Gary Barnidge Among Biggest Free Agents Surprisingly Unsigned

Colin Kaepernick may be the hot name of late among unsigned free agents, but he’s far from the only one. Gary Barnidge is another big one.

The 31-year old has played the two best seasons of his career in 2015 and 2016, going to the Pro Bowl during the former year. He didn’t miss any games with injury either. So why the lack of action from NFL teams? There could be a variety of factors. The presence of a strong draft class didn’t help matters. That was further hampered by his age. Players over 30 are treated like lepers at times. Some teams won’t go near them.

This despite the fact he’s a proven pass target who got production in Cleveland. If anybody can find success with that team, he deserves more attention. Odds are he should be picked up eventually, but the lack of movement is nonetheless surpring. Especially to Barnidge himself. He still believes he can be the #1 guy for a team as he told SiriusXM Radio.

"“Of course, I would love to be the [number] one guy,” Barnidge said. “I’ve showed the last two years, with multiple different quarterbacks, I was still able to produce without one single guy, whether it be injuries or just things not working out. I’ve shown I’ve been able to produce with multiple guys throwing the ball. But I don’t think that’s an issue, but if they want me to come in and help mentor, I’ve got no problem doing that, either.”"

Odds are his window will open when injuries inevitably start to hit during training camp and the preseason. Not ideal circumstances for him but a logical business procedure if nothing else. He turns 32 in September and may have an inflated sense of his financial worth at this point. Waiting him out until the price drops or they have no choice seems like the two paths to take.