Free Agent Frenzy!

I absolutely didn't expect this.  There were so many moves already made before free agency actually started, I didn't expect to see this many more when it did.  Actually,  the most surprising thing about today has been the trades!  So many trades and so many big names. 

Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks

Haloti Ngata to the Lions

Sam Bradford to the Eagles/Nick Foles to St. Louis

Wow.  The craziest part was that it seemed most of these trades went down right at, if not right before 4 o'clock (when free agency technically started).  I honestly don't remember seeing this many trades, or even this many big name players being available.  Ndamukong Suh, Darrelle Revis, DeMarco Murray, Randall Cobb, Graham, Ngata.  Insane.  It seems like there was a new move every 5 minutes.  I'm actually overwhelmed. 

Some of the big names already agreed to deals before Tuesday, but here are some other guys that reached deals:

Jared Odrick - Jaguars
Torrey Smith - 49ers
Shane Vereen - Giants (finally)
Owen Daniels - Broncos
AJ Hawk - Bengals
Rodney Hudson/Malcolm Smith - Raiders

That's only a few, but trust me, there was a lot.

And if all these signings and trades weren't enough, there were a couple of retirements that caught me completely off guard.  Patrick Willis and Jake Locker both announced that they were retiring from the NFL.  Willis is only 30 years old, and one of the best middle linebackers in the league.  Jake Locker, 26, is not one of the best quarterbacks, but is incredibly young for retirement.  Both guys have battled injuries as of late (Locker his whole career), but I didn't think they were "career-ending".   

This is just a taste of things that have gone down so far.  I'm sure there will be plenty more.  I'll check back in to recap some of the signings or trades and also any more moves that the Giants and Jets make (welcome back Darrelle Revis?).  In the meantime, hang onto your hats, because the free agency winds are whipping.