In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by league rules.
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the last place team is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936, and has been held every year since.
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" due to his large size and running style, he played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was selected 10th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL Draft. Bettis was a member of the Rams for three seasons before being traded to the Steelers, where he spent the remainder of his career. A six-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, he is regarded as one of the greatest power runners of all time and ranks eighth in NFL rushing yards. He retired in 2006 after helping the Steelers win a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XL, the franchise's first in over two decades. Bettis was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Robert Stanford Brown, nicknamed "the Boomer" is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1973. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as the second overall pick in the 1964 NFL draft. He played for the Eagles from 1964 to 1968, the Los Angeles Rams from 1969 to 1970, and the Oakland Raiders from 1971 to 1973. He played college football at Nebraska. Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Eric Demetric Dickerson is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia.
William Layton Roaf, nicknamed "Nasty", is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-American honors. He was a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Gary Wayne Zimmerman is an American former professional football player who played as an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Zimmerman played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1986 to 1992 and for the Denver Broncos from 1993 to 1997. He won Super Bowl XXXII with the Broncos against the Green Bay Packers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was an All-Pro selection eight times. He attended Walnut High School and the University of Oregon whereby he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Gino Louis Torretta is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami, won the Heisman Trophy in 1992, and was a member of the Miami Hurricanes' national championship teams of 1989 and 1991. A seventh-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, he was a member of several NFL teams, but never became a regular starter as a pro. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Richard Franklin Mirer is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected second overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1993 NFL Draft. In his first season, Mirer set the rookie records for passing yards, attempts, and completions. Unable to duplicate his success, however, Mirer was traded after four seasons to the Chicago Bears. He spent the remainder of his career with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions, mostly as a backup. Mirer is considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
Aaron Matthew Taylor is a former professional American football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame and was a two-time All-American. A first-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. Taylor works as a college football analyst and television sportscaster. He is the Founder of the Joe Moore Award for the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football - the only major college football award going to a group versus an individual. Aaron Taylor is a speaker on teamwork and performance at summits, events, corporate retreats, universities. In 2021, Taylor was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
Tamerlane Lincoln Kennedy is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and was recognized as a consensus All-American.
The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
Frederick Denard Baxter is an American former college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played for the NFL's New York Jets, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots. Baxter played college football for Auburn University and was selected by the Jets in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He was born in Brundidge, Alabama.
Collie Antonio Langham is an American former college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, and was recognized as an All-American. Selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft, Langham also played professionally for the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots of the NFL.
Paul Burmeister Paul Burmeister is an American sportscaster with NBC Sports and NBC Olympics, working primarily as a play-by-play voice and studio host across a wide range of platforms. Prior to his arrival at NBC in 2014, he spent a decade at NFL Network as a studio host.
Lester Holmes is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He played college football at Jackson State University and was drafted in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft.
John Anthony Copeland is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American and was a member of a national championship team in 1992. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, and he played his entire pro career for the Bengals.
Thomas Carter, III is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League from 1993 to 2001. The 17th overall draft pick in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, Carter played nine seasons for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and Cincinnati Bengals. Carter played quarterback at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, and accepted a scholarship to play college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a three-year starter at the free safety position. He currently works for the NFL Players Association.
Eric Felece Curry is an American football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for the University of Alabama, and earned All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.
Devin Marquese Bush Sr. is an American former college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Bush played college football for Florida State University (FSU), where he was a member of FSU's 1993 national championship team. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and he also played professionally for the NFL's St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns.
