NFL’s All-Time Free Agency Team: Drew Brees, Deion Sanders headline best deals

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

Tens of billions of dollars have been spent on NFL players in free agency in the three-plus decades since it was first introduced to the league. Far too much of it turned out to be ill-conceived, wasteful spending.

But many times over the last 32 years, teams struck gold.

Sometimes the gold was found in players who were huge bargains. Sometimes it was the big-money players who lived up to their price. Over 32 years, NFL teams found future Hall of Famers, Super Bowl heroes, and plenty of soon-to-be All-Pros who helped put them over the top, or just turn their franchise’s fortunes around.

Together, those golden hits would’ve made for one impressive team. So here’s a look at the NFL’s All-Time Free Agency Team: The best of the best signings at every position since the start of unrestricted free agency in March 1993:

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Signed with the Saints in 2006 for six years, $60 million.

He was maybe the greatest free-agent signing in NFL history, considering the position, his accomplishments and his impact on the Saints franchise and city of New Orleans. He was a good quarterback in his first five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, but he wasn’t in high-demand when he bolted in free agency. The Miami Dolphins considered him, but were worried about his shoulder. So the Saints grabbed him and they made each other great. In 15 seasons with the Saints, Brees went to 12 Pro Bowls, won the Offensive Player of the Year award twice, became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, won a Super Bowl and became a Louisiana legend.

Drew Brees led the Saints to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

Running back: Curtis Martin, New York Jets
Signed with the Jets in 1998 for six years, $36 million.

He signed a controversial deal as a restricted free agent that ended up costing the Jets a first- and third-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. But the Jets never regretted it after Martin came in and gave them seven straight 1,000-yard seasons, leading them to the playoffs four times and the AFC Championship once in 1998, his first season with the team. He had one of the greatest careers for a running back in NFL history, totaling 10,302 rushing yards in eight seasons in New York on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Wide receiver: Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Signed with the Cowboys in 2006 for three years, $25 million.

Owens had spent the two previous seasons on a wild ride in Philadelphia, where he helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl one year and got suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team” the next. He was also 32 years old, but the ‘Boys took a chance on him anyway and it paid off like “T.O.” was still in his prime. In three years with the Cowboys, Owens averaged 78 catches for 1,196 yards and 13 touchdowns per season — a stretch as good as any he had earlier in his career in San Francisco.

Wide receiver: Joe Horn, New Orleans Saints
Signed with the Saints in 2000 for four years, $9.9 million.

A former fifth-round pick, Horn had started just two games in his first four NFL seasons with Kansas City and caught just 53 passes for 879 yards. Clearly, though, the Saints saw he was underused. Because after signing with them, he became the No. 1 receiver in New Orleans, topping 1,000 receiving yards in four of the next five years. He went to the Pro Bowl four times too and ended up in the Saints Hall of Fame. And he did it all even though he played just one season — his last in New Orleans — with quarterback Drew Brees.

Wide receiver: Keenan McCardell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Signed with the Jaguars in 1996 for three years, $6 million.

He was a 12th-round pick who had a nomadic, 16-year career that saw him play for seven different franchises. But his second stop, for six years in Jacksonville, was by far his best. After being a bit player for four years in Cleveland, he had 85 catches and more than 1,100 yards in each of his first two seasons with a Jaguars team in just its second year of existence. In all, he topped those numbers in four of his six seasons. He and Jimmy Smith were the Jags’ “Thunder and Lightning” — at the time one of the best receiver duos in the league.

Keenan McCardell was a key cog in Jacksonville’s offense for six seasons.

Tight end: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
Signed with the Titans in 2013 for four years, $17.5 million.

He was a good player in his first seven seasons in San Francisco, but he wasn’t a featured part of the 49ers’ offense and didn’t appear to be a big-time receiving tight end. That changed in Tennessee. He had more than 60 catches in each of his first five seasons, including his brilliant 2015 season when he caught 94 passes for 1,088 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. In his five seasons before injuries hit, he made the Pro Bowl five times and re-wrote the franchise records for his position.

Left tackle: Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams
Signed with the Rams in 2017 for three years, $33.8 million.

After 11 seasons in Cincinnati, Whitworth was coming off three of his finest seasons. But he was also about to turn 36 and several NFL teams decided he was too old for a big investment. Not the Rams, though. They jumped at the chance to add him, and he rewarded them with his second first-team All-Pro season. He also stabilized a line that had become a liability and helped them give up 21 fewer sacks in his first season. In his second season, Whitworth and the line helped the Rams reach their first Super Bowl in 17 years. Three years later, in Whitworth’s final season, they’d win their first championship since moving back to Los Angeles.

Right tackle: Jon Runyan, Philadelphia Eagles
Signed with the Eagles in 2000 for six years, $30 million.

