Why aren't teams signing safeties?
Morgan Burnett spent the first week of free agency hanging with his wife and kids instead of scrolling Twitter for free-agency updates. He'd already been briefed by his agent, Kevin Conner, in his Atlanta offices, poring over every possibility: available players, comps to previous years, teams that might fulfill safety needs in the draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, traditionally not huge spenders, cheap nfl nike jersey were attractive because they support veteran players.
"I'm confident in my skill set and [knew] that one day I would get a call," Burnett said from the Steelers facility on March 20, the day he signed a $14.35 million contract over three years.
While Burnett was calm and content, the rest of the safety market was shaken. That's no fault of Burnett, who's a quality player on his third NFL contract after eight years with the Green Bay Packers.
But this was a nice deal at a not-so-nice time for the position. That same day, one representative of a free-agent safety texted "ugh" because reality had set in: The money was drying up.
The first two months of free agency left an obvious question for the league: What is going on with the NFL safety?
A position known for its helmeted hulks, center-field-like range and Ronnie Lott highlights has become an afterthought in team spending.
"It tells you it's just a position where maybe safety is the new running back, a position that's not very valued, particularly in light of the free-agent talent," said J.I. Halsell, a former salary-cap analyst with the Washington Redskins.nike nfl jerseys cheap china
Eric Reid's collusion case against the NFL doesn't wholly account for this disparity: Seven of Rotoworld's top 10 safeties remain on the market, while no other position has less than four.
Trying to get a sensible explanation elicits a wide range of responses. Some blame a temporary lull similar to what running backs experienced in recent years. Good safety depth in the draft didn't help. One NFL executive floated a theory that safeties are easy to hide if a team would rather spend big on corners and pass-rushers in today's speed game.
