The NFL offseason is starting to move into the summer and that means training camps are right around the corner, making teams very excited to get the first real looks at their players and new acquisitions, including big names like Percy Harvin, Wes Welker and Danny Amendola, who all switched teams in the offseason.
The three players in Harvin, Welker and Amendola may have the biggest impacts of any players changing teams since they will be huge factors in their respective offenses and since each of those teams likes to move the ball downfield, it could be even bigger than people imagined. The three players all ranked in the top 11 in the NFL in targets and that is expected to continue despite being on new teams.
Harvin was the primary option for the Vikings last season and was an MVP candidate before being hurt, but after contract issues and other problems, the etam felt it was time to move on and now the Seahawks are likely Super Bowl contenders with him in the fold. Russell Wilson proved last year that he is the bonafide starter in Seattle and adding a player like Harvin to a team that already has Marshawn Lynch and Sidney Rice is a deadly combination. Harvin has explosive speed in the NFL and he will be someone that Pete Carroll can put all over the field, including in the backfield with Wilson.
Harvin can return kicks for the team and he will be the best option when Wilson wants to go deep and also with Golden Tate the Seahawks may have the quickest receivers in the league. Harvin is only 24-years-old and has a ton of good football ahead of him despite his injuries and the Seahawks feel that he was the missing piece of their team from last year. Under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell the Seahawks are not afraid to get crafty and the team knows how to put up points and yards, as they did in a weekly span when they put up 58 points against Arizona, 50 against Buffalo and 42 against San Francisco. The team already was successful after going 11-5 and winning a playoff game last season and now the Seahawks are ready to make the championship jump with Harvin, who was on pace last year before getting hurt for 110 catches and over 1,200 receiving yards and was averaging 35.9 yards per kickoff return.
Wes Welker is a hard player to replace, but Amendola should give Brady another great target in the slot that he can go to as often as he did last year with Welker. At 27 he is younger than Welker and he had solid stats last year while dealing with injuries on the Rams with 63 receptions for 666 yards and three TDs and although he has missed 20 games over the past two years, the team felt he could be healthy and gave him a five-year, $31 million contract. Brady is ready to use him like Welker and the team also drafted wideouts to add to it.
Welker jumped ship to the Denver Broncos and he made Peyton Manning a happy man, as the team now has Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, who all went over 1,000 yards last season. The two receivers had breakout years and while the addition of Welker may take away some numbers, it should free up each player for more scores and production. Welker signed a manageable two-year contract worth $12 million and he brings one of the most productive players over the past five years to Denver.