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Nick Wass/Associated Press

NFL free agency had its obvious big moments. Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cam Newton is on the open market. Massive money went to the market's top names.

But in the background, savvy front offices got to work on value signings.

While he's been one of the most oft-used examples lately, think of Shaquil Barrett signing a paltry one-year deal with Tampa Bay last offseason before erupting for an NFL-high 19.5 sacks. You can't find more of a bang-for-the-buck outcome than that.

The best of these value free-agent signings feature players with the potential to explode like Barrett. They have an alluring combination of past and future production while slotting nicely in monetary value compared to the rest of the market.