After three strong years as a starter with the Tennessee Titans, the Eagles made Runyan the highest-paid offensive lineman of all time. He rewarded them by sliding in at right tackle and staying there for nine straight years without missing a single game. And he did it in an era where he had to fight off the likes of Bruce Smith, Greg Ellis and Michael Strahan twice a year each. He only made one Pro Bowl, but he stabilized a shaky Eagles offensive line and helped Philadelphia reach the NFC Championship Game five times and the Super Bowl once during his tenure.

Left Guard: Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota Vikings
Signed with the Vikings in 2006 for seven years, $49 million.

He was an All-Pro in his final three seasons in Seattle, which is why the Seahawks used the “transition tag” on him to restrict his free agency. But he still got the biggest deal ever given to a guard, thanks to the last “poison pill” contract the NFL allowed before changing their free agency rules. It was a controversial move, but it paid off for the Vikings. Hutchinson was the best guard in football during his first four seasons in Minnesota, being named an All-Pro every season, including three times on the first team.

Steve Hutchinson was one of the NFL’s top guards during his time with the Vikings.

Right Guard: Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles
Signed with the Eagles in 2016 for five years, $40 million.

He was a really good guard in his four seasons with the Houston Texans. But, as it tends to happen with so many linemen who come to Philadelphia, he became a great guard in his time with the Eagles. He was a four-year starter before a career-ending injury in 2021 at just 32 years old. He made the Pro Bowl three times and helped anchor the line that powered the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship in 2017. Only his early retirement kept him from becoming one of the Eagles’ all-time greats.

Center: Kevin Mawae, New York Jets
Signed with the Jets in 1998 for five years, $17 million.

Mawae had started two years at guard in Seattle before the Seahawks moved him to center for two years. That was enough for the Jets to make him the highest-paid center in the league. But even they couldn’t have been sure of what came next. Over the next seven years, Mawae made the Pro Bowl six times and was named an All-Pro six times (including twice on the first team). He became an all-time great Jet, earning a place in their Ring of Honor and eventually a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And he anchored a line that powered the Jets to four playoff berths in his first seven seasons — an unusual run of success for a star-crossed franchise.

DEFENSE

Defensive end: Reggie White, Green Bay Packers
Signed with Packers in 1993 for four years, $17 million.

The Minister of Defense was the first high-profile free agent and a case could be made that he was the best of all time. He had a brilliant eight years in Philadelphia that included 124 sacks, seven Pro Bowls and a Defensive Player of the Year award. But even though he was 31 when he left, he didn’t fall off much as a Packer. In six years in Green Bay he had 68 ½ sacks, six trips to the Pro Bowl and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He solidified his fast path to the Hall of Fame, and helped the Packers win their first Lombardi Trophy in 29 years, too.

Reggie White capped a Hall of Fame career with six outstanding seasons in Green Bay.

Defensive end: Simeon Rice, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed with the Buccaneers in 2001 for five years, $30 million.

He was already one of the NFL’s better pass rushers after his first five NFL seasons in Arizona. But he took it to another level in Tampa, totaling 67 ½ sacks in his first five seasons there — a startling average of 13 ½ sacks per year. In his second season with the Bucs, he helped lead a defense that powered them to their first Super Bowl championship. He had 15 ½ sacks in the regular season and another four in the playoffs, including two in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Defensive tackle: Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers
Signed with the 49ers in 2008 for six years, $45 million.

The fourth overall pick of the 2001 draft, Smith was a strong, but unspectacular player during his seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals. But when he moved to San Francisco, he became a beast. The numbers were similar — he had 43 ½ sacks in seven years in both places — but he was much more of a factor with the 49ers. He became a key cog in the defense that helped Jim Harbaugh’s teams to three straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. And Smith made five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams after never being honored with either in Cincinnati.

Defensive tackle: La’Roi Glover, Dallas Cowboys
Signed with the Cowboys in 2002 for five years, $22.5 million.

There were times when he was with the Saints early in his career that there wasn’t a better defensive tackle in the game. He had a three-year stretch where he had 35 ½ sacks, including 17 in 2000. He never quite equaled that in Dallas, but he was still a force for them for all four seasons he was there. He had 21 ½ sacks, made the Pro Bowl all four years and was named an All-Pro twice. He’s the only Cowboy to ever make the Pro Bowl in his first four seasons with the team.

La’Roi Glover is the lone Cowboy to make the Pro Bowl in his first four seasons with the team.

Linebacker: Kevin Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed with the Steelers in 1993 for three years, $5.35 million.

Greene was already building a Hall of Fame resume with 72 ½ sacks in his eight seasons with the Rams, but his star really rose when he joined the Steelers. He had 35 ½ sacks in three seasons there, helping them to reach Super Bowl XXX, and he made the Pro Bowl twice. From there, he became quite the defender for hire. In 1996, he had 14 ½ sacks while helping the Carolina Panthers reach the NFC Championship. He had 10 ½ sacks in 14 games with the 49ers in 1997. Then he returned to Carolina for two more years and another 27 sacks. No eventual Hall of Famer took more advantage of the early years of free agency.

