2016 NFL free agency: Who will Alfred Morris sign with?
Where will Alfred Morris sign in 2016 NFL free agency?
Entering his fifth season, the jury is still out on Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris. Drafted in 2012, Morris had a phenomenal rookie campaign that saw him rumble for 1,613 yards, 13 touchdowns, and average nearly five yards per carry as he and fellow first-year sensation Robert Griffin III took the team and the NFL by storm.
Fast-forward to 2016, and the scene is very different in D.C. Once thought of as a franchise savior, Griffin went from being persona non grata to unemployed this past season, ultimately replaced by Kirk Cousins. Morris, too, has seen his star diminish the past four seasons, as his yardage total has steadily decreased every year he’s been in the league, along with his rushing average, total carries, and total touchdowns.
Now in a timeshare with Matt Jones and Chris Thompson, Morris enters free agency with his Redskins future very much in doubt.
Vitals
Age: 27
Notable stat: set the Redskins single-season rushing record as a rookie (1,613 yards)
All-Pro teams: 1 (2012; Second-team)
Pro Bowls: 2 (2013, 2014)
Contract comparison
Morris is still young and talented enough to function as a team’s primary back. He hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career, and he’s already proven he can handle a heavy workload if necessary. However, he’s perhaps best utilized as an early-down back who comes off the field in passing situations.
His last contract paid him about $2.2 million over four years – he’s proven he deserves something better than that with his play, and he should see a new deal that pits him somewhere in the same financial stratosphere as Mark Ingram and Todd Gurley.
Estimate: 4 years/$21 million/$10 million guaranteed
Will he stay?
As of now, the Redskins have the absolute worst salary cap situation in the NFL. It’s an unenviable position to be in for a team still looking to get a long-term deal completed with their new franchise quarterback in Cousins. The only silver lining for Washington is that their total number of free agents is relatively low when compared with other teams around the league.
When you look at that list, there’s not a whole lot of names that figure to be high on the priority list for retaining in 2016. Terrance Knighton and Logan Paulsen are the two most recognizable free agents besides Cousins (who was recently given the franchise tag), and I don’t think either are as important to the team as Morris is. That said, the ‘Skins might ultimately deem Morris too pricey and decide to roll the dice with Matt Jones moving forward as their main man.
If he leaves…
The Tennessee Titans desperately need a running back they can trust as they continue to build their team around Marcus Mariota. The team’s halfback rotation has been abhorrent over the past decade, with Chris Johnson being the last true player who made anyone in Nashville even consider buying a jersey with a runner’s name on the back of it.
In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys could make a run at Morris. He’s not exactly the prototypical speedster that Jerry Jones always seems to covet in the backfield, but the frequency with which Dallas backs have found themselves on I.R. recently should make Jones reconsider his priorities, especially given Morris’s sterling track record on the health and availability front.