It's hard to respond reasonably to questions that are faulty at their foundations... But I gave it a shot:
Everyone in the NFL gives a damn about "value" in free agents. Your top-shelf RB is only as good as his last season... until the next one starts. If we throw $25 million and Shawn Alexander and he puts up 1300 yards and 8 TDs, that's not good value, and we're in trouble for trying to fix other positions the next season (like #2 or nickel cornerback because Macklin will be a free agent). That's not good value. The Steelers have been great the past decade because they understand the value of their players and once the demands exceed the value, they let the players walk. The reason that the Seahawks are apparently willing to let Alexander walk is because they don't feel that his value lines up to his price tag. Same with Edge and the Colts. Do you really think that
you know better?
Would I be excited if the Cards signed Edge, Bentley, and Peterson? Depends on the contract amounts--everything does in the NFL. Spending like drunken sailors doesn't get you very far--just ask Daniel Snyder. Or Jerry Jones. But we've already talked about this. Or, I have. You haven't bothered to respond.
I'm really not all that hot-to-trot for Peterson for a number of reasons. Mainly because his cost exceeds his value (at least to the 49ers), but also because Sam Cowart (a player that I liked when he was with the Bills) had the same injury and was never the same player again. If we got Peterson for Huff money, I'd be ecstatic. If we got Peterson for Roosevelt Colvin money, much less so.
I'll take a well-built team in October that can sign their pending free agents ahead of time over a bunch of headlines in March.
But that's just me.