NFL fans clearly weren’t the only ones waiting for the lockout to end. Club executives wasted no time making personnel moves once the league and NFL Players Association completed a new collective bargaining agreement. Alex Marvez highlights a week in which teams tried to compress four-and-a-half months' worth of roster moves prohibited during the work stoppage, resulting in the busiest seven-day stretch of player movement in NFL history.

Swiping elite cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha away from serious suitors like the Cowboys and Jets is reason alone to celebrate. But Philly made a slew of other impressive acquisitions, such as cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and defensive ends Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins. Babin summed up his feelings about Philadelphia’s Super Bowl chances on Twitter: “I feel like we’re the Miami Heat of the NFL . . . except we win the final game.” That championship is something the Eagles never have accomplished in the Super Bowl era.
 

Does Chad Henne inspire Super Bowl dreams? Yeah, I didn’t think so. While team brass never will say it outright, the ill-fated attempt to acquire Kyle Orton from Denver shows Dolphins management feels the same way. Newcomer Reggie Bush was a nice multifaceted addition. but he can’t throw the football to himself.
 

The fact Manning signed a long-term contract extension wasn’t surprising, but the amount of money he will earn is still breathtaking. Manning is slated to collect $69 million in the first three seasons of a five-year, $90 million deal. Both sides now must hope the other lives up to their end of the bargain. The 35-year-old Manning has to rebound from offseason neck surgery and continue to play at a high level for at least the next few seasons to make this a wise long-term investment. Manning also took $2 million less a season in hopes of giving the Colts more flexibility under the salary cap to make personnel moves that would help him win another Lombardi Trophy.

First, the Jets decided to re-sign fellow wideout Santonio Holmes to a huge contract (five years, $50 million). New York then replaced Edwards (pictured at a probation hearing last week) through the signing of Plaxico Burress to a one-year, $3 million deal. Edwards, meanwhile, signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
 

Carolina gave defensive end Charles Johnson a guaranteed $30 million as part of a six-year, $72 million contract. Eyebrows wouldn’t be raised had the Panthers given this type of contract last year to a more proven commodity in defensive end Julius Peppers. Instead, Peppers signed a six-year, $91.5-million deal with Chicago while Panthers owner Jerry Richardson kept his wallet shut. The 25-year-old Johnson did have 11.5 sacks in 2010 and is six years younger than Peppers. Johnson, though, must emerge as a truly elite player to justify this type of deal.

Who’s joining the Patriots next — Terrell Owens? OK, Bill Belichick may not be that bold, but he did stun the NFL by acquiring two players whose off-field exploits lately have overshadowed on-field production. To his credit, Belichick has successfully weaved controversial players such as wide receiver Randy Moss and running back Corey Dillon into his team fabric before. Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth also know they won’t be around long if they don’t buy into Belichick’s team-first philosophy. The bigger question now is whether they are still talented enough to help New England win its first Super Bowl title in seven seasons.

Even though he reached his fifth career Pro Bowl last season and was slated to earn a modest $3.5 million in 2011, the Chiefs must have felt the 34-year-old Waters was on the decline. Waters told the Kansas City Star he hopes to play in 2011, but he hasn’t signed anywhere yet.

Tampa Bay gave ex-Atlanta punter Michael Koenen a six-year, $19 million deal with $6.5 million guaranteed. Yes, a punter. The Bucs did have almost $50 million of salary cap space to kill. But giving this much cash to a punter/long-range field goal/kickoff specialist — especially one who has played the majority of his six-year NFL career inside domed stadiums — is a head-scratcher.

The Cardinals have signed almost an entire regular-season roster — 51 players — since last Wednesday. Arizona did upgrade at quarterback with Kevin Kolb (pictured), but all signs point to a slow start as players become acclimated to a new system.

Kansas City signed nose tackle Kelly Gregg to a one-year contract in the $2 million range. After 10 NFL seasons, the undersized Gregg likely is a short-term fix as Kansas City’s nose tackle. But his outstanding work ethic and leadership should rub off on young Chiefs defenders in the same fashion as did that of retired outside linebacker Mike Vrabel.

Minnesota was seeking a short-term quarterback solution while 2011 first-round draft pick Christian Ponder develops. The 34-year-old McNabb must prove he is still a frontline starter after a disastrous 2010 campaign in Washington.

Chicago opted not to re-sign long-time center Olin Kreutz. The Bears are banking on free-agent signing Chris Spencer (Seattle) to play as well or better than Kreutz. He had better. Bears players are fuming about the decision not to re-sign Kreutz, a highly respected 13-year veteran whose tenacious style set the tempo for his fellow offensive linemen.

The Seahawks added a quarterback (Tarvaris Jackson) and wide receiver (Sidney Rice) who played under Bevell in Minnesota. Even though Jackson isn’t exactly an inspiring choice as Seattle’s new starter, the presence of both ex-Vikings players should greatly help the transition of Seahawks players learning a new offensive system.

Texans GM Rick Smith has given Phillips some nice new pieces to work with as Houston attempts to improve the NFL’s 30th-ranked unit from 2010. Johnathan Joseph (Cincinnati) was the second-best CB on the free-agent market after Nnamdi Asomugha. Danieal Manning (Chicago) is an athletic strong safety who can cover slot receivers — a must in Phillips’ scheme — and is a special-teams standout. The Texans also drafted Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt in the first round and are getting back standout MLB DeMeco Ryans, who missed the final 10 games last season (Achilles’ tendon).

Let’s be honest — Taylor never looked right in a Jets jersey. This will be the linebacker’s third go-around with the Dolphins after he agreed to terms Monday. The classy Taylor will get the chance to end his prolific NFL career with the team that drafted him in 1996.