NFL FA Frenzy Game Thread

tims4wins

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[media]
View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1371415699470565377

[/media]
Former Giants’ G Kevin Zeitler reached agreement on a three-year, $22.5 million including $16 million guaranteed with the Baltimore Ravens, per league source.

Per Schefter.

Not bad. That's a really solid deal for the Ravens who desperately needed IOL help.
Good deal for Ravens, but does that take them out of Thuney market? I had heard his name connected with them. I'm all for Thuney getting paid, he deserves it, I was just hoping it wouldn't be with the Ratbirds.
 

Pesky Pole

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Good deal for Ravens, but does that take them out of Thuney market? I had heard his name connected with them. I'm all for Thuney getting paid, he deserves it, I was just hoping it wouldn't be with the Ratbirds.
No compensatory pick with Zeitler may have made the difference to the Ravens. Since the Giants cut him, he could be signed before "legal tampering" and also doesn't cost them a draft pick in the formula.
 

tims4wins

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No compensatory pick with Zeitler may have made the difference to the Ravens. Since the Giants cut him, he could be signed before "legal tampering" and also doesn't cost them a draft pick in the formula.
Also significantly cheaper, shorter, etc. But they're getting a worse player too.
 

BaseballJones

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This is always a really exciting time of the year, but also one that can tend to come with huge letdowns. But for now...I'm choosing optimism and excitement.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Also significantly cheaper, shorter, etc. But they're getting a worse player too.
True, but it's not like hes shit. Hes an upper tier guard. I'd much rather have an upper tier guard on a good deal than a top tier guard on a market setting deal. Theres other places to spend your money. I like this deal for Baltimore. Those fucking crybabies.
 

BaseballJones

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Yeah the Ravens are really good at this. Have been for two decades. I hate it because I hate that team, but I give credit. They know what they're doing.
 

scott bankheadcase

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Just a quick reminder, like the Cam deal, whatever we hear first reported will not really be the contract numbers once you dive in.

This is where the agents like to show off with big contracts that aren't actually big contracts.
 

RedOctober3829

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Just a quick reminder, like the Cam deal, whatever we hear first reported will not really be the contract numbers once you dive in.

This is where the agents like to show off with big contracts that aren't actually big contracts.
Yes you are right. The important number in an NFL contract is the guaranteed money. For example, look at Aaron Jones. Only the signing bonus is guaranteed.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Ummm, yes?

View: https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1371441261522092034?s=20


Could the money saved from trading Cannon go right to Thuney?

They've paid Mankins top dollars before, the highest interior OL, in fact:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/6854103/logan-mankins-deal-new-england-patriots-worth-51m-source-says
I'd be thrilled if they could work out something similar with Thuney. The thought of featuring Brown, Onwenu, Andrews (fingers crossed), Mason, Thuney, and Wynn is quite lovely.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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I'd be thrilled if they could work out something similar with Thuney. The thought of featuring Brown, Onwenu, Andrews (fingers crossed), Mason, Thuney, and Wynn is quite lovely.
That's the rub though, right? Is it a good use of resources to spend big money to have 6 high-end OL? Depth is awesome, but that's an expensive way to get it.
 

Average Game James

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That's the rub though, right? Is it a good use of resources to spend big money to have 6 high-end OL? Depth is awesome, but that's an expensive way to get it.
They could then use that depth to acquire a lower cost player at a position of need, e.g. trade Onwenu for a defensive player or WR still on a rookie deal so the cost is essentially a wash. Or trade Mason if they prefer Thuney if keeping one expensive interior OL. Signing Thuney doesn't necessarily mean they are committing to a $30mn+ interior OL.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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That's the rub though, right? Is it a good use of resources to spend big money to have 6 high-end OL? Depth is awesome, but that's an expensive way to get it.
Mason is fairly compensated on his restructured deal.

Wynn & Onwenu are on their rookie deals.

Andrews will be paid but top centers all make around $8m-$10m each.

Brown is on a team-friendly 1-year deal.

The only real "luxury" signing would be for Thuney. Frankly, he deserves it and quality depth may be more necessary than we may think (Wynn with injuries and Brown with, well, a bunch of things).
 

Mooch

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Wow, I thought that Barrett would sign for more than that. A bit of a hometown discount there?
 

koufax32

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Wow, I thought that Barrett would sign for more than that. A bit of a hometown discount there?
Local media here have been acting like he was gone as he’d get over $20mil/year.
I’ll be interested to see what Ngakoue gets. I always thought he’d be a good Barrett replacement.

Bucs will be looking good as long as nobody at any position gets injured all year. Colts-level depth there...
 

Steve Dillard

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Wow, I thought that Barrett would sign for more than that. A bit of a hometown discount there?
People want to play for Brady [/ducks]

People want to play for winners. With the Covid events, who knows where the cap will be over the course of the contract.
 
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Cellar-Door

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You can't tell me he would have made that deal without Brady on board.

