It’s wait and see for free agents

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Jason Babin has won the gamble he took by signing a one-year deal with Tennessee.

The defensive end racked up a career-high 121/2 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl berth. But all his hard work may not pay off in a multimillion dollar deal.

NFL labor strife will likely mean Babin won’t be wined and dined on an owner’s private jet during free agency.

With the collective bargaining agreement expiring March 3, Babin and other would-be free agents face the very real possibility that they get ordered back to their old teams at the bargain basement price of 120 percent of their last salary. Play another season, risk serious injury. And wait.

“That’s really scary to me,” Babin said. “That definitely wouldn’t be good timing. Hey, there’s so many guys in a similar situation as myself with contracts expiring, it would be unfair practice and I think a lot would have a huge problem with it.”

Babin has lots of company in facing this nightmare scenario.

More than 700 NFL players have contracts expiring with the labor deal, a group that includes players like Indianapolis running back Joseph Addai finishing up his fourth season in the league to Titans linebacker Stephen Tulloch who missed out on free agency in 2010 when rules for the final year of the CBA allowed Tennessee to keep him with a one-year deal.

How many years a player needs to reach free agency is something that could change in a new labor deal.

There are veterans like Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, who might to decide to retire after 16 NFL seasons. Tennessee fullback Ahmard Hall signed his first league deal as a free agent in 2006, and the former Marine is ready to capitalize on blocking for a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his five pro seasons.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway was a Pro Bowl alternate this season and with his five years’ experience could find himself not eligible for free agency. He doesn’t know what’s happening this offseason with his family wanting to know where they’ll live next.

“For me, of course you’re anxious because you want to know what’s going to happen, but at the same time ... You can’t do too much about it. Just going to stay patient,” Greenway said recently.

Then there’s Babin.

The Titans are his fifth NFL team in seven seasons. A first-round pick out of Western Michigan in 2004 by Houston, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Babin didn’t fit in as the outside rushing linebacker they wanted. He had just 13 sacks in his three seasons with the Texans before Houston traded him to Seattle in September 2007.