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The 5 o’clock club aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.
This ain’t mock drafting
In an effort to help readers be better prepared for the free agency period that will be upon us next week, the 5 o’clock club has been featuring free agent profiles for every position except Offensive Tackle, Quarterback, and special teams specialists.
Since early January, we have profiled 78 players who were potential free agents. Some remain under contract (Dez Bryant), some have been franchise-tagged (Jarvis Landry), and some are probably going to be re-signed by their 2017 club, but all of them seemed worthy of consideration as part of the free agent frenzy that has a ‘soft opening’ on 12 March, and is set to explode at 4 p.m. EST on 14 March 2018.
The Redskins (currrent, but not for long) very own Kirk Cousins is this year’s #1 rated free agent. You don’t have to take my word for that. Basically, everyone in the known universe who creates a top-10, top-20, top-50 or top-100 free agent list has Kirk Cousins sitting at the top of it.
Keeping track of the frenzy
To help you keep track of what’s going on with free agent signings, I have printed two lists below.
The first list is from NFL.com — their list of the top 101 free agents of 2018. I have listed each of the top 53 free agents, although there are 10 without profiles — specifically, the quarterbacks, offensive tackles, Josh Sitton and Le’Veon Bell.
Beyond the top-53, I have listed only the players that do have a 5 o’clock club profile. There are 16 players in that part of the list, ranging from #56 (Tre Boston) to #97 (Junior Galette).
The second list is the full list of 78 players who have been profiled on the 5 o’clock club in 2018, broken up by position.
There are 13 wide receiver profiles, 6 TE, 7 RB, and 14 for Guards & Centers, making a total of 40 offensive position profiles.
On the defensive side, there are 38 total profiles: 5 Defensive Linemen, 8 Edge Rushers, 10 LB, 10 CB and 5 safeties.
I hope that the two lists, in different formats, will help you make sense of, and keep track of, free agency next week.
Franchise & transition player designations were announced today for 2018 @NFL free agency signing period, which begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 14 https://t.co/V1Qdtczasz pic.twitter.com/HamR8zz4a6
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) March 6, 2018
The NFL.com list of the top 100 free agents of 2018
- Kirk Cousins - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Drew Brees - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Le’Veon Bell - RB - no 5 o’clock club profile - Note: Bell was franchise-tagged by the Steelers
- Demarcus Lawrence - EDGE- 5 o’clock club profile Note: Lawrence was tagged by the Cowboys
- Allen Robinson - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
- Sheldon Richardson - DL - 5 o’clock club profile
- Sammy Watkins - WR - Profile 1, Profile 2, Profile 3
- Andrew Norwell - G - 5 o’clock club profile
- Kyle Fuller - CB - 5 o’clock club profile Note: Kyle Fuller was transition tagged by the Bears
- Case Keenum - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Malcolm Butler - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Trumaine Johnson - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Lemarcus Joyner - DB - 5 o’clock club profile Note: Joyner was tagged by the Rams
- Teddy Bridgewater - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Sam Bradford - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Bashaud Breeland - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Nate Solder - OT - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Dontari Poe - DL - 5 o’clock club profile
- Justin Pugh - G - 5 o’clock club profile
- Zach Brown - LB - 5 o’clock club profile, Article
- Muhammad Wilkerson - DL - 5 o’clock club profile
- Carlos Hyde - RB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Jimmy Graham - TE - 5 o’clock club profile
- Kenny Vaccaro - S - 5 o’clock club profile
- Eric Reid - S - 5 o’clock club profile
- Nigel Bradham - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Avery Williamson - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Morgan Burnett - S - 5 o’clock club profile
- Dion Lewis - RB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Star Lotulelei - DT - 5 o’clock club profile
- Weston Richburg - C - 5 o’clock club profile
- Terrelle Pryor - WR - Article
- E.J. Gaines - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- A.J. McCarron - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Trey Burton - TE - Profile 1, Profile 2
- Jack Mewhort - G - 5 o’clock club profile
- Tyler Eifert - TE - 5 o’clock club profile
- Jordan Matthews - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
- DaQuan Jones - DL - 5 o’clock club profile
- Julius Peppers - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
- Tahir Whitehead - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Brent Grimes - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Paul Richardson - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
- Morris Claiborne - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Marqise Lee - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
