A Double-Edged Sword

The enigmatic Bryce Paup falls into both categories as we examine the best and the worst free-agent signings

TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE upside and the downside of free agency, all you need to do is look at the career of Bryce Paup. As Paup's plight illustrates, a player generally needs to be in the right environment to excel--and there's no way to definitively know whether the situation is workable until he starts suiting up for his new employer, which is mighty risky considering all the dollars that have been spent by then.

In 1995, following a Pro Bowl season with the Green Bay Packers, Paup signed with the Buffalo Bills for what was then considered big free-agent money, $7.6 million over three years. The deal worked out perfectly for both parties: Playing in a system where he could fully utilize his pass-rushing skills, the linebacker was the league's defensive MVP in 1995 and made the Pro Bowl in all three of his years in Buffalo.

When he became a free agent again after the 1997 season, he was understandably a hot commodity. Once more, Paup struck gold, this time with the Jacksonville Jaguars for $21.75 million over five years. But neither Paup nor the Jaguars lived happily ever after. In short, his two seasons in Jacksonville were a nightmare.

When Paup came to Jacksonville, coach Tom Coughlin said, "Bryce Paup is the kind of guy who can get you 12 to 14 sacks a year." Instead, Paup had a total of 7.5 sacks in his two yearn on the Jaguars, prompting the team to dump him in the offseason. No longer a high-priced player, Paup simply is trying to rebuild his career with the Minnesota Vikings.

"I hated it," Paup says of his experience in Jacksonville. "I'd drive over a big bridge crossing a river every day, and I would just dread it. I wanted to turn around, but I had to go to work."

Paup says the Jaguars played him out of position, as a strongside linebacker, which didn't allow him to be an effective pass-rusher. "It was humiliating," Paup says. "I was out on [wideout Jermaine] Lewis from the Ravens, and he took a streak pattern. I was supposed to carry him 20 yards deep. Hello? I had to check my pride at the door every day."

Coughlin has no comment on the situation, and you can hardly blame him. The Jaguars, after all, spent a ton of money on a player who didn't fit into their system. Oooops!

Jacksonville isn't the only team to make free-agent gaffes, though. Since the inception of unrestrained free agency in 1993, there have been more bad deals than good ones, especially when it comes to the really expensive signings. Here's a look, then, at the best and the worst acquisitions of the flee-agent era:

THE BEST

REGGIE WHITE, DEFENSIVE END GREEN BAY PACKERS

This was the most important signing in the history of free agency. Obviously, White was a big reason why the Packers went to two Super Bowls in the 1990s and won one, but the impact of this deal went deeper than that. There had been predictions that free agency would ruin the Packers, who have a storied history but play in the league's smallest market, one that is predominantly white. But when White agreed to come to Green Bay for $17 million, it sent a clear signal that the Packers would indeed be able to compete for the premier free agents, even the black ones.

DEION SANDERS, CORNERBACK SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Signed to a modest one-year contract in 1994, Sanders was the final piece of San Francisco's Super Bowl-winning puzzle. In addition to capturing defensive player of the year honors, Sanders gave the stodgy 49ers some flair and swagger.

The next year, Deion hit the free-agent road again, joining the Cowboys and receiving an astounding $13 million signing bonus. Although Dallas won a Super Bowl with Deion in 1995, it is debatable whether the team got a good return on its investment. Sanders was a force whenever he was on the field, but injuries limited his playing time.

LEON SEARCY, OFFENSIVE TACKLE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Searcy left the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996 and inked a five-year, $17 million deal with Jacksonville, teaming with Tony Boselli to give the Jaguars one of the best offensive tackle tandems in the league for four seasons. The dynamic duo was broken up this past summer, however, when Searcy suffered a season-ending injury.

CURTIS MARTIN, RUNNING BACK NEW YORK JETS

The Jets paid dearly to land this running back in 1998: They handed him a six-year, $36 million contract and had to give his old team, the New England Patriots, first- and third-round picks since he was a restricted free agent. Martin has been worth it, though. He helped the Jets reach the AFC title game in his first year, and in 1999 he was the league's second-leading rusher. The Patriots, meanwhile, haven't been the same without him.

VINNY TESTAVERDE, QUARTERBACK NEW YORK JETS

After breaking the bank to sign Martin in 1998, the Jets acquired Testaverde that same year for the bargain price of $1.15 million. All the quarterback did was have the best season of his career, throwing 29 passes as New York won the AFC East rifle. Although Testaverde missed all of 1999 after blowing out his Achilles' tendon, he still is one of the Jets' most valuable properties.

KEVIN MAWAE, CENTER NEW YORK JETS

The Jets set a standard for centers when they offered Mawae a five-year, $16.8 million deal in 1998, but Martin and Testaverde wouldn't have achieved what they did that season without his blocking.

EUGENE ROBINSON, SAFETY ATLANTA FALCONS

The Falcons lured Robinson from Green Bay in 1998 for $3.55 million. Although the safety was in the twilight of his career, his know-how and leadership in the secondary helped propel Atlanta to the Super Bowl that season.

KEENAN McCARDELL, WIDE RECEIVER JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

When the Jaguars signed McCardell to a three-year, $6.4 million deal in 1996, nobody figured he'd blossom into one of the game's premier wideouts and catch 312 passes over the next four years--but that's exactly what he did.

ROD WOODSON, CORNERBACK/SAFETY BALTIMORE RAVENS

At 33, Woodson's best years were supposed to have been behind him when the Ravens locked him up in 1998 with a four-year, $11.5 million deal. Instead, after putting together a solid season at cornerback in 1998, Woodson made a smooth transition to safety last year and was voted to the Pro Bowl.

