2016 NFL free agency: Who will Leon Hall sign with?
Where will Leon Hall sign in 2016 NFL free agency?
In the picture above, veteran cornerback Leon Hall can be seen running an interception back for a touchdown. It’s the first time he’s done that since the 2012 season and only the third pick-six of his nine-year career in the NFL.
That’s not to say Hall is a bad cornerback. There’s a reason he’s lasted nearly a decade in the league, during which time he’s played for just one team: the Cincinnati Bengals. But his production has steadily declined over the past five seasons, and with a roster full of free agent question marks, Hall’s future with the franchise is in doubt for the first real time since he turned pro.
Vitals
Age: 31
Notable stat: 470 combined tackles over his career
All-Pro teams: 1 (Second-team; 2009)
Pro Bowls: 0
Contract comparison
Leon Hall just finished playing under a four year deal that paid him $39 million — a staggeringly high number that made him the 12th-highest paid cornerback in the NFL last season. The deal made a lot of sense when Hall signed it back in 2011 after racking up 5 forced fumbles and 18 interceptions over his first four seasons in the league. Those are eye-popping stats for a defensive back, so it made sense for the Bengals to reward Hall while locking him up at the same time.
Five years later, even die-hard members of Who Dey nation might question whether the juice was worth the squeeze. Hall didn’t force any fumbles after he signed his new contract and saw his interception total dip from 18 to 8, despite having one more season to pad his stats. Granted, injuries played a major part in some of this statistical decline, but at 31, one has to wonder just how much Hall has left in the tank. He probably should be signed for a shorter deal that puts him more in the Sean Smith and DeAngelo Hall range at this point in his career.
Estimate: 3 years/$16 million/$8 million guaranteed
Will he stay?
As mentioned earlier, the Bengals have a long list of free agents they need to make decisions on this offseason. Just on the defense alone, the team needs to figure out what they’re doing with fellow top corner Adam “Pacman” Jones, free safety Reggie Nelson, strong safety George Iloka and inside linebacker Vincent Rey, all of whom played major roles on last season’s starting squad. It stands to reason that some of those names won’t be brought back – it’s just a matter of where the Bengals’ brain trust prioritizes each player.
While Hall’s age and stat swoon aren’t doing him any favors heading into free agency, he’s a fan favorite who has spent his entire career in Ohio. And with Adam Jones already commanding significant interest on the open market, maybe the team decides to stick it out with the player they drafted back in 2007.
If he leaves …
Corner seems to always be a position of need for teams around the NFL, so Hall would likely have little trouble finding a new home if the Bengals decided to let him leave. The Tennessee Titans could use a reliable starter to line up on the other side of Jason McCourty, and adding Hall would give the team two proven standouts to help stabilize a vulnerable defense.
Elsewhere in the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars also need some serious upgrades defensively if they hope to maintain their positive momentum from 2015. For the first time in what feels like forever, the team might actually have a competent offense. Now they just need their defense to step up and compete against the likes of Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota and whatever trainwreck is starting under center for the Houston Texans.