At 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday, 541 NFL players became free agents, by the league’s count. That’s when the NFL’s 2021 business year started and those players contracts from the 2020 season expired.
It’s also when teams could start signing free agents.
Included in the avalanche of unrestricted free agents are 33 players from Alabama high schools and colleges. For 11, it didn’t take long to get their plans squared away for 2021, and in some cases beyond.
With their 2021 teams, the 11 free agents with Alabama football roots who quickly came off the open market on Wednesday (as of 10:30 p.m.) were:
· Cornerback Tony Brown (Alabama), Cincinnati Bengals
· Linebacker Tae Davis (Oxford), Houston Texans
· Tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama), Seattle Seahawks
· Safety Rudy Ford (New Hope, Auburn), Jacksonville Jaguars
· Wide receiver Robert Foster (Alabama), Miami Dolphins
· Defensive end Carl Lawson (Auburn), New York Jets
· Linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville), Las Vegas Raiders
· Cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks), Houston Texans
· Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama), Minnesota Vikings
· Cornerback Levi Wallace (Alabama), Buffalo Bills
· Quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown), New Orleans Saints
Brown, Morrow, Wallace and Winston aren’t on the move this offseason despite being free agents. They are re-signing with their 2020 teams for next season.
There are 22 other players from Alabama high schools and colleges who became free agents on Wednesday and need a contract for the 2021 season. With their 2020 team, those players are:
· Running back Ameer Abdullah (Homewood), Minnesota Vikings
· Defensive end Montravius Adams (Auburn), Green Bay Packers
· Defensive end Ryan Anderson (Daphne, Alabama), Washington Football Team
· Linebacker Daren Bates (Auburn), Tennessee Titans
· Defensive tackle Angelo Blackson (Auburn), Arizona Cardinals
· Inside linebacker Josh Bynes (Auburn), Cincinnati Bengals
· Running back Kenyan Drake (Alabama), Arizona Cardinals
· Offensive lineman D.J. Fluker (Foley, Alabama), Baltimore Ravens
· Linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn High, Alabama), Washington Football Team
· Safety Kareem Jackson (Alabama), Denver Broncos
· Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (Gadsden City, Alabama), Arizona Cardinals
· Quarterback AJ McCarron (St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama), Houston Texans
· Nose tackle Steve McLendon (Carroll-Ozark, Troy), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
· Quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park), San Francisco 49ers
· Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
· Kicker Cody Parkey (Auburn), Cleveland Browns
· Inside linebacker Reggie Ragland (Bob Jones, Alabama), Detroit Lions
· Nose tackle Damion Square (Alabama), Los Angeles Chargers
· Safety Jaquiski Tartt (Davidson, Samford), San Francisco 49ers
· Cornerback Neiko Thorpe (Auburn), Seattle Seahawks
· Wide receiver DeAndrew White (Alabama), Baltimore Ravens
· Running back T.J. Yeldon (Daphne, Alabama), Buffalo Bills
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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