Tuesday, February 05, 2013

What Team Will Greg Jennings Play For In 2013

With all signs pointing to the eventual free agent departure of WR Greg Jennings from the Green Bay Packers, I was considering which team he might play for next season. I have no inside knowledge, of course, but there are a couple of teams who might seem like natural fits.

I started by looking at Walter Football's 2013 offseason pages for each team and identifying which teams have wide receiver listed as one of their top two needs. I've also excluded any team who's currently over the salary cap, which eliminates 10 possibilities. However, that leaves six teams with more cap room than the Packers currently have and a strong need at wide receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs. WR Dwayne Bowe is a free agent and no other Chiefs' receiver is among the Top 77 according to Football Outsiders. While that would seem to make Bowe a priority, the Chiefs were awful with or without him last season. Maybe the Chiefs won't do anything until they sort out their quarterback situation. Trading a younger No. 1 receiver in Bowe for an older No. 1 in Jennings might not make a lot sense either, however, new head coach Andy Reid is probably more familiar with Jennings and new Chiefs GM (and former Packers' VP) John Dorsey definitely is. They might think Jennings will be a better fit than Bowe in Reid's offense.

Miami Dolphins. Another wide receiver needy team with a lot of cap space ($35.8 million) and a former Packer (Dolphins' head coach Joe Philbin) in the house. This would seem like a natural fit, but so did QB Matt Flynn last year and he chose the Seahawks instead. GM Jeff Ireland doesn't seem to inspire confidence when free agents visit Miami either. I'd put Jennings to the Dolphins as the No. 1 possibility if it weren't for the odd behavior from the Dolphins' front office.

Seattle Seahawks. With WR Sidney Rice and WR Golden Tate on the roster, Jennings would seem like an extreme luxury. However, I could see them drafting a young wide receiver in the first round who could take over for Rice if his injury-prone past reappears. But I don't see them pursuing Jennings.

Minnesota Vikings. There might not be a team more in need at wide receiver than the Vikings. I'd be shocked if they didn't at least inquire about Jennings. However, they don't have a huge amount of cap room ($16.1 million) and they might want to address multiple needs instead of using most of their space on him.

Houston Texans. Despite another playoff appearance, their offense slumped last season, coming in at No. 16 according to Football Outsiders. If they're sticking with QB Matt Schaub, then they might want to get him some more help at receiver. They don't have a lot of cap room ($12.9 million) but they might view Jennings as the one player they need to advance for a team built to win now.

New England. Speaking of another playoff disappointment, the Patriots might be parting ways with WR Wes Welker and QB Tom Brady isn't getting any younger. Other than the Seahawks, this seems like his least likely destination, but they could afford him and they might need a receiver.

In the end, I don't see a clear favorite for Jennings this offseason. Someone's going to sign him to a big contract, but there are a lot of moving parts in this decision. And he might have to wait until WR Mike Wallace and/or WR Dwayne Bowe is signed for the market to be set. I'd like to see him with the Texans because it's his best chance to win another title, and I hope the Vikings pass on him.

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