TB is the queen bee and the workers just flock to the hive.
I mean.... if they had just won the Super Bowl with any QB he'd probably take that deal. He said all along he wanted to stay in Tampa, and they are defending champs.
 

Average Game James

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You can't tell me he would have made that deal without Brady on board.

TB is the queen bee and the workers just flock to the hive.
My guess is the deal is structured to essentially be a 2 year deal that lines up with Brady's contract. $18.5 million signing bonus plus year one salary of $1.05 million, then full guaranteed year two at $17.5 million gets you to a $5.6 million year 1 cap number and $36 million total guaranteed, $37 million total money over first two years. Then year 3 if Brady has retired and TB is tearing it down they can cut him ($9.25 million dead money, or $4.6 million as post-June 1), or if Brady is still playing they restructure him to bring the cap number down from $22ish million.
 

Mystic Merlin

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So he was released, right? So he doesn’t factor into the compensation pick formula?
No, his contract expires so his signing will count toward the comp pick formula. I don’t know why that media headline linked to suggested he was ‘released.’ He wasn’t, his contract expires at the actual start of FA. I think they conflated them Titans telling him that they were moving on with a ‘release’.
 

JM3

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No, his contract expires so his signing will count toward the comp pick formula. I don’t know why that media headline linked to suggested he was ‘released.’ He wasn’t, his contract expires at the actual start of FA. I think they conflated them Titans telling him that they were moving on with a ‘release’.
Yup, that's all correct.

This is the one year as a Pats fan the comp pick formula almost certainly doesn't matter.

Coming into free agency they had the 3rd most cap space in the league & only a couple higher end free agents who could warrant compensation anyway.
 

Shelterdog

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Can't link it but Mike Tanier is saying that the pats are making the kind of moves that they chuckle at other teams for making--which honestly I don't get. Smith is being paid in the ballpark of a top TE, but he's 25 and very good. Goodcheaux is likewise making reasonable money but is again getting paid roughly market for a solid DT and, again, is in his prime.
 

RorschachsMask

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Can't link it but Mike Tanier is saying that the pats are making the kind of moves that they chuckle at other teams for making--which honestly I don't get. Smith is being paid in the ballpark of a top TE, but he's 25 and very good. Goodcheaux is likewise making reasonable money but is again getting paid roughly market for a solid DT and, again, is in his prime.
View: https://twitter.com/MikeTanier/status/1371510189103443968?s=20


Just a lazy tweet to get reactions.
 

E5 Yaz

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Can't link it but Mike Tanier is saying that the pats are making the kind of moves that they chuckle at other teams for making--which honestly I don't get. Smith is being paid in the ballpark of a top TE, but he's 25 and very good. Goodcheaux is likewise making reasonable money but is again getting paid roughly market for a solid DT and, again, is in his prime.
On his Twitter page, the guy calls himself "A run 'n' gun gangster in a sad, restless age."

Guys like that immediately head to the clown category
 

Eck'sSneakyCheese

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First two Pats signings are from Tennessee (Vrabel) and Miami (Flores). Already traded with Houston (Ceasario). Who else we got out there?
 

Mooch

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Meanwhile, the Pats most likely still have north of $30M in cap space for next year depending on how the Smith and Godchaux deals are structured. They are far from done.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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On his Twitter page, the guy calls himself "A run 'n' gun gangster in a sad, restless age."

Guys like that immediately head to the clown category
Normally, yup. He does get a free pass from me though. Here is an old quote from him regarding the Deflategate:

"Deflategate is just a fat pearl of sour grapes and anti-Patriots sentiment layered around a sand grain of an incident."
 

Jungleland

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Crossing my fingers for Marvin Jones. I think Samuel might be prohibitively expensive and Jones appeared to have a ton left in the tank stepping in for Golladay last year. Not thrilled looking at the FA WR options, but if Jones can be had for middle of the pack $$ he'd be a perfect pickup.
 

Shelterdog

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Just a lazy tweet to get reactions.
I think that's right. It kind of looks like slight overpays but for very productive talents--and at two positions where salaries are actually pretty low (TEs are so much cheaper than WRs; DTs so much less expensive than DEs). Decent moves for good system fits and if you kind of flop in the draft a couple years in a row you have to pay market to get talent.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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To me the only moves that actually would fit the description (moves NE would normally chuckle at) are the massive, market re-setting deals for splash players/positions that prohibit a team from filling out a roster and where you'll expect to be paying for past performance in the later years of the deal.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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To me the only moves that actually would fit the description (moves NE would normally chuckle at) are the massive, market re-setting deals for splash players/positions that prohibit a team from filling out a roster and where you'll expect to be paying for past performance in the later years of the deal.
I was thinking about this (without having seen your post) as I was finishing a walk (thumbs were too numb to type a response). Something like Leveon Bell would be a "laugh at" contract, which pretty much encapsulates your description.
 

RorschachsMask

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I was just about to post that I want Matt Judon, and then saw the post above.

Please get him here, would be an awesome signing.