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NFL Offseason Schedule

Since there are two months left until actual football is played, I thought it would be a good idea to present a list of Restricted Free Agents that are left out there.  Today is the deadline for old clubs to send tender to unsigned unrestricted free agents to receive exclusive negotiating rights for rest of season if the player is not signed by another club by July 22.  This is also the deadline for old clubs to send tender to their unsigned RFAs or to extend an offer to retain exclusive negotiating rights.  This is what the St. Louis Rams are up against in regards to Safety O.J. Atogwe.  The Rams have been in constant talks with the safety, but if they don't place a high tender or sign him to an extension by midnight, he will become an unrestricted free agent.  

June 1-11 begins all of the Organized Team Activities, while June 15th starts mandatory mini-camps across the NFL.  Late July is when training camps begin, and Preseason starts in August. 

Here is a list of remaining unsigned RFAs team by team:

2010 NFL Mock Draft

2010 NFL Mock Draft

2010 NFL Mock Draft

22. New England Patriots (10-6)

OG Mike Iupati (Idaho)

With an aging offensive line, and the best interior lineman still available, the Patriots make the move to draft Mike Iupati with the 22nd overall pick.  With Dez Bryant off the board just a pick earlier, this is their next move to shore up an offensive line that has an average age of 30.  If needed, Iupati would be able to come in and start immediately at the RG position, and would be an upgrade over the 33 year old Stephen Neal, who hasn't been healthy for a full season since 2005.  Even if he didn't start right away, it wouldn't surprise me if Neal ended up missing a few games and Iupati won the job outright.  
Why he's good for the Patriots:

As I said before, this is a good move for the Patriots, because even though they have other needs at TE and WR, they have always been able to find good talent in later rounds.  This is the best interior lineman and it would be in their best interest to grab a lineman here, rather than wait.  The Patriots last used a 1st round draft pick on an offensive lineman in 2005, Logan Mankins, and he has started every game since.  The Pats hope that they will remain lucky with this pick, as well.  

Olsen Wishes to be Traded

When the Chicago Bears hired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz, they were looking for someone that would help develop Jay Cutler into a serviceable QB.  What they didn't think about, was what this hiring would mean for Greg Olsen, who led the Bears with 60 catches and 8 touchdowns.  Martz loves for his wide receivers to catch and tight ends to block, which means that Olsen 

Franklin Franchised by 49ers

San Francisco 49ers join the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as they have officially placed the franchise tag on DT Aubrayo Franklin.  Franklin, who joined San Fran in 2007, is one of the league's premier NT and the 49ers will look to put together a long-term deal as soon as possible.  With the franchise tag, Franklin is set to earn $7 million dollars in base salary.      

The Associated Press

Hampton to be Tagged

Pittsburgh Steelers NT Casey Hampton appears to be headed down the same road as New England Patriots DT Vince Wilfork, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Yesterday, another player that was adamant about not being franchised, Vince Wilfork, was franchise tagged in an attempt to strike a long-term deal with the Patriots.  The Steelers will do the same for Hampton, who has come out and openly stated that he does not want to be franchised.  In both these cases, the teams are trying to strike deals with their players but there are time constraints and in the end, it is most likely deals will get done.  NFL teams have until Thursday to make decisions on whether they will use their franchise tags or not.