Decision time: every franchise had to make some tough calls this offseason—and we pinpoint 10 of the biggest ones - Special report: the moves that will shape 2002

Football Digest, August, 2002 by Mike Stokes

THE NFL NEVER RESTS. PLAY may be suspended for a few months as players tend to their wounds and officials endure eye exams, but the front offices remain abuzz as executives study the books and take stock of their inventory.

It is a time for tough decisions. Difficult choices are made to remain below the salary cap while trying to stay competitive. Contracts are restructured and terminated. Players are traded, drafted, and signed. Millionaires are made, and livelihoods are taken away.

The offseason is exciting and cruel--it's full of promise and despair, bombastic beginnings and quiet endings. Football is a rough game on the field, but even rougher off it. The following is a look at 10 of this offseason's decisions that will have the greatest impact on the 2002 campaign.

10. MOTOWN MADNESS

It must get cold in the shadows of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Cold enough, in fact, for wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim to leave the comfort of the St. Louis Rams' high-octane offense for a featured role on the lowly Detroit Lions.

Though he spent most of his career in St. Louis returning punts and providing Kurt Warner with a third or fourth passing option, Hakim apparently displayed enough flashes of game-breaking speed to warrant a five-year, $16 million deal from the Lions. It's a big gamble to take on a guy who returned more punts than he caught passes, especially since Detroit is coming off a 2-14 season and had more pressing needs.

9. BALTIMORE BOWS TO THE SALARY CAP

Just one season removed from their NFL championship, the Baltimore Ravens effectively killed any Super Bowl hopes for 2002 by slashing team payroll $20 million in a dramatic effort to meet the league's $71.1 million salary cap requirement. The cuts cost the team its top two receivers (Qadry Ismail and tight end Shannon Sharpe) and its quarterback (Elvis Grbac). Defensively, future Hall of Fame safety Rod Woodson was among those released, and fan favorite Tony Siragusa opted for retirement.

Once the chainsaw blade ground to a halt, approximately 20 Ravens were kicked out of the nest, victims of the merciless salary cap. Baltimore will rebuild around linebacker Ray Lewis and running back Jamal Lewis.

8. MORTON CATCHES ON WITH K.C.

The Kansas City Chiefs ranked third in receiving yards among AFC teams last season and finished with the fifth-best offense in the league. That's no small feat considering the team's top wideout, Marvin Minnis, caught only 33 balls for 511 yards in a miserable 6-10 season for K.C. The addition of Morton, an eight-year veteran, should help the Chiefs spread out their offense and climb up the standings. Morton's presence will take some pressure off the team's leading pass-catcher, tight end Tony Gonzalez, and allow its second-leading receiver, running back Priest Holmes, to focus on carrying the ball instead of catching it.

Despite playing for the inept Lions last season, Morton managed to catch 77 passes for 1,154 yards. That prompted the Chiefs to sign him to a seven-year deal. K.C. still isn't a Super Bowl contender, but the signing of Morton should help to rejuvenate the team.

7. ATLANTA'S MYSTERIOUS MOVES

The drafting of Michigan State tailback T.J. "The Diesel" Ducker raised some eyebrows in Atlanta. Only weeks before the draft, the Falcons had signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn to a six-year, $28.5 million dollar contract that seemed to indicate that he'd be the featured back, especially since Jamal Anderson is still trying to rebound from his second serious knee injury. It was an ideal situation for Dunn, who previously had split time with bruising fullback Mike Alstott on the Buccaneers (now Atlanta's rival in the NFC South).

Well, if Dunn had hoped to have more of a prominent role in Atlanta than he did in Tampa, he must be shocked to suddenly find himself sharing the backfield with the 250-pound Duckett. It's essentially the same situation he left behind. Only one thing is for sure for the Falcons, who seem to be in a perpetual state of rebuilding: Anderson's days with the team are numbered.

6. MR. TROTTER GOES TO WASHINGTON

Seeing a marquee free agent in a Washington Redskins jersey has become commonplace in the big-spending Daniel Snyder era, but the signing of two-time Pro bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to a seven-year deal still stands out. Trotter isn't just another superstar looking for a final monster payday en route to retirement Rather, he is an impact player bent on revenge.

Trotter comes to the Skins from the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. He led Philly in tackles in 2001, only to see his franchise-player status removed in the offseason, spinning him into free agency without so much as a "thank you." He will be joined on the Redskins by two other 2001 Pro Bowl linebackers, LaVar Arrington and Jessie Armstead, another offseason free-agent acquisition. Hell hath no fury like a linebacker scorned. Look for Trotter to make Philadelphia regret letting him go. In fact, part of what motivated to sign with Washington was the opportunity to face his old team twice a year.