NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

With free agency closing in, here is a list of the QB’s that are restricted and unrestricted that will be available:

Charlie Batch / Pittsburgh / UFA
John Beck / Baltimore / RFA
Kyle Boller / St. Louis / UFA
Mark Brunell / New Orleans / UFA
Jason Campbell / Washington / RFA
David Carr / N.Y. Giants / UFA
Kellen Clemens / N.Y. Jets / RFA
Brodie Croyle / Kansas City / RFA
Daunte Culpepper / Detroit / UFA
A.J. Feeley / Carolina / UFA
Charlie Frye / Oakland / RFA
Bruce Gradkowski / Oakland / RFA
Rex Grossman / Houston / UFA
Gibran Hamdan / Buffalo / RFA
Tarvaris Jackson / Minnesota / RFA
J.P. Losman / Oakland / RFA
Josh McCown / Carolina / UFA
Matt Moore / Carolina / RFA
Kyle Orton / Denver / RFA
Chad Pennington / Miami / UFA
Patrick Ramsey / Detroit / UFA
Chris Redman / Atlanta / UFA
Troy Smith / Baltimore / RFA
Brian St. Pierre / Arizona / UFA
Charlie Whitehurst / San Diego / RFA

David Kaplan of The Chicago Tribune says that sources have told him the representative for premier free agent defensive end Julius Peppers met with the Bears over the weekend. To nab him, the Bears would have to offer one of the richest contracts in franchise history.

The defensive end is considered the hottest free agent on the market and is reportedly seeking a contract similar to what defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth received last offseason with the Washington Redskins.

Peppers will not be getting the franchise tag from the Panthers, which means he is free to go to any team he chooses. He would right away upgrade the Bears defense, a defense that has struggled greatly over the past few seasons. It would be a huge free agency splash for the Bears to land Peppers.

It’s time for Gridiron Gab Draft Trivia, and on the line today is a great pair of FREE Bushnell Binoculars! Simply answer the questions below and email your answers to: matt@NFLGridironGab.com

We will pick a winner on Monday March 22nd and mail you out a great pair of these binoculars that will work great at your favorite NFL Stadium in the 2010 Season.

1. Who was Mr. Irrelevant (The last pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft?

2. Name the first player selected in the 2009 draft from a non-BCS conference school

3. Six wide receivers were selected in the first round of the 2009 draft. How many receivers were picked in the first round of the 2008 draft?

4. A dozen players from Ohio State were selected in the first five rounds of the 2004 draft. Who was the first of the 12 Buckeyes?

5. Who were the players in the 2009 draft that were traded for first-round picks in the 2010 draft?

6. Two players from the same school were selected with back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2009 draft. Who were the players?

Good Luck!

Michael Vick remains a quarterback that wants to be back under center somewhere in 2010, but as of now, he is still property of the Eagles, who likely will pick up his $1.5 million dollar roster bonus. With that though, Vick has stated who he would like to play for in 2010 – the Panthers of Carolina:

The Philadelphia Eagles will reportedly pick up a $1.5 million roster bonus that is due to quarterback Michael Vick. That doesn't necessarily mean he will have wings on the sides of his helmet this season. There remains a good chance the Eagles will shop at least one of their quarterbacks and if Vick is the one, and he has a choice, he's got one team in mind. No, it's not the St. Louis Rams, who have been prominently mentioned as a possible destination and certainly have a need for a quarterback.

How about another NFC team with its own uncertain quarterback situation – the Carolina Panthers. "If I could play for any team in the league, it would probably be two teams, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the Carolina Panthers," Vick said in an appearance on Hot 107.9 in Atlanta, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Why the Panthers? "Well, you know, it's close to home," Vick said. "I like the uniforms. You get to play against Atlanta twice a year. Ain't nothing better than playing against your former team, right? So, yeah, that would be a good look, it would be a good look."

It would be interesting to see Vick in Carolina, as he could be a front runner to play for Jake Delhomme, who’s future with the team is very much in doubt after a tough 2010 season. Vick could give some life to a team that needs it, and was stale on offense for too much of 2009. Now it remains to be seen if the Panthers want Vick, and if the Eagles would deal him away.

Bears tight end Greg Olsen being on the trade block was apparently the most talked-about rumor at the combine this week, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Greg Bedard. The Bears recently hired Mike Martz to be their new offensive coordinator, and Martz has never asked his tight ends to run many passing routes, nullifying Olsen’s talent in Chicago. Plenty of team’s will be interested in Olsen, so it will come down to just how much the Bears want for him in return

According to John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com, the Lions, who pick second in the first round, have their fingers crossed that the Rams don’t pick a quarterback so they can trade down with either Cleveland or Buffalo, who apparently are in the quarterback market. The thought process is that new Browns czar Mike Holmgren won’t want to lose his favorite quarterback to Washington and new coach Mike Shanahan. The Redskins are perched at No. 4, three spots ahead of the Browns and the Lions really don’t want to spend $33 million in bonus money on a defensive tackle.

The NFL announced today that the 2011 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday night, January 30th at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. It will be televised by FOX at 7 p.m. eastern time. FOX will carry Super Bowl XLV a week later from Cowboys Stadium. This past season the game was played at the site of the Super Bowl down at Dolphins Stadium, but it will go back to Hawaii in 2011, where it is normally played.

Cowboys wide out Miles Austin still does not have a new deal, and while free agency approaches, there’s an interesting piece today on National Football Post which talks about the Cowboys rival – the Redskins, trying to swoop in and take Austin away, which would not only help Washington but would really hurt the Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys have made it clear that they have no intentions of losing wide receiver Miles Austin but whether or not they succeed in this mission is entirely up to them. With just three days until the start of free agency, the team has yet to reach an agreement with the restricted free agent wideout on a long-term deal, in addition, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the organization will not place the franchise tag on Austin this offseason.

Doing so would require the team to pay Austin a one-year salary of $9.521 million ,the expected course of action for the Dallas front office will be to place the highest restricted free agent tender possible on Austin, giving him a $3.168 million salary in 2010, enter Redskins owner and NFC East rival Daniel Snyder, we all know Snyder isn’t shy about spending cash, in addition, the Redskins have a pressing need at wide receiver.