Linebacker: Bryce Paup, Buffalo Bills
Signed with the Bills in 1995 for three years, $7.6 million.

He had developed into a strong pass rusher during his first five NFL seasons in Green Bay, but nothing he did there set the stage for what would happen in his first year with the Bills. Set up on the end opposite Bruce Smith, Paup had 17 ½ sacks in 1995 and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. The Bills were coming off their first season without a playoff berth in seven years, but they made it back in both of Paup’s first two years. He made the Pro Bowl in all three of his seasons in Buffalo and finished with 33 sacks.

Linebacker: Sam Mills, Carolina Panthers
Signed with the Panthers in 1995 for two years, $2.8 million.

He had an outstanding nine-year career in New Orleans, but at 36 years old he signed with an expansion team after he grew unhappy with his contract negotiations with his old team. It turned out, the change of scenery rejuvenated him. He had career highs in sacks in each of his first two seasons in Carolina (nine in all), made the Pro Bowl twice, was an All-Pro once, and got votes for Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons, too. His three-year tenure in Carolina was so impactful they built a statue of him outside the Panthers’ stadium.

Cornerback: Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers
Signed with the Packers in 2006 for seven years, $52.7 million.

After a stellar first four years of his career with the Raiders, Woodson’s star faded a bit over the next four, thanks mostly to injuries. But that didn’t stop the Packers from paying him, and once he got to Green Bay he enjoyed a revival. He had eight interceptions in his first year there, and 38 over seven seasons. He went to the Pro Bowl four times, won the Defensive Player of the Year award, and helped the Packers to a Super Bowl. He switched to safety in his final year in Green Bay, which ended up extending his career another three years. But with the Packers, he reminded everyone he was a Hall of Fame corner.

Cornerback: Deion Sanders, San Francisco 49ers
Signed with the 49ers in 1994 for one year, $1.3 million.

The 49ers got the bargain of the century, since Sanders had already become the NFL’s best defensive back after five years in Atlanta. He wanted a chance to win a Super Bowl, though, so he took less money, and joined the 49ers after the two-sport star was done playing centerfield for the Cincinnati Reds in September 1994. Sanders was worth the wait, picking off six passes and returning three of them for touchdowns in 14 games, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award and finishing third in MVP voting. He had another two interceptions in three playoff games too. And oh, by the way, after winning the Super Bowl, he signed a seven-year, $35 million deal with the Cowboys and helped them win a Super Bowl in his first season there, too.

Deion Sanders was named Defensive Player of the Year in his lone season with the 49ers.

Safety: Rod Woodson, Baltimore Ravens
Signed with the Ravens in 1998 for four years, $7.2 million.

He built a Hall of Fame career with 10 outstanding seasons in Pittsburgh. But when he ended up in Baltimore at age 33, some of the best was yet to come. He had 13 interceptions in his first two seasons with the Ravens, returning four of them for touchdowns, with 20 interceptions in four years overall. He made the Pro Bowl three times and helped the defense lead them to their franchise’s first Super Bowl championship. Also, in 2002 he left as a free agent for Oakland where he had a career-high eight interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, at age 37.

Safety: Tim McDonald, San Francisco 49ers
Signed with the 49ers in 1993 for five years, $12.75 million.

He was one of the best safeties in the game during his first six NFL seasons with the Cardinals, which is why the 49ers made him the highest-paid defensive back in the game. He was never quite as prolific as he was with the Cards, but he was a steady force in the defensive backfield. He had 20 interceptions in seven seasons in San Francisco and was named to the Pro Bowl each of his three years and was a second-team All-Pro twice. He was one of the leaders of the defense on the 1994 49ers team that won their last Super Bowl title.

SPECIALISTS

Kicker: Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts
Signed with the Colts in 2006 for five years, $12 million.

He had already established himself as one of the greatest kickers and greatest postseason kickers in NFL history with 10 stellar years in New England. But he was even better statistically in 14 years in Indianapolis. His field goal percentage jumped from 81.9 to 85.3 after moving indoors, and in 2014 in Indy he made a career-best 96.8 percent of his kicks. He defied the transient nature of his position by playing for just two teams over a 24-year career. And after winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots, he won another with the Colts, too.

Adam Vinatieri had one of the best careers of any NFL kicker during his time with the Colts.

Punter: Jeff Feagles, New York Giants
Signed with the Giants in 2003 for five years, $4.3 million.

There may have been better punters, but no one more consistent, especially after he found a home in New York late in his career. He was 37 when he joined them and became a master at the “coffin corner” kick, dropping more than a third of his punts inside the 20 in each of his seven seasons with the Giants. He went to a Pro Bowl once, helped them win a Super Bowl and became a trusted special teams weapon. He didn’t miss a single game for them either. In fact, he didn’t miss a single game in his 22-year career, setting a record by playing in 352 consecutive games before retiring at age 43.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.