Where will Eric Weddle sign in 2016 NFL free agency?
Unless he shaves it off during the hot SoCal summer, Eric Weddle’s famous beard will be back in full force next fall, bristling out from beneath a football helmet for his ninth season in the NFL. Some things never change, but others do … for the first time in his professional career, that helmet won’t have a lightning bolt on the side of it.
Weddle’s days as a San Diego Charger have acrimoniously come to an end, an unfortunate turn of events considering his long popularity in the region and among Chargers fans. Spurred on by perceived feelings of disrespect in the absence of contract talks with the team that drafted him in 2007, Weddle is determined to prove that Dean Spanos and the rest of the organization is making a terrible mistake by not bringing him back. Wherever he ends up, it’s a safe bet he’s plenty motivated to prove the naysayers wrong.
Vitals
Age: 31
Notable stat: 19 career interceptions
All-Pro teams: 5 (2 First-team, 3 Second-team)
Pro Bowls: 3
Contract comparisons
While there’s no justification for the sour way the Chargers ended things with one of their best players of the past decade, the move does make sense at least through a financial lens. At 31, Weddle is one of the oldest players in the league at his position, and his 2015 cap hit of over $10 million probably didn’t go down easily for a team seeking to rebuild and get younger at most key positions. Weddle, along with LaDainian Tomlinson, Malcom Floyd, and Antonio Gates, represents the old guard of a San Diego team that threatened in the playoffs throughout the 2000s, and those key players are all now either retired or bound to do so soon enough.
It’s hard to imagine any NFL team coughing up a chunk of change for a free safety with the kind of high mileage Weddle carries on him, but it’s important to note he’s still only a year removed from leading the Chargers in tackles and going to the Pro Bowl. Weddle also might be less concerned with a hefty payday at this stage of his career; it’s not uncommon for veterans to take a smaller amount in order to finish their careers playing on a proven contender. Something between what Nate Allen makes with the Raiders and what Malcolm Jenkins earns with the Eagles makes sense for Weddle.
Estimate: 2 years/$8 million/$6 million guaranteed
Where will he end up?
As unsavory as the idea might be for Chargers fans, Weddle playing for the
actually
. Current Raiders safety Nate Allen, mentioned above, has shown flashes of promise over his six seasons in the NFL, but can’t seem to stay on the field. He had an impressive preseason with the Raiders in 2015, his first season in the Bay Area, but was put on injured reserve with a torn MCL in early September. Weddle would help shore up a weak secondary that’s already losing a legend in Charles Woodson, and would have the opportunity for revenge against his former team at least twice a year.
Another likely destination would be Pittsburgh. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has professed his love for Weddle as a player before, and the AFC North contenders will enter 2016 as favorites to win their conference and challenge for a Super Bowl title. The one thing holding them back right now is a promising but inconsistent defense, and Weddle would bring proven leadership on that side of the ball amongst a core of young up-and-comers.