The NFL Thread

[Alan]

Ordinarily, huge news.
Right now, just another Texans f**k up.

That’s fair.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Russell Wilson trade rumours. Cowboys and Raiders interested.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

J.J. Watt requested to be released by the Texans - and granted.

 

[Tony Towner]

If they can be creative cap wise, he'll join his brother in Pittsburgh I'd have thought. If I were him I'd try and get a couple of seasons in Kansas City and try and win a ring

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Yes, he really wants to join a contender. May have to take a pay cut (was on $17.5 million this year??) but there will be teams interested.

Surprised the Texans didn't try to trade him, but giving players away for free seems to be how they do business.

 

[Tony Towner]

Wentz to the Colts for a 3 this year and a 2 which could become a 1 next. Chicago offered more, but withdrew when he said he didn't want to play for them. Philly could have forced him to go or retire, but Bears didn't want a player who didn't want to be there. Good o line, good running game, average receivers, won a SB(ish) when the HC was OC, so could work out for him in Indy. 3 and a 2 is about the right price for the risk they are taking they'll only pay the 1st if he plays 75% of snaps or 70% and they make the play offs Statistically only Darnold was a worse QB last season

 

[Dire Wolf]

His dead cap hit for the Eagles is the largest in NFL history apparently, $33.8m!!

 

[Tony Towner]

His dead cap hit for the Eagles is the largest in NFL history apparently, $33.8m!!

But saves $11m in 2022 which was guaranteed if he was there at the start of the 2021 season. The contract was meant to be rescheduled this off season, but his play and attitude made that impossible, so had to go. Roseman the GM should have been fired at the end of the season but seems bombproof

 

[Dire Wolf]

But saves $11m in 2022 which was guaranteed if he was there at the start of the 2021 season. The contract was meant to be rescheduled this off season, but his play and attitude made that impossible, so had to go. Roseman the GM should have been fired at the end of the season but seems bombproof

I listened to a podcast yesterday that said that even if the Eagles wanted to tear things down and do a full blown rebuild, the way so many of their contracts are structured makes it virtually impossible. So if they wanted to trade older veteran players away for draft picks, the dead cap space would be more than what they are actually paying players. I'm not even sure how this is possible, but apparently the Eagles GM has managed to lumber them with impossible to move players. Fletcher Cox for example, is due to get something like $20m, but his dead cap would be $40m! (Those numbers might not be correct, but it was definitely something ridiculous like that). And that was virtually their entire roster.

Edit: I've checked and those numbers are for Lane Johnson not Fletcher Cox.

 

[Deano]

This is a good website to check information relating to cap space - you can also look at what individual players' cap hit is and what the dead money would be - https://overthecap.com

 

[Tony Towner]

I listened to a podcast yesterday that said that even if the Eagles wanted to tear things down and do a full blown rebuild, the way so many of their contracts are structured makes it virtually impossible. So if they wanted to trade older veteran players away for draft picks, the dead cap space would be more than what they are actually paying players. I'm not even sure how this is possible, but apparently the Eagles GM has managed to lumber them with impossible to move players. Fletcher Cox for example, is due to get something like $20m, but his dead cap would be $40m! (Those numbers might not be correct, but it was definitely something ridiculous like that). And that was virtually their entire roster.

Edit: I've checked and those numbers are for Lane Johnson not Fletcher Cox.

The quickest explaination is Roseman keeps drafting badly, so contracts on senior players keep getting restructured, bonus replaces salary, the players get paid the same but the cap gets put into dead years into the future. Another bad draft and you need to do it again this year it'll be Graham and Slay, means your roster continues to get older, but you can't release those players.

Examples of Roseman's drafting is they took Reagar instead of Jefferson last year even though the entire of the NFL knew who the better player was. There's a YouTube clip of the Vikings front office pissing themselves when the pick goes in. The year before they they took JJ Acega Whiteside who has been a healthy scratch on game day for a lot of this season in the 2nd ahead of DK.

The biggest issue with Wentz isn't the initial drafting, lots of teams take a QB at 1 or 2 and have moved them on in 5 years -Goff went ahead of him for example, it's the contract extension which is the killer. Although signed 20 months ago because of the cap situation it's structured to start paying this year, it would have been restructured this off season with the usual bonus instead of salary play, but Wentz regression which was more on him than the coaching, injuries or poor weapons made that impossible. So here we are. Outside of ownership of the 3 big players in the organisation the blame for last year was Roseman, Wentz, Pederson in that order. I'd have binned 2, yet the coach has took the fall for the GM and QB

 

[Tony Towner]

Watt gone to the Cards. Money is good and I presume he is mates with Hopkins, but I thought he'd go to a more sure thing. In what is the strongest division in the NFC you can make a case that they are the weakest team. Finished 3rd this year with the 49ers all injured

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Definitely a surprise. Packers were the bookies favourite, along with Browns and Buffs - all 3 would seem to be more of a contender than the Cardinals.
But Arizona are good enough to make the playoffs, then anything can happen.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Suggestions that Watson to the Bears makes sense for all parties. Especially since the Bears GM needs a QB to save his job.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Dak Prescott finally gets his payday. 4 years, $160 million, with $126 million guaranteed.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Free agency is going to be a bloodbath this year with the reduced cap. Already some big name players look like being on the market. Titans are going to lose Kenny Vaccaro, Malcolm Butler and Jonnu Smith (who is really, really good), Lions losing Kenny Golladay who is also really, really good, Steelers losing Bud Dupree, who yep you guessed it, is really, really good... Chargers losing Hunter Henry, Saints Emmanuel Sanders, etc, etc. The list of available free agents is going to be very long and teams with a lot of cap space are going to get good pretty bloody fast.

 

[Tony Towner]

That's one of the reasons I said the Jags was the most attractive spot of the Head Coach vacancies. If he doesn't stay at the 49ers they can pay Trent Williams whatever he wants.

Teams originally budgeted for a cap $40-$50m higher.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Yeah, the cap is 182.5m instead of 212.5m is what I read. Teams who spent under the cap last year can roll over the underspend to this season, so the cap for some is more than the 182.5m. Eagles are screwed, 182m and 40m of it is tied up in dead cap. They are never going to field a competitive team with so little money available to pay decent players.

 

[Tony Towner]

Eagles issue is just a 2021 one and not 'that' bad - it just means they'll still have Johnson, Cox etc charged against their cap until their 40's. They are clear of Wentz cap wise next year. The pain is getting under the cap, once that happens they will have the 5th highest budget in the NFL with last years rollover. No chance of any decent free agents, but won't lose anyone either - although who would you want would be a fair question. They'll roll with Hurts go 7-10/6-11 pick in the Top half again next year, wouldn't surprise me with if they trade down from 6 this year swapping for a team that wants a QB like Lance or Jones (49ers, Patriots) - pick up a 2022 1st and end up with 3 next year.

 

[big mean bunny]

The teams that spend the most in free agency rarely come out on top though and the cap seems way more easier to manage than we are ever told, as teams always just seem to sort it out.

Some of the players you mentioned won't get the money they think they were going to get I reckon. Jonnu Smith has never broken 500yards and his TDs last year seemed an massive outlier, may be great but he could be this years Austin Hooper. Golladay similar. Decent talent that hasn't quite put everything together hence why Lions arent franchising him as again they could make it work if they really wanted to.

It's going to be interesting, Raiders have shed loads too, cleared to about 35million and that includes Mariota who I still think they will cut, as can make about an extra 11mil through that.