- Ryan Jensen - C - 5 o’clock club profile
- Prince Amukamara - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Josh McCown - QB - no 5 o’clock club profile
- Preston Brown - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Josh Sitton - G - no 5 o’clock club profile
- John Brown - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
- Anthony Hitchens - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
- Jerick McKinnon - RB - 5 o’clock club profile
56. Trey Boston - S - 5 o’clock club profile
57. Austin Seferian-Jenkins - TE - 5 o’clock club profile
58. Donte Moncrief - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
59. Adrian Clayborn - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
61. Aaron Colvin - CB - 5 o’clock club profile
68. Josh Kline - G - 5 o’clock club profile
69. Taylor Gabriel - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
70. Isaiah Crowell - RB - 5 o’clock club profile
74. John Sullivan - C - 5 o’clock club profile
75. Trent Murphy - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
76. Todd Davis - LB - 5 o’clock club profile
83. Jeremy Hill - RB - 5 o’clock club profile
84. Eric Decker - WR - 5 o’clock club profile
86. Pernell McPhee - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
89. Alex Okafor - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
97. Junior Galette - EDGE - 5 o’clock club profile
Comprehensive List of 5 o’clock club profiles
Here’s a handy list of all the free agent profiles & articles that have appeared on the 5 o’clock club in 2018, separated by position. Click on the links to read the profiles:
Wide Receiver (13)
- Sammy Watkins - Profile 1, Profile 2, Profile 3
- Jarvis Landry, Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews, Paul Richardson, John Brown, Dontae Moncrief, Albert Wilson, Taylor Gabriel - Profile
- Dez Byrant, Eric Decker - Profile
- Ryan Grant - Article
- Marquise Lee - 5 o’clock club profile
Tight Ends (6)
- Trey Burton - Profile 1, Profile 2
- Virgil Green, Crockett Gilmore - Profile
- Jimmy Graham, Tyler Eifert, Austin Seferian-Jenkins - 5 o’clock club profile
Running Backs (7)
- Isaiah Crowell - Profile
- Carlos Hyde, Dion Lewis, Jerick McKinnon, Jeremy Hill, Orleans Darkwa, Terrance West - Profile
Interior Offensive Linemen - G & C (14)
- Jackl Mewhort, Chris Hubbard, Andrew Norwell - Profile
- DJ Fluker, Matt Slauson, Alex Boon - Profile
- Josh Kline, Kevin Pamphile, Weston Richburg, Zach Fulton, Spencer Long, John Sullivan - Profile
- Justin Pugh, Ryan Jensen - 5 o’clock club profile
Interior Defensive Line (5)
- Sheldon Richardson, Star Lotulelei, Dontari Poe - Profile
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DaQuan Jones - 5 o’clock club profile
Edge Rushers (8)
- Demarcus Lawrence, Julius Peppers, Adrian Clayborn, Pernell McPhee, Alex Okafor, Connor Barwin, Trent Murphy, Junior Galette - Profile
Linebackers (10)
- Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Nigel Bradham, Anthony Hitchens, Tahir Whitehead - Profile
- Avery Williamson, Christian Jones, Josh Bynes - Profile
- Todd Davis - Profile
- Preston Brown - 5 o’clock club profile
Cornerbacks (10)
- Trumaine Johnson, Malcolm Butler, Aaron Colvin, Kyle Fuller, Nevin Lawson, Bashaud Breeland - Profile
- E.J. Gaines, Brent Grimes, Morris Claiborne, Prince Amukamara - 5 o’clock club profile
Safeties (5)
Today’s poll questions
There’s probably no fan base anywhere that is more familiar with a player contract and its potential than the Redskins with the Kirk Cousins situation. We have all become experts in Kirk’s market value, the workings of the franchise tag, tag & trade scenarios, compensatory picks, guarantees, APY, cap hits, and so on.
Now the rubber meets the road. Kirk will be the “first domino to fall” in the quarterback part of free agency (second, if you count Alex Smith; third, if you count Blake Bortles).
It’s time to put our collective expertise to the test. We’ve been studying Kirk and his contract situation for three years -- here’s the final exam.
If you want to, after answering the poll questions, you can put your projected Kirk contract into the comments section, looking something like this:
=====================================================
- Vikings
- 3 years, $28m APY
- 90% guarantee
- signing bonus of less than $20m
=====================================================
Poll
Which team will actually sign Kirk Cousins?
This poll is closed
-
53%
Vikings
-
20%
Broncos
-
17%
Jets
-
5%
Cardinals
-
2%
Browns
-
1%
a different team
Poll
How many years will the Cousins contract cover?
This poll is closed
-
1%
2 years
-
34%
3 years
-
30%
4 years
-
31%
5 years
-
3%
6 years or more
Poll
What will be the APY of the Cousins contract?
This poll is closed
-
29%
$30m per year or more
-
56%
$27.6 - 29.9m
-
8%
$26 - 27.5
-
6%
Under $26m per year
Poll
What percent of the Cousins contract will be guaranteed?
This poll is closed
-
4%
100%
-
34%
More than 85% but less than 100%
-
46%
70-84%
-
10%
55-69%
-
3%
Less than 55%
Poll
How much will Kirk’s signing bonus be?
This poll is closed
-
18%
$20m or less
-
33%
$21m - $36m
-
20%
$37m - $45m
-
12%
$46m - $59m
-
14%
$60m or more
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