The Best Value Players in the 2012 NFL Conference Championships

Ray Rice is considered one of the best running backs in the NFL.

As you count down the hours until this Sunday's Conference Championships, imagine all of the superstar teams full of expensive free agent acquisitions. Maybe the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Redskins come to mind. Often, these teams don't emerge as successful as everyone anticipated. 

Here's why. 

Great football teams are built around three types of players: 1) superstars who carry the team, 2) young signees who bring quality far beyond their paycheck size and 3) journeymen players who fill small but important roles. 

The best teams don’t rely solely on spending money to acquire players. Instead, they find gems in late rounds of the draft, bargain free agents or even undrafted free agents. The Patriots and Saints are known for finding overlooked players who become solid contributors to championship teams. 

The four teams in this year's NFL conference championships – New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC, and the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC -- each have their share of bargain players. 

[InvestingAnswers Feature: "30 of the Highest Single-Game Paychecks in Sports."]

With the average NFL salary up to $1.9 million and the highest paid players reaching around $20 million, these are seven players who really bring maximum value to their team:

Jason Pierre-Paul

Team: New York Giants

Position: Defensive End

2011 Salary: $2.8 million

The Giants expected big things out of Pierre-Paul, the 15th overall player in the 2010 draft. Perhaps that is why they offered him such a lucrative contract with a 5-year, $20,050,000 offer.

Sure, it isn't cheap by anyone's standards. But he's exceeded expectations, recording 86 tackles and 16.5 sacks in only his second season. His play was enough to have him voted All-Pro as a Defensive End.

Lucky for the Giants, they have the South Florida "hoss" signed through the 2014 season, when he should be in his prime. Even then they will be paying him under $4 million per season.

Photo courtesy of www.Giants.com.

Victor Cruz

Team: New York Giants

Position: Wide Receiver

2011 Salary: $405,000

The undrafted free agent from the University of Massachusetts has made a career out of proving people wrong. He started the season as the Giant’s fourth wide receiver, but other players’ injuries have brought him into the spotlight. 

As the breakout receiver of the year, Cruz caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards, which is a single-season franchise record for the Giants. Add to that nine touchdowns and Cruz is a steal. Next year, the Giants will still only have to pay Cruz $490,000, so Eli Manning will have a great young target for touchdown passes. 

Photo courtesy of www.Giants.com.

Kyle Arrington

Team: New England Patriots

Position: Cornerback

2011 Salary: $725,000

Arrington's two forced fumbles against the Denver Broncos contributed to the 45-10 blowout, putting the Patriots back into the AFC Championship game. In his third year out of Hofstra, Arrington registered 88 tackles, and was tied for the league lead with seven interceptions. 

The Patriots have this impressive cornerback locked up for one more year before he becomes a free agent, but even next year he will make just over $1 million.

Photo courtesy of www.Patriots.com.

NaVorro Bowman

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Position: Linebacker

2011 Salary: $756,062

When you think of a 49ers linebacker, you immediately think of Patrick Willis. Bowman, though a lesser-known name his second season out of Penn State, has been a tackle machine, logging 143 tackles this season and earning an All-Pro nod. 

So far, he's earned every dollar of his 4-year, $2,492,000 contract and fortunately for the niners, they have him locked in through 2013.

Photo courtesy of www.49ers.com.

Ray Rice

Team: Baltimore Ravens

Position: Running Back

2011 Salary: $830,000

The two-time All-Pro is one of the most versatile and prolific running backs in the league. This season, he ran for 1,364 yards and 12 touchdowns and had 76 receptions for 704 yards and 3 touchdowns. At times, he seems to make up the entire Ravens offensive production with his impressive stats.

Rice is still on his 4-year, $2.8 million rookie contract, which means two things: he’s a steal right now and he is going to get paid next year.

Photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.org.

Rob Gronkowski

Team: New England Patriots

Position: Tight End

2011 Salary: $845,000

In Gronkowksi's monster season, he set the NFL single-season record for receiving touchdowns for tight ends. He didn't just catch 17 touchdowns; he logged 90 catches for 1327 yards and was voted starting tight end at the 2012 Pro Bowl. Best of all for the Patriots, they get all that talent for under $1 million a year.

In 2010, Gronkowski signed a 4-year, $4.44 million contract and his base salary pays him only $405k, but a $440k annual bonus bumps it up a little. Still, the Pats have the record-breaking tight end locked up through 2013 where they will still only pay him just over $1 million.

Photo courtesy of www.Patriots.com.

Joe Staley

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Position: Left Tackle

2011 Salary: $2,159,750

If you've read or seen The Blind Side, you know the importance of an excellent left tackle. The best are some of the most highly paid players on a football team, so to have a All-Pro left tackle for just over $2 million a year is a great bargain.

Staley was a key blocker for Frank Gore and the 49ers running game that ran for just shy of 2,000 yards on the season. Staley signed a 5-year, $8 million contract when he was picked in the 1st round, 28th overall pick in 2007 from Central Michigan, which means he is a free agent next year.

Photo courtesy of www.wikipedia.org.

The InvestingAnswer: Building a winning football team is a lot like asset allocation. You never want to put all of your eggs in one basket, or in this case, all of your money into a few players that break the bank. The best owners and coaches know how to look for potential, investing early in possibly overlooked players that can grow into champions. 

[For more best value athletes, check out "The Best Player Bargains in the 2011 World Series."]

Salary Information source: Spotrac.com