NFL BEST AND WORST FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

Best move: Patriots re-signing WR Randy Moss
The Patriots have taken some personnel hits this offseason. But the one free agent they couldn’t afford to lose — WR Randy Moss — will remain in Foxborough after agreeing to a three-year deal worth a reported $27 million. Yes, the Patriots have won multiple Super Bowls without Moss. And yes, the Patriots have lost the only Super Bowl in which Moss played for New England. But given his ability to stretch the field and open up a record-setting offensive attack, his return was paramount to the Patriots making another run in 2008. Moss may have been able to get a few more dollars elsewhere, but nowhere would he have been put in a situation that allows him to succeed so easily as in New England.

Best move: Packers trading DT Corey Williams to the Browns for a second-round draft pick. I really thought the Packers were shrewd by franchising DT Corey Williams and getting a second-rounder for him. They liked him as a player but didn’t want to pay him. The Browns clearly did. So the Packers made the smart move of franchising Williams, which inflated his value and gave them security to work out a deal. He has some talent, but he always did his best work in a rotation. I think the Browns overpaid for him. It’s subtle moves like this that make Ted Thompson a good GM.

Best move: (tie) Titans signing ex-Falcons TE Alge Crumpler and Saints signing ex-Panthers MLB Dan Morgan.

I can’t fault Atlanta for cutting Crumpler or Carolina for tiring of waiting for Morgan to stay healthy. Instead, I’ll praise the Titans for signing Crumpler to a low-risk two-year contract and the Saints for signing Morgan to an incentive-laden one-year contract. Both players can easily outplay those deals … if they can stay on the field, of course.

WORST NFL FREE AGENT MOVES


Worst move: Raiders re-signing DT Tommy Kelly
There are curious moves and then there are baffling moves. The Raiders’ seven-year, $50 million re-signing of DL Tommy Kelly qualifies as the latter. When fully healthy, the versatile Kelly is a solid NFL starting defensive lineman. Nothing more, nothing less. But, the Raiders, perhaps panicking knowing that Warren Sapp was retiring, inked him to one of the richest contracts for a defender in league history, eating up a huge chunk of valuable cap space in the process. Throw in the fact that he’s coming off a reconstructed knee that he blew out in Week Eight, and we have ourselves the craziest decision that Al Davis has executed.

Worst move: Jets signing ex-Cardinals OLB Calvin Pace
Last season, Pace notched 98 tackles and 6.5 sacks; in his four previous seasons, he had a grand total of 84 tackles and 7.5 sacks to this credit. On the basis of his ’07production, Pace reportedly received a six-year, $42 million deal from the Jets that includes $22 million guaranteed. Yes, consistent pass-rush pressure is hard to come by, but the Jets paid significant money for a player who 1) has played at a high level for only one season and 2) now has to learn the intricacies of a new defense.


Worst move: Bears signing ex-Redskins WR Brandon LloydThe Bears lost Bernard Berrian to the division-rival Vikings and released WR Muhsin Muhammad, making the WR position an area of serious need. So, they’ve added Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd. Booker is still capable, leading the Dolphins in receiving a season ago. There are questions, however, about whether Lloyd has ever been capable in the NFL. He was a fourth-round pick of the 49ers in 2003, but his antics and lack of commitment led to his being traded to the Redskins in ’06. What did Daniel Snyder get in exchange for $10 million guaranteed? 25 catches and no touchdowns in two seasons. Lloyd has some intriguing skills. But he’s a career underachiever who has already made his fortune. There’s little reason to believe he will all of a sudden “get it” in Chicago