NFL teams spent more than $1 billion on the first day of free agency, and the madness continued Wednesday. Here's what you missed during one of the most hectic two days of free agency ever.
The most talked-about trade of the day wasn't a Pro Bowler or franchise quarterback but instead offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, who was at the center of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal. (Via NBC)
The San Francisco 49ers traded a conditional seventh-round draft pick in the 2015 draft for Martin. He'll join up with his former college coach, Jim Harbaugh. (Via San Francisco 49ers)
Next up is the Denver Broncos and, more importantly, two-time Super Bowl champion John Elway courting the best defensive players available.
*Player announcements* (Via Denver Broncos)
The Broncos already had the most prolific offense in the NFL with Peyton Manning at the helm. Now DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward will try to beef up the defensive side of the ball. The three players signed for a combined $110 million, which Peter King says shows the Broncos are "serious about rebounding from the Super Bowl embarrassment." (Via Flickr / Football Schedule / Erik Daniel Drost / Wikimedia Commons / Jeffrey Beall / Sports Illustrated)
SB Nation writes of the huge emphasis on defense: "For the Broncos, they know they're in Peyton Manning's 'championship window' and they can't mess around. They are in position to win a Super Bowl now."
But while padding the defense with Pro Bowlers, the Broncos offensive lost a little steam — but just a little.
"We now know Eric Decker signed with the New York Jets. Good luck with that, by the way. I still expect Denver's offense to be potent enough, and their defense has obviously been upgraded." (Via ESPN)
Decker signed for five years and $36 million, but he leaves the future Hall of Fame QB Manning in Denver and joins second-year QB Geno Smith. (Via Flickr / Jeffrey Beall)
Unfortunately, though, for Decker, he will be dealing with former Jet Darrelle Revis, who is arguably one of the best corners in football and the No. 1 ranked player in this year's free agency pool. (Via NFL)
Revis will join Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for a $12 million, one-year test run. The Boston Globe says this gives the Patriots a "shutdown corner" who can "eliminate some of the NFL's best receivers from their team's game plan."
Some other notable signings: New Orleans defense pays big for Jairus Byrd, and the Tampa Bay Bucs upgrade defensively with Michael Johnson, Alterraun Verner and Clinton McDonald.
