Such is life in the NFL. I was literally stunned with almost every free-agent deal announced this weekend, especially in a market that was somewhat limited.

In case you've been sleeping under a rock for the last few days, the San Francisco 49ers have been tossing around cash like Simon Cowell hurls insults. In one ridiculous, horrifying, out-of-control spending spree, the 49ers blew $22 million in guaranteed money on Bills cornerback Nate Clements and then topped that by giving a reported $10 million in guaranteed money to Michael Lewis, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, whose coverage skills make Roy Williams of the Cowboys look like Deion Sanders. To compound their adventure, the 49ers also brought in Ashley Lelie, who shows up for about one play a game.

To compound all of the mistakes made by the supposedly cheap ownership in San Francisco, three left guards became household names because of the whopping deals they signed. Kris Dielman apparently turned down a ridiculous offer from the Seahawks to resign at a bargain price of $39 million for six years, with about $17 million guaranteed. The Bills decided to let London Fletcher, the heart and soul of their defense, sign with the Redskins and then signed Derrick Dockery, formerly of Washington, for roughly $20 million guaranteed. The Browns, desperate for anything on the offensive line that resembles a pulse, inked Eric Steinbach to a similar deal.

The New England Patriots scored the best player on the free agent market, bringing in all-everything linebacker Adalius Thomas, who should be a terrific fit in the hybrid defensive scheme of Bill Belichick. However, all the joy in mudville couldn't erase the nightmare that Robert Kraft, Scott Pioli and Belichick surely must have had on Friday night.

Are you confused yet? Good, that's the point. On what should have been a huge day of celebration for the Pats, their worst fears came to fruition. The Pats slapped the 'franchise' tag on their own stud cornerback, Asante Samuel, allowing Clements to sign for more than he is worth.

So what do you think Samuel and his agent are doing right now? Drawing up plans for a huge guaranteed contract? One problem: The Pats won't be able to show Samuel the money and field a competitive team. New England could be forced to trade its best corner or face the prospect of him holding out until he gets a big deal.

This is the problem with signing free agents. All it takes to ruin someone else's fun is one bad decision by a desperate team.

This is why free agency is the root of all evil in sports. Sure it's fun to speculate where a player is going to go, and it's an easy way to sometimes dress up a pig with the snap of a finger - but free agency does more harm than good.

As we know, there are no guarantees -- except for the player who loses nothing and benefits endlessly. The team that signs the player hopes they are getting what they paid for and is often let down with rippling effects for years to come.

I know it's not going away, and quite honestly, I don't know why I care so much. I know the inevitable defense will be something along the lines of "If ESPN offered you $50,000 more than Sporting News, you would take the gig in a heartbeat." I probably can't deny that.

However, the difference between me taking that hypothetical offer and what happens specifically in the case of the NFL situation above, is that not everyone at ESPN would get a $50,000 dollar raise just because I received mine.

That only works in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL -- where common sense is just a term that is thrown around and sounds good.

It's the heavy price of freedom in a bitterly unfair capitalistic world.

The Seahawks were the last stop on Daniel Graham's free-agent tour, but it was Denver that had the home-field advantage, so to speak.

Graham attended high school in that city, went to college at Colorado and he chose the Broncos, agreeing to terms on a five-year contract with the Broncos on Tuesday night.

Graham was the Seahawks' top target in free agency at a position that was pretty bare.

Seattle re-signed backup Will Heller, but starter Jerramy Stevens is an unrestricted free agent and he visited Tampa Bay on Tuesday, according to NFL.com. Calls to Stevens' agent were not returned.

Itula Mili started two games for Seattle last season, but he was released in January.

Graham was a first-round draft pick in 2002, and he won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. Graham visited Denver and Oakland before coming to Seattle. He caught a career-high 38 passes in 2003, but only 37 in the past two years combined. He is a dominant blocker as a tight end.