KEVIN GREENE, LINEBACKER CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Panthers signed this pass-rushing demon away from Pittsburgh in 1996 for a laughable $2 million over two years. He then proceeded to post 14.5 sacks in '96 as the Panthers made an improbable trip to the NFC title game.

SAM MILLS, LINEBACKER CAROLINA PANTHERS

The 36-year-old Mills wasn't thought to have much left in the tank when the expansion Panthers took a flyer on him in '95. That's why they were able to acquire him for just $2.8 million over two years. It turned out to be the best money they ever spent. His leadership paved the way for Carolina's remarkable '96 campaign.

STEVE BEUERLEIN, QUARTERBACK CAROLINA PANTHERS

Beuerlein was supposed to be Kerry Collins' backup when he joined the Panthers in 1996. He was paid like one, too: $2.325 million over three years. But when Collins self-destructed, Beuerlein became the starter and wound up passing for 4,436 yards in a Pro Bowl 1999 season.

HARDY NICKERSON, LINEBACKER TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

In the first year of free agency in 1993, Nickerson headed south from Pittsburgh for a three-year, $5.2 million deal. In seven years in Tampa before signing with Jacksonville in 2000, he formed the foundation of what would become an awesome Tampa Bay defense.

MICHAEL McCRARY, DEFENSIVE END BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Ravens snagged McCrary in 1997 for the relatively modest price of $6 million over three years, and he developed into a Pro Bowl pass-rusher.

ELVIS GRBAC, QUARTERBACK KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Sure, the Chiefs paid a lot of money to lure Grbac from the 49ers in 1997--$20.4 million for five years---but starting quarterbacks are a rare commodity. And while he hasn't been spectacular and has had some injury problems, he's been a solid leader in K.C.

THE WORST

DALE CARTER, CORNERBACK DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos are noted for their shrewd personnel moves, but this is one they'd like to have back. They handed Carter a six-year, $38 million contract last year, but he was a flop on the field and a cancer in the locker room. This year, he is serving a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

NEIL O'DONNELL, QUARTERBACK NEW YORK JETS

O'Donnell's decision to leave Pittsburgh for greener pastures in 1996--as in a five-year, $25 million deal with the Jets--probably cost him a chance to return to the Super Bowl. He played only 21 games in New York before being cut. Having learned his lesson, O'Donnell turned down more money from Tampa Bay this past offseason to remain with the Tennessee Titans.

ANDRE RISON, WIDE RECEIVER CLEVELAND BROWNS

The Browns found out how cash-strapped they really were when they had trouble borrowing $5 million from the banks in 1995 to pay Rison's signing bonus. Rison was a complete bust, catching just 47 passes, and was let go following the season. Then owner Art Modell, claiming he was broke, moved the Browns to Baltimore.

ALVIN HARPER, WIDE RECEIVER TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

After leaving the potent Cowboys for the lowly Bucs in 1995, Harper became a perfect example of how some players aren't the same without a solid supporting cast around them. Without Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and a bruising offensive line, Harper didn't even come close to being worth the $10 million the Bucs paid for him.

BERT EMANUEL, WIDE RECEIVER TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Three years after the Harper debacle, the Buccaneers tried again with Emanuel, signing him away from Atlanta with a four-year, $16 million pact. The results, however, were pretty much the same as they had been with Harper.

LARRY BROWN, CORNERBACK OAKLAND RAIDERS

After being named the MVP of Super Bowl 30, Brown cashed in, accepting a five-year, $12 million deal from the Raiders in 1996. But he was plagued by injuries and started just one game that season. A year later, he was gone.

BRYAN COX, LINEBACKER CHICAGO BEARS

Cox just didn't fit in with the Bears after joining them in 1996 for $13.2 million over four years. He spent only two years in Chicago, but then he resurrected his career on the Jets.

DOUG EVANS, CORNERBACK CAROLINA PANTHERS

Here's another player who wasn't the same once his stellar supporting cast was taken away from him. The Panthers persuaded him to leave Green Bay in 1998 for a five-year, $22.5 million contract, but he hasn't been the type of difference-maker they thought he'd be.

GABE WILKINS, DEFENSIVE END SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Wilkins wasn't even particularly good in Green Bay, but that didn't stop the 49ers from giving him a five-year, $20 million pact in 1998. To the surprise of no one outside of San Francisco's organization, he produced next to nothing in two seasons before the 49ers gave up on him.

DANA STUBBLEFIELD, DEFENSIVE TACKLE WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Big dollars--a bigger disappointment. The Redskins thought they were getting a real playmaker when they agreed to a six-year, $36.6 million contract with Stubblefield in 1998. After all, he was coming off of a 15-sack season. Since then, though, he has gone soft. In his first two seasons in Washington, he had a total of just 4.5 sacks.

ANTONIO LANGHAM, CORNERBACK SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

After signing a five-year, $17 million deal with San Francisco in 1998, Langham lasted just one frightful season before being jettisoned.

YANCEY THIGPEN, WIDE RECEIVER TENNESSEE TITANS

Thigpen was supposed to become the Titans' main receiver when he left the Steelers for a five-year, $21 million deal in 1998, but injuries have prevented him from assuming that role on a consistent basis.

ORLANDO BROWN, OFFENSIVE TACKLE CLEVELAND BROWNS

Even Before Brown suffered an eye injury, he wasn't worth the six-year, $27 million deal the Browns gave him in '99. The temperamental Brown didn't provide the stability on the offensive line that Cleveland so desperately needed.

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