Best Free Agent Signings in Sports

[Big Sexy]

Usually around this time the NFL, NBA, and NHL are in full swing signing free agents. This year that is a little different with the NFL and NBA lockouts. With that said it got me thinking about some of the better free agent signings in the past. There was a thread about the worst signings a while back so with this one just focus on the best free agent signings in sports.

Shaquille O'Neal- In 1996 Shaq was the biggest prize in free agency. Many teams wanted him but it was the big market Lakers who got him. This signing brought the Lakers back to prominence and made them an instant contender for the first time since Magic retired. Shaq ended up getting paired with Kobe Bryant and eventually Phil Jackson. With their help Shaq led the Lakers to three straight NBA titles and a fourth finals appearance before ultimately being shipped to Miami.

Reggie White- In 1993 Reggie White signed a big deal with the Packers in what was the first big signing in the NFL after free agency was implemented. Reggie led the Packers defense the same way Favre led the offense. Together White and Favre brought the Packers back to the NFL's elite. They won one Super Bowl and had two appearances in the big game overall.

Drew Brees- After a couple great comeback years in San Diego, Brees ended his 2005 season with a shoulder injury. This helped the Chargers decision to hand the reigns of the team over to Phillip Rivers and they offered Brees an incentive based contract which he obviously didn't sign. Brees surprisingly only received interest from a couple teams; The Dolphins and the Saints. The Dolphins decided to eventually pass and trade for Daunte Culpepper while the Saints signed Brees in 2006. Brees was the catalyst for the turnaround of the Saints franchise. In his fourth year as the starter in New Orleans he led the Saints to there first ever Super Bowl and he remains a top 5 quarterback in the NFL.

Honorable Mentions: Chauncey Billups signed by Detroit in 2002, Barry Bonds signed by San Francisco in 1992, and Steve Nash signed by Phoenix in 2004.

There are a lot more great signings I haven't mentioned so lets see what you got.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Gotta be either Shaq or Big Papi. Shaq as you said helped the Lakers to 3 titles and probably is the best signings ever, but Ortiz was an instant success in Boston which hadn't won a World Series in centuries. Papi has been the face of one of the most successful franchises in the last decade. Not saying it's all Shaq's fault but he and Kobe couldn't get along well enough and Shaq was off to Miami. So I'd probably go with David Ortiz.

 

[People's Champ]

Shaq is obviously the best signing. Three straight titles and four straight Finals appearances make him the best. As was said, the Lakers really were going nowhere once Magic left, and Shaq coming to Hollywood brought the magic back. Yes Kobe and Phil were key pieces, but Shaq was the biggest reason for their success.

I have another signing that, while may not be a top signing of all time, was still a big one. That was the signing of Rich Gannon by the Oakland Raiders. He was a 33 year old vet who never started a full season. He comes to the Raiders and brings them their first division title in 10 years. He took them to their first Super Bowl since '83. He won the NFL MVP award 2002 and was the only player to win two straight Pro Bowl MVP awards (take that for what its worth). He brought the Raiders back to relevance and was big signing for that team.

 

[Megatron]

To go a different route, my pick is the Diamondbacks signing of Randy Johnson in 1999. Consider this, he A) helped lead them to their only World Series in their short existence B) won 4 straight Cy Youngs his first 4 years there and finished 2nd in his other full season C) dominated at the age of 35 on (his first year in Arizona). He didn't give them the 3 or 4 titles like Shaq did, no (although it's tougher for Johnson to control how his team does compared to Shaq), but he did put them on the map and along with Schilling was apart of arguably the best 1-2 combo ever.

Here's his 4 year combinations to show his dominance: 139 starts, 81-27 record, 1030 innings (avg 7+ IP/S), 2.48 ERA throughout 4 years, about a 1 WHIP, 1417 K's, 33 WAR (avg 8.25/yr). That's called dominance, folks.

 

[Davi323]

I am going to go a slightly different route...Brett Hull signing with the Red Wings. Not because of how HE played, but because of the qualities he helped instill in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk when they were very young. The two kids and a goat line helped form the careers of two future hall of famers.