NFL free agency is around the corner, Fooch is headed to Vegas, let all hell break loose

Free agency gets going this weekend with the 3-day negotiation period, during which time agents and teams can negotiate contracts. Players are not allowed to visit teams until the Tuesday, but plenty of work will get done before then.

What really matters for our purposes is that I am headed off to Las Vegas today for a few days. I will be returning to DC late on Monday, which covers the bulk of the negotiation period. As long-time readers know, when I take a trip to Las Vegas, things seem to happen. The most notable had to be Scot McCloughan's departure from the team, but there always seems to be some kind of news. Given the timing of this trip during the heightened period of free agency rumors, I'm sure all hell could break loose.

If something particularly crazy was going to happen, it might actually have to do with the sexual assault investigation involving Ray McDonald. In Tracey Kaplan and Cam Inman's latest report, they mention the Santa Clara investigation involves another unnamed player. They reported that a source close to the investigation confirmed McDonald would not be charged, but another player still could be charged with something related to "sexually touching the woman after she passed out at the get-together at McDonald's house. Lord only knows how that will play out, but if I was a betting man, I would bet on some kind of news between now and Tuesday.

On a slightly lighter note, I am going to check and see what kind of win total bets I can place. Last month, CG Technology posted win totals at a variety of casinos. They installed the San Francisco 49ers at 8.5 wins. I'm tempted to take the over on that. I figure this season will either go better than some folks expect, or it will be an absolute train wreck. The talent on the team makes me think the former, so I am going to put some money down.

I am almost extremely tempted by the Oakland Raiders at 4.5-wins. They finished poorly last season, but with a ton of cap room and a strong draft pick, they could position themselves for solid improvement. I don't think they will win the division or anything, but five or six wins does not seem like the hardest thing for the Raiders.

With all that in mind, feel free to post some of your predictions for what will go down over the next three days while I am in Las Vegas. I depart around 5 in the afternoon on Monday, so that leaves plenty of time for craziness. And given how this offseason has gone for the team, anything is possible!