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Take into account all factors, such as age, current productivity, relative ease of replacement next year, the amount of money it would cost to re-sign the guy, etc.
I would rank the remaining potential 2010 free agents as such:
1. Jeff Reed
He's mastered the Heinz Field turf. It is certainly one of the most difficult places to kick in the league, but he is money there. Absolutely worth an extension. Losing him would be much worse than the Ernster/Berger experiment at punter last year. He is the rare weirdo kicker who can be one of the guys with the rest of the team instead of some little weinie in the corner that no one gives any attention.
2. Ryan Clark
He's floundered in New York and Washington in the past, so he enjoys life in Pittsburgh, knowing that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. He plays a style that Pittsburgh fans appreciate, and he allows Troy to be Troy. Ty Carter won't be around for much longer, and we are not sure what we have in Ryan Mundy or Roy Lewis yet.
3. Brett Keisel
They will likely only be able to sign one of the two d-linemen that will be free agents next season, and I think Keisel is the more likely candidate, even though we have a potential replacement on the roster for him in Ziggy, while no one is earmarked as the future NT, since Hoke is older than Casey. Brett's younger than Snack, should be less expensive than Snack, and has a non-stop motor. Brett is a blue collar guy that was effective starting out in a rotation with Smith and von Oelhoffen, so he could still be effective ending up in a rotation with Smith and Hood. Besides, if anything happens to Aaron Smith, it would be great to have Keisel and Hood there as potential starters, eliminating the apocalyse that happened on the d-line when Aaron went down a few years ago.
4. Casey Hampton
I'd love to have him back since a dominant NT is the keystone to a great 3-4 defense, but the combination of his age, his weight problems, the time spent in Tomlin's doghouse, etc., could spell doom for him, particularly since one of these upstart 3-4 teams may offer him a king's ransom that we would not be able (or willing) to match. We may be able to get by with Hoke for a season (he was solid when Hampton was injured a few years ago), but that would mean we would need to spend a high pick on a NT in the 2010 draft, so the young fella would be ready to start in 2011 after a one-year apprenticeship behind Hoke, since Hokie's body may not be able to withstand much constant pounding at his age.
5. Willie Colon
I have said in the past that we will likely only be able to sign one of the potential free agent tackles, and the front-office already made their choice by extending Starks. I don't think Colon is anything more than an average RT in this league regardless of what Arians says. He may be able to be replaced in 2010 by Tony Hills, Ramon Foster, Jason Capizzi or a draft pick without a massive dropoff there. If there is no salary cap next season, though, I think he is worth keeping around for one more year with the same RFA tender his is playing with this season (since players would need 6 accrued seasons instead of 4 to attain unrestriced free agency if there is no CBA).
6. Willie Parker
Willie has been a big part of two Super Bowl winning teams, and you have to commend him for that. But the shelf-life for RB's is short, particular for those whose game is based on raw speed. And there are alternatives like Mendenhall, Moore, and Summers already on the roster.
7. Justin Hartwig
The oldest member of the offensive line by a significant margin. He has been an improvement over Sean Mahan for sure, but he is not the future for the team at this position; he is more of a stopgap. In 2010, I would imagine that Stapleton, Shipley, and Legursky will compete for the starting center job.
8. Deshea Townsend
He has had a great career in the Black and Gold. But with guys like Ike Taylor, Will Gay, Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, and Keiwan Ratliff already in the fold, I could see this being Deshea's last year on the team. He seems like he could be the kind of guy who could become a DB coach in the future like Darren Perry did.
I would rank the remaining potential 2010 free agents as such:
1. Jeff Reed
He's mastered the Heinz Field turf. It is certainly one of the most difficult places to kick in the league, but he is money there. Absolutely worth an extension. Losing him would be much worse than the Ernster/Berger experiment at punter last year. He is the rare weirdo kicker who can be one of the guys with the rest of the team instead of some little weinie in the corner that no one gives any attention.
2. Ryan Clark
He's floundered in New York and Washington in the past, so he enjoys life in Pittsburgh, knowing that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. He plays a style that Pittsburgh fans appreciate, and he allows Troy to be Troy. Ty Carter won't be around for much longer, and we are not sure what we have in Ryan Mundy or Roy Lewis yet.
3. Brett Keisel
They will likely only be able to sign one of the two d-linemen that will be free agents next season, and I think Keisel is the more likely candidate, even though we have a potential replacement on the roster for him in Ziggy, while no one is earmarked as the future NT, since Hoke is older than Casey. Brett's younger than Snack, should be less expensive than Snack, and has a non-stop motor. Brett is a blue collar guy that was effective starting out in a rotation with Smith and von Oelhoffen, so he could still be effective ending up in a rotation with Smith and Hood. Besides, if anything happens to Aaron Smith, it would be great to have Keisel and Hood there as potential starters, eliminating the apocalyse that happened on the d-line when Aaron went down a few years ago.
4. Casey Hampton
I'd love to have him back since a dominant NT is the keystone to a great 3-4 defense, but the combination of his age, his weight problems, the time spent in Tomlin's doghouse, etc., could spell doom for him, particularly since one of these upstart 3-4 teams may offer him a king's ransom that we would not be able (or willing) to match. We may be able to get by with Hoke for a season (he was solid when Hampton was injured a few years ago), but that would mean we would need to spend a high pick on a NT in the 2010 draft, so the young fella would be ready to start in 2011 after a one-year apprenticeship behind Hoke, since Hokie's body may not be able to withstand much constant pounding at his age.
5. Willie Colon
I have said in the past that we will likely only be able to sign one of the potential free agent tackles, and the front-office already made their choice by extending Starks. I don't think Colon is anything more than an average RT in this league regardless of what Arians says. He may be able to be replaced in 2010 by Tony Hills, Ramon Foster, Jason Capizzi or a draft pick without a massive dropoff there. If there is no salary cap next season, though, I think he is worth keeping around for one more year with the same RFA tender his is playing with this season (since players would need 6 accrued seasons instead of 4 to attain unrestriced free agency if there is no CBA).
6. Willie Parker
Willie has been a big part of two Super Bowl winning teams, and you have to commend him for that. But the shelf-life for RB's is short, particular for those whose game is based on raw speed. And there are alternatives like Mendenhall, Moore, and Summers already on the roster.
7. Justin Hartwig
The oldest member of the offensive line by a significant margin. He has been an improvement over Sean Mahan for sure, but he is not the future for the team at this position; he is more of a stopgap. In 2010, I would imagine that Stapleton, Shipley, and Legursky will compete for the starting center job.
8. Deshea Townsend
He has had a great career in the Black and Gold. But with guys like Ike Taylor, Will Gay, Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, and Keiwan Ratliff already in the fold, I could see this being Deshea's last year on the team. He seems like he could be the kind of guy who could become a DB coach in the future like Darren Perry did.
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