NFL 2012-2013 Post-Super Bowl Offseason Thread

garion wins the internet today.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
EvilDead wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

Brady took an extremely team friendly deal. This most likely means Welker will be a Patriot next year as well as a few other big name free agents.

When your wife makes as much as Gisele does, it's not like a lower salary is exactly going to crimp his lifestyle, you know?

Hah. Between Gisele, Under Armour, and Uggs I don't think there will be any financial problems in the near or distant future.

Having watched the 30 for 30 film "Greed" not too long ago, which pointed out that something like 80% of all players (can't recall the exact %) are bankrupt within a few years of retiring because they never learned to budget and can't conceive of the money train no longer rolling in, I can understand why most players don't take lower salaries; they're trying to save for their future, or trying to get more now. With Brady, it's not a concern. He's made loads of money, he's going to make loads more (he pretty clearly has a media future ahead of him if he wants), and his wife is freaking loaded. 30 years from now, he's not going to say "boy, I wish I had another $20 million nearly as much as he's going to think about Super Bowls he could have won. So, good for him and good for the Patriots.

And no, I don't think there are any side deals with Kraft regarding getting paid under the table in violation of league rules. Brady's a hyper-competitive guy who's trying to ensure a legacy by winning one more crown.

We also haven't seen the details of the deal yet. They gave him a $3 million signing bonus, and if they made most of his next two years fully guaranteed at the same value, that would lower his cap number significantly without him sacrificing any money over the next two years. The new 3 years may be lower, but they can always renegotiate in 2 years when the low salaries come home.

So basically, they may have paid him $3 extra million this year to lower his cap space by $5ish over the next 2 years.

The rumor is that there is 7-8 million more cap space open for each of the next two years (A total of 15 mil).

Edit: Just found some more specifics on the deal.

garion333 wrote:

Was ... was Legion joking?

Yes. Childhood me still has a hard time acknowledging that the Montana thing happened.

The Chiefs were free to have Bono, though. (And Grbac for that matter)

Jolly Bill wrote:

Yeah, someone made bold predictions about that months ago, and was proven correct I think, and I was hoping to see gloating / commentary.

Oh yeah, that was me!

Sorry, power was out at my place all yesterday afternoon and evening, I'm behind on Internet.

My prediction is that he will run a slow 40 at the Combine - 4.80 - and that, plus the Alabama game film, the failure to show up to Mobile and participate in the Senior Bowl, and all this drama, will set him up for a long slide down the board. He will be scrambling to produce a better 40 at his Pro Day.

His official time was 4.82.

That's going to make him a hard sell. How do you invest highly in slow linebackers when not only are the tight ends they have to run with are getting faster, but now speedy quarterbacks are running the read option? How is Te'o going to contain an RG3 or Kaepernick running around the outside?

Te'o might fit best in a 3-4 defense, where he operates in a smaller area.

His Pro Day time is going to be critical. Chad Greenway ran slow at the Combine too - 4.76 - but he later ran a 4.54 at the Iowa Pro Day. Although I don't expect the same from Te'o. Greenway ran poorly in Indianapolis but he's not really that slow. I think Te'o is that slow.

Patriots willing to trade Ryan Mallett, but they want more than a 3rd round pick in return.

I say, give it to them. I would rather trade a 2nd round pick for Mallett than invest a 1st round pick for the passers at the top of this draft.

So where do we sign Brady up for saint hood for taking a 'pay cut' /sarcasm

While Tom Brady's contract extension lowers his average base salary and creates significant salary-cap space for the New England Patriots to surround him with a team capable of challenging for a Super Bowl, the quarterback also nearly doubled the guaranteed money owed him over the next five seasons, according to a league source who has reviewed the documents.

Oh. Never mind.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/ron-rivera-hints-panthers-will-look-for-a-receiver-in-free-agency/

Carolina Panthers. Figuring out you need multiple receivers not multiple running backs.

What I most recently read on PFT is that they wrote him a check for $30,000,000 and his base salaries for the next two years are $1 and $2 million.

*Legion* wrote:

Patriots willing to trade Ryan Mallett, but they want more than a 3rd round pick in return.

I say, give it to them. I would rather trade a 2nd round pick for Mallett than invest a 1st round pick for the passers at the top of this draft.

Do you think it's more of the Patriots being unimpressed with Mallet, or the Patriots reading the market?

Also heard something on the radio about the new salary cap rules. Something about Brady's new contract actually lowered the average by 800k or something?

Didn't quite catch it all. But sounded like the cap for the position can only be so far above the average pay? And his lower salary brought that down for everyone, so he kind of screwed the rest of the QBs.

S0LIDARITY wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Patriots willing to trade Ryan Mallett, but they want more than a 3rd round pick in return.

I say, give it to them. I would rather trade a 2nd round pick for Mallett than invest a 1st round pick for the passers at the top of this draft.

Do you think it's more of the Patriots being unimpressed with Mallet, or the Patriots reading the market?

It's New England reading the market. They would be happy to keep Mallett, but he has value. And they just extended their starting QB. Mallett will be entering his 30s before Brady's deal is up.

It's like Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck in Green Bay. Brett Favre maintained his level of play, so the team traded away those guys to start elsewhere, while they still had trade value (in other words, while they were still under contract).

New England isn't trading Mallett if the price isn't right. They'll flip him for a profit if a team is willing to buy him as a potential starter. If not, they'll keep him. I think they like Mallett, but it's all a