[caligula]

The terms on those two contracts aren't yet public at the time of writing, but the three deals by the Colts for which financial figures were released were among the most curious contracts of the day. Lions right tackle Gosder Cherilus got $34 million over five years, with a $10 million bonus forming part of his to-be-announced guarantee, and Cardinals cornerback Greg Toler took home $15 million over three years to presumably serve as a starter across from the re-signed Darius Butler. You can understand the logic in signing Cherilus, even if he's coming off of German knee therapy and was regarded as the best run-blocker on a team that couldn't run the ball. Protecting Andrew Luck is important. In his four-year career, Toler served as the guy people targeted as the weak spot in the Arizona secondary. He's a useful guy on a rookie deal, but it seems dangerous to give $5 million per year to a player who has missed almost 40 percent of his pro games.

What was truly shocking was the the four-year, $16 million deal Indianapolis gave to Packers outside linebacker Erik Walden. Last seen befuddled and terrified at the sight of Colin Kaepernick and the Pistol in the NFC divisional round, Walden was a practice-squad journeyman who caught on as an injury replacement during Green Bay's Super Bowl run. He was below average in 2011, couldn't find a long-term deal around the league, and was only a starter in 2012 because the guy the Packers drafted to replace him (Nick Perry) got hurt. The guy he traded reps with during that Super Bowl run, Frank Zombo, was not tendered by the Packers on Tuesday and now is available on the market. Zombo is arguably every bit as good as Walden is, if not better, so why is one of those two players going to get a league-minimum offer while the other one gets $4 million per year? Because Erik Walden signed on the opening day of free agency. That's why.

Kansas City followed a similar path to and through obscurity. The Chiefs' three conquests — at a combined $37 million over three- and four-year deals — included Saints backup quarterback Chase Daniel, Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano, and Jets defensive lineman Mike DeVito. It's true that the Chiefs do need depth; after all, they somehow went 2-14 and ended up with six Pro Bowlers. Again, this is a buyer's market for average veterans, so why are the Chiefs paying a premium to lock up borderline starters and a backup quarterback? If they waited a week on DeVito and Fasano, the Chiefs could have come back and added a half-dozen guys of similar quality at half the total cost of these contracts. Devito might be better than somebody like Rocky Bernard or Alan Branch, but he's not three or four times better than them, and he's going to earn three or four times what they'll likely make in 2013

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