Eric Winston thinks it’s “a weird year” to be a free agent

AP

Eric Winston is one of the best offensive tackles available in free agency, but that doesn’t mean he has teams beating down his door with big-money offers.

In fact, Winston acknowledged on NFL AM that he’s one of the many players finding this offseason a bit frustrating.

“I’m just kind of looking for the right fit right now, so hopefully that presents itself sooner than later,” Winston said. “I’m eager to get to a team and start the offseason process, but it’s been a weird market. It’s been a weird year for everybody, I think, in free agency. So now it’s just a matter of trying to find the right fit and find a home.”

Winston said there is some mutual interest with the Dolphins, but he didn’t seem to think anything is imminent in Miami. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that the Eagles have some interest, and Winston has visited the Chargers, but it doesn’t sound like any team is planning to offer anything close to the contract he signed with Kansas City a year ago.

Winston is one of the many free agents finding this offseason that enormous contracts just aren’t on the table.

52 responses to “Eric Winston thinks it’s “a weird year” to be a free agent

  1. NFLPA needs to think long and hard what they did to their members by signing off on that unholy agreement to punish teams for treating the uncapped year as uncapped.

    This guy would be happily employed – and likely overpaid – by the Redskins right now — another victim of Mara and the NFLPA.

  2. “im looking for the right fit” = No one has offered me what i think im worth.

  3. Maybe it’s because the Redskins and Cowboys don’t have any money to spend? They could both use upgrades on the O-line and are lacking in the funds department…. And yes this is coming from a Redskins fan….

  4. I bet the NFLPA is already compiling documents and arguments to sue the NFL owners for collusion to keep free agent pricing down this offseason.

  5. Wouldn’t mind seeing him with the eagles. I agree that he definitely needs to lower his asking price but the Eagles have over $26 million in cap space.

  6. The top end of wages in the NFL need to come down. I’m not real sad that some of these guys aren’t getting overpaid. The entire pay pool needs to readjust itself downward.

  7. I hear the Edmonton Eskimos are looking for a tackle. From my understanding they don’t hire Gladiators so he would tip toe right into the proper position. Let the hate begin…

  8. I think it might be time for Eric to become a guard and not a RT. He has been cut 2x in 12 months, might be a message.

  9. The Dolphins want you, you want to play for the Dolphins. Once you realize you are not getting an overblown contract this year from any team the sooner you will be in aqua and orange.

  10. So people just don’t like guys with big mouths. KC fans hated this guy, Dorsey recognized that, and more importantly recognized that this guy let more guys get to the QB and just sucks as pass protection. Total liability! I find it funny because KC needs a T and they let him walk, that alone shows how horrible he is.

  11. This is good news for the Dolphins (and really, any team with genuine interest in him). His price tag is dropping by the day.

  12. The Texans have $4.9 mil left. Use it on Seymour or a part of it on Winston. The last time Foster could rush to the right side was when we had Eric.

  13. Take the hint. Lower your asking price and or contract length demands and you will have a job.

  14. This guy is big , and durable.
    There must be some reason no one is dropping market price on a 6’7 310lb 29 year old tackle.

    I would have to think, skills or attitude are the reason he isnt signed.,,

  15. D’uh, he can’t block pass rushers.

    You people make it harder than it really is.

  16. There is no owner collusion going on. Quarterbacks and a low salary cap, have left teams with tight decisions, not only for this season, but structuring for the future. The veteran free agents are used to making certain amounts, but the amounts have changed, and they are first to go through this cycle. Future FA’s will experience a better evaluation of their “worth”, due to having low rookie salaries to begin with. In a production based business, I see NOTHING wrong with old, leas productive players, making less. Lower the asking price, and go make millions….I wonder how many of us would jump at the opportunity.

  17. NFLPA had no leverage; fans calling the players greedy (while not turning on owners), owners claiming they were losing money… they pretty much had to take what was given them.

  18. I think teams are finally realizing it is stupid to pay top 5 money to someone who isn’t a top 5 player at the position. Teams have wasted way too much money on veterans who have proven to be starters and nothing more. Now that draft picks aren’t getting rediculous money too it’s worth going with the younger guy hoping to unearth something special.

  19. The cap penalties were already spread out across the league in the form of addtional cap space. So that is not the issue.

    The issue is that the last CBA was a step back in terms of the ammount of the pie the players got.

    This is supposed to, and WILL be offset by saving on rookie deals and an increase in TV money and other revenues.

    But as long as the Sam Bradfords and Matt Staffords of the world are stuck in INSANE rookie contracts that overpay them, the saving from rookie wage scale won’t be realized by veterans.

    And it won’t be until 2015 that the cap starts to grow again.

    Players would be smart to lower expectations termporarily and try to get into deals that let them be free agents again in 2015 when the party starts again.

  20. The way all of the NFL blogs and cable shows have glamorized the Combine by telling us how great these college players are it is obvious why veterans are being pushed aside.

  21. If you lower your price, the Cards would gladly take you. How do you like your chances that the Bruce Arians magic would rub off on you?

  22. Here is a name to thank for cautious spending. Albert Haynesworth. Ask the skins what crazy mistake that was. Winston you can thank your own lazy, rich, fat commrades for what’s happening this year. You would be the skins right tackle making bank right now if it wasn’t for slugs like AH.

  23. Come on Texans’ fans. He had too many penalties and too many sacks. That’s why they released him. Because a guy is a good blogger, doesn’t make him a good blocker! And that’s Schaub back there, not some young escape artist.

  24. flaccotoboldin says:Mar 28, 2013 10:44 AM

    The cap penalties were already spread out across the league in the form of addtional cap space. So that is not the issue.
    ———-
    You are correct the cap was spread out – but it wastaken from teams that give money to players and given teams that are traditionally below the cap year in and year out…. thus the total $ going to players in the Union has been lowered by the management of the Union.

    Regardless if the penalties are right or wrong – NFLPA did a disservice to their members – players need to think about that next time they get a chance to vote.

  25. Now we know why the owners slapped the Redskins and Cowboys. The NFLPA was stupid to go along with it. They basically have said, “Sure collude to keep our salaries down!”

    Stupid.

  26. I had to go back to the top and see who wrote this. I knew it wasn’t Florio since it’s about a free agent not getting big money and the word collusion was not mentioned.

  27. Great run blocker, but struggles in pass protection. The guy was a false start waiting to happen on passing downs.

  28. I agree with kcstick, all he did was act like he was the spoke person for the chiefs. When they released him there was a song saying bye bye.

  29. kash71 says:Mar 28, 2013 10:02 AM

    The NFLPA really screwed up on this last CBA.
    ______________

    Not the NFLPA. maurice smith. He sold out the players and shouldn’t have a job.

  30. 2008 Honda Civic – asking price $30,000.

    Hmmm no one is making me offers…must be a weird market for used cars out there.

  31. Luckily Reggie was able to pry Alex Barron off his couch (hilariously in his presser he even said NO ONE was contacting him for a workout) so he didn’t have to take a look at Eric Winston.

    Just imagine if Reggie had brought Eric in for a visit with Carson Palmer there and told CP3 that he could sign Winston if CP3 would adjust his salary.

    Sure CP3 would be a heck of alot more inclinded to take a 3 mil pay cut if the money went to the best RT still on the FA market!

  32. This is all pretty darn simple.
    The rookie wage scale is going to continue to help lower contracts prices. Couple that with the fact that the salary cap number is lower than it has been and isn’t really going up, it will help depress. So instead of spending $2-3M more on a guy who is the next teir, teams are going to settle for middle of the pack guys or wait later in FA to start signing because asking prices will drop.

    It’s not a “weird year”… things are starting to correct to the new realities.

    Now if the QB contracts would just get in line.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.