Boss Bailey finds home with Broncos

ENGLEWOOD • Boss Bailey stayed calm in the months leading up to free agency.

He knew he would be hitting the market when free agency began Feb. 29 because his old team, the Detroit Lions, never made an attempt to resign him.

At age 28, after being a full-time starter for the Lions his entire five-year career, he knew he would land somewhere. And he figured, through his brother and Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, that the Broncos would be a suitor.

When free agency started, reality hit.

"Leading up to that point, I was pretty cool," Bailey said. "Then, that day of free agency, it was mind boggling."

Bailey's first visit, with Denver, wasn't until the sixth day of free agency. In that time other linebackers were signing, which meant jobs were being taken. That didn't help calm him.

"You can imagine, with people being signed those five days left and right, it was some very long days," Bailey said. "My wife was probably ready to kick me out of the house."

What Bailey did was consult often with his agent Jack Reale, usually discussing other contracts signed by free-agent linebackers to have a negotiating guideline. He also did his research on other teams, especially Green Bay and the New York Giants because they were interested. He would look into the scheme and his chances of starting.

"I didn't put all my eggs in one basket," Bailey said. "I did as much research as I could, saying ‘This is Step 1, let's evaluate what Step 2 would be if this doesn't work.' We had a plan. I tried not to set myself up for failure."

Reale said with any high-profile client, calls, text messages and e-mails start flowing in from teams as soon as free agency begins.

"You're very busy, and you keep your phone nearby," Reale said about the first few days of free agency. "It can be a little hectic."

Reale said he very rarely has to initiate contact with teams about a high-profile client. If teams covet his player, they will call.

"Normally anybody that's truly interested, they are calling sooner rather than later," Reale said.

Usually a select group of teams that have a need at the position make initial contact with the player's agent, and the first call feels out the kind of contract a player is looking for. If the monetary demands are close to what a team is willing to pay, a visit to the team's office is usually scheduled.

Bailey's top two priorities were some personal security with a long-term contract and a chance to start. He could have both with Denver. He showed up for his visit with the Broncos on March 5, met coach Mike Shanahan, went out to dinner with the coaches and attended a Nuggets game.

Bailey said during his visit he kept hearing from coaches how well he would fit in the scheme and how much they wanted him.

"I thought it was going to be a little more of me selling myself, but when I got here it was so obvious they wanted me to be a part of the team," Bailey said.

On Thursday morning Bailey started physical exams at 8 a.m. while Reale negotiated a contract. Bailey was done with the doctors at about 10:30 a.m. He met with Reale, who said a deal was close.

Reale had started negotiating with the Broncos, mostly with since-fired general manager Ted Sundquist and Shanahan, the previous night. He had also had some preliminary negotiations over the phone before Bailey's visit. Reale said it wasn't slam dunk that Bailey would sign in Denver, because any negotiation can be tricky.

At about noon March 6, Bailey signed a five year, $17.5 million deal.

"My No. 1 place was definitely here," Bailey said. "It worked out the way I wanted."