Written by Gary Davenport at BleacherReport.com
The 2015 NFL season is done. Super Bowl 50 has come and gone, with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as NFL champions.
Now, NFL teams can settle in for a long, uneventful offseason.
Or not.
The fact is in the NFL there is no offseason. As soon as one year ends, the tasks of the following season begin. Rookie scouting. The combine in Indianapolis. And, of course, free agency.
For fans, free agency means dreams of the splash signing. Adding a Pro Bowl performer—the proverbial final piece that will get their favorite team over the hump.
For the teams, however, free agency is as much about avoiding subtraction as it is addition. Making sure that big-name player doesn’t go anywhere, either by inking him to a long-term extension or by using the transition or franchise tags.
No general manager wants to the guy who let Johnny Freedom walk.
With that in mind, here’s a team-by-team look around the NFL at the one free agent each squad most needs to keep in town.
Including the MVP of Super Bowl 50.
Arizona Cardinals
Bobby Massie, Offensive Tackle
Cap Space: $19.5 million
You’re going to notice a trend quickly in this piece: appearances by offensive linemen, early and often.
The fact is, NFL teams are loath to let even semi-competent linemen hit the open market lest a bidding war ensue for their services. Doubly so for tackles. Extra doubly so for tackles with starting experience.
Granted, it’s not as if fourth-year pro Bobby Massie was a world-beater for the Arizona Cardinals in 2015. He spent the first two games of the 2015 campaign serving a suspension and then ranked a so-so 49th at his position per Pro Football Focus in 14 starts at right tackle.
In pass protection Massie graded out even worse—outside the top 60. His seven sacks allowed on the season tied for the seventh-most in the NFL.
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