 in '06) after entering the league. There was a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 of '08 and just 36 tackles and four sacks in '09. This is not to suggest Merriman can't still be an elite linebacker, or that some team won't pay him as one. Probably won't be the Chargers, though.

4) Barrett Ruud (Tampa Bay), RFA*: The Buccaneers would not talk contract extension with their middle linebacker and leading tackler last offseason, and Ruud showed his displeasure by staying away from offseason workouts. He could be even more irked this spring, if his reward for averaging 131 tackles over the last three seasons is a one-year offer rather than a long-term deal. Ruud is one of the few draft picks Tampa Bay has gotten right in recent, so he should be rewarded.

5) Kirk Morrison (Oakland), RFA*: Since being promoted to starter in Week 2 of 2005, his rookie season, Morrison has started 79 straight games and been the Raiders' runaway leading tackler (an average of 126.2 over five seasons) during their current run of misery. He grew up in Oakland, but that doesn't mean he needs to stay there.

6) Gary Brackett (Indianapolis), UFA: The quintessential Tampa-2 middle linebacker, Brackett may have lost a step the last year or so, but he's only 29 and may just need a new deal to charge his battery. The Colts have made it clear they want him back, but made it equally clear they're not going to break the bank for anyone that doesn't wear No. 18.

7) Derrick Johnson (Kansas City), RFA*: Is the former first-round pick really just an average outside linebacker or was he just sucked into the K.C.-No-D vortex the last five years? Worth noting: He looked pretty good in the season finale vs. Denver (six tackles, two interceptions, two touchdowns).

8) Thomas Davis (Carolina), RFA*: Suffered a torn ACL in November, so the best hope for Davis might be a short-term commitment from the Panthers and a nice comeback from the injury in the fall. How deep into the fall, though, remains to be seen.
Among the rest:

Bertrand Berry (Arizona), UFA: Only 10 tackles in '09, but six of them were sacks. He'll be 35 in August.

Chase Blackburn (NY Giants), RFA*: Pretty productive for a part-time starter.

Ahmad Brooks (San Francisco), RFA*: Career-high six sacks in limited '09 duty.

Keith Bulluck (Tennessee), UFA: One of the most consistent outside linebackers in the NFL for nearly a decade -- and a respected leader, too -- but Bulluck, 32, suffered an ACL injury in December.

Keith Ellison (Buffalo), RFA*: Quad injury limited him to just eight games, but he still had 68 tackles (including 16 in one game).

Larry Foote (Detroit), UFA: Won two Super Bowls in Pittsburgh then went to play for his hometown Lions. Ugh.

Omar Gaither (Philadelphia), RFA*: He was such a promising prospect when he came into the league in '06, the Eagles whacked Jeremiah Trotter.

Thomas Howard (Oakland), RFA*: Another guy the Raiders don't want to lose (but probably don't want to pay, either).

D'Quell Jackson (Cleveland), RFA*: Got better with each season (from 93 tackles in '06 to 154 in '08), but Jackson's season ended with a shoulder injury in October.

Akeem Jordan (Philadelphia), RFA: Excels in pass coverage, but a true "restricted" free agent.

Rocky McIntosh (Washington), RFA*: Decent player (96 tackles) on a defense that was one of the few bright spots in a disastrous season.

Scott Fujita (New Orleans), UFA: One of the more popular players on an opportunistic unit.

Mike Vrabel (Kansas City), UFA: Has he caught any passes lately?