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In what may have been the most frenzied opening day of free agency in the NFL's history, numerous moves were made around the league. We saw free agents sign lucrative deals with new teams, unexpected trades come from seemingly nowhere and even a couple of early retirements.
At one point during Tuesday's action, it almost felt as though half of the league changed teams.
Well, despite that whirlwind of activity, when the day came to a close, several big-ticket players remained on the open market. Rumors continue to run rampant regarding where these veterans may ultimately wind up, so let's keep the ball rolling and take a look at what's being said around the Web.
DeMarco Murray is the NFL's reigning rushing leader after accumulating 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns on 392 carries in 2014. The Dallas Cowboys weren't able to keep him in the fold due to a lack of financial flexibility, so the ball-carrier hit the open market.
Even though running backs are thought of as a devalued position, Murray is only entering his fifth season and has fewer than 1,000 career carries. With his talent level and plenty of tread left on the tires, he's begun to garner interest from several teams.
Soon after the free-agency period began, John Middlekauff of 957 The Game tweeted one potential suitor:
This is interesting considering the Oakland Raiders appear to have a solid option already in Latavius Murray. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry last season and displayed game-breaking ability at times. Still, a one-two punch of Murrays could give Oakland one of the league's most dangerous backfields.
Although, the Raiders won't be without competition, as Pro Football Talk tweeted another interested party:
The Philadelphia Eagles recently traded LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. The team is still without a three-down back, so this makes plenty of sense. Chip Kelly wanted more of a north-south runner on his offense, and Murray would provide exactly that.
But wait, there's more. According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, the Jacksonville Jaguars are throwing their hat into the ring as well:
Jacksonville brought in Toby Gerhart last season, but he didn't exactly have the impact the team had hoped for. Denard Robinson played well for the Jaguars; however, he appears best relegated to change-of-pace duty. Adding Murray makes perfect sense here.
USA TODAY Sports Wide receiver Percy Harvin had quite a fall from grace last season. After an injury-shortened 2013 season with the Seattle Seahawks, the team was excited to finally have Harvin healthy in 2014. While the pass-catcher did display his playmaking ability at times, Seattle felt it would be best to part ways and traded him to the New York Jets.
Well, he only lasted eight games in New York, as the team released Harvin after acquiring Brandon Marshall from the Chicago Bears, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. All of a sudden, Harvin is looking for his fourth team in as many years.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first to tweet a potential landing spot for the receiver:
The New England Patriots seem to be in the market for a wide receiver every offseason. But it's worked out for them in the past, so why not take a look at Harvin here? After all, quarterback Tom Brady has flourished with quick, shifty receivers like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, making Harvin a nice fit.
However, New England will have to wait its turn to meet with the receiver, as Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports tweeted a rumor of a meeting Harvin already has scheduled with another AFC East squad:
The Buffalo Bills have plenty of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, and adding a complementary receiver to Sammy Watkins isn't a bad idea. Head coach Rex Ryan is familiar with Harvin from their time together last season, and if their chemistry is solid, Harvin may not leave Buffalo without a deal.
Nick Fairley
USA TODAY Sports Despite being one of the NFL's premier defensive tackles, Nick Fairley has been overshadowed by the impending megadeal of former teammate Ndamukong Suh.
Fairley is coming off of an injury-shortened season, but he's been terrific when healthy, racking up 98 tackles, 13.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 46 career games. A great gap-stuffer, Fairley's ability to stop the run doesn't show up on the stat sheet.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the Detroit Lions were still looking to re-sign the defensive tackle as free agency began; however, they were thought to have competition:
Soon after, Rapoport tweeted the surprise team that jumped in the mix for Fairley's services:
The Cincinnati Bengals have a tremendously talented defensive line; however, it severely underperformed in 2014 due to injuries. With Geno Atkins—one of the league's most dominant defensive tackles—more than a year removed from a torn ACL he suffered in 2013, pairing him with Fairley could bring the missing ferocity back to Cincinnati's defensive front.
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