2012 NFL Free Agency: Wide Receivers on the Market

While it will certainly be interesting to see how the Jaguars approach free agency in addressing some of the needs, namely the wide receiver and defensive end positions, there seems to be little doubt that there will be a wide receiver signed by the Jaguars in free agency.

ProFootballWeekly went so far as to say that they expect Gene Smith to rank the free agent wide receivers and go after the top guy and refuse to be outbid. Who that top guy will be is largely dependent upon the actions that teams take with their impending free agents and obviously the way that Smith and his staff rank the players. Here's a look at the potential top free agent wide receivers and their current contract situation with their respective teams:

2012 Free Agent Wide Receivers
Rank	Player		College	Height	Weight
1		Marques Colston	Hofstra	6-4	225
With an impending contract incoming for quarterback Drew Brees and with Carl Nicks among several other players heading for free agency, it's very possible that the Saints won't be able to afford a "luxury" player like Colston. At 6-4, 225 Colston has been a large target for Brees and the Saints, racking up over 1,000 yards in every season except 2008 in which he only started in six games due to injuries. Injuries are the largest question mark about Colston, but he has missed just two games in the last three seasons.
2		Dwayne Bowe	LSU	6-2	221
Chiefs GM Scott Pioli recently described Bowe as a "key component of the past and hopefully the future." With that, it seems doubtful that the Chiefs will just resign to allowing him to reach free agency. If they can't reach a deal with him, they also have the option to use the franchise tag. However, if he does reach free agency he would be a prime target for any team looking for a top receiver. His 15 touchdowns in 2010 led the NFL and he has had over 1,100 yards for two consecutive seasons on less-than-great Kansas City passing offenses.
3		Mike Wallace	Mississippi	6-0	199
In three seasons, Wallace has quickly earned the respect of defenses for his speed that has allowed him to beat teams deep. That has been reflected by his yards/reception which has consistently been among the league's best. However, as a restricted free agent it's doubtful that the Steelers would allow Wallace to hit the open market without a tender that would require the Jaguars to give a draft pick or maybe even two to sign him. A move that is extremely unlikely to happen.
4		Wes Welker	Texas Tech	5-9	185
Welker has been at the top of the NFL receiving leaderboards for several years now ever since joining Tom Brady's Patriots. Whether or not he'd be able to produce similar results in an offense that isn't New England's is a little questionable, but there's no doubt he'd make for a pricy free agent. The likelihood of that actually happening seems slim, to say the least. Why Welker, a large piece of the reason the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl next week, wouldn't be a top priority for Belichick would be a complete mystery.
5		Stevie Johnson	Kentucky	6-2	210
Bills GM Buddy Nix has said that he wants to keep Stevie Johnson in Buffalo and Johnson has made no indication that he would like to play elsewhere. The two sides have already had discussions about a contract extension so it seems unlikely that the 25 year old will reach the open market. With over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons and several big, "game changing" plays he would likely be a hot commodity on the open market.
6		Vincent Jackson	Northern Colorado	6-5	230
The Chargers haven't made two-time Pro Bowler Vincent Jackson much of a priority in the last couple years and played under the franchise tag for all of 2011. That was right after a contract dispute with the team that withheld him from the first 10 games of the 2010 season. Perhaps the reason the Chargers seem fine with the idea of the receiver leaving is due to his legal troubles since joining San Diego in the 2005 draft. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in 2006 and was arrested again in Jan. 2009 for suspicion of drunken driving to which he also pleaded guilty. He had a third incident in March 2010 for driving with a suspended liscense and expired tags. As cliche as it has become, he doesn't fit the type of player that Gene Smith has dedicated himself to bringing to Jacksonville.
7		DeSean Jackson	California	5-10	175
While this Jackson hasn't had the legal issues that Vincent Jackson has had, he is also a character concern. Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee even went to Twitter to say "Desean Jackson is a punk." Scobee went on to say, "...he doesn’t respect anyone or anything around him." I can't help but agree with Scobee, but that doesn't take away the impact that Jackson has had on the field. He is certainly a speedy deep threat and provides a dangerous return man for the Eagles. There's a good chance he'll hit the market as, according to Paul Domowitch, "Jackson's opinion of his worth continues to be night-and-day different from the Eagles" and the Eagles are unlikely to franchise him.
8		Reggie Wayne	Miami (FL)	6-0	190
Reggie Wayne has been among the league's best for a long time. The only problem is maybe it's been too long. Signing a 33 year old great receiver would smell a lot like the signing of a 33 year old Torry Holt in 2009 to Jaguars fans. That move was a complete failure as Holt failed to find the endzone once in his one year in Jacksonville. Wayne's production hasn't fallen off like Holt's though and with a complete overhaul and rebuild in Indianapolis, a 33 year old receiver likely wont be at the top of the priority list for the Colts. Wayne had seven consecutive 1,000 yard seasons before this year in which he came 40 yards short. A still impressive number given Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky were his quarterbacks.
9		Brandon Lloyd	Illinois	6-0	188
The Jaguars passed on the chance to give up a mid-round pick to the Broncos to acquire Lloyd, instead allowing the Rams to give up a 5th round pick to get Lloyd fresh off a season in which he led the NFL in receiving. While 2011 certainly wasn't his strongest season he still managed to rack up 966 yards between his four games in Denver and 11 in St. Louis and was the leading receivers for the Rams. Whether or not the 30 year old will stay in St. Louis is still up in the air although Lloyd expressed some willingness to stay after the hiring of Jeff Fisher after originally sounding as if he wanted out once Josh McDaniels was hired away from the Rams by the Patriots.
10		Robert Meachem	Tennessee	6-2	212
Similar to what was said about Colston, the Saints have a lot of free agency needs to reach before they worry about "luxury" players like receivers. While it's probably doubtful that the Saints allow both Colston and Meachem to reach free agency and essentially destroy their receiving corps, it's likely that one will not be in New Orleans next year. In four relatively healthy years with the Saints Meachem hasn't done much, but he's also been behind several on a loaded depth chart. He's made the most of his opportunities on the field and has racked up 23 touchdowns in his career in New Orleans. A change of scenery could be a dream come true for Meachem.
11		Mario Manningham	Michigan	6-0	185
12		Pierre Garçon	Mount Union	6-0	209
13		Laurent Robinson	Illinois State	6-2	194
14		Harry Douglas	Louisville	6-0	183
15		Josh Morgan	Virginia Tech	6-1	215
16		Plaxico Burress	Michigan State	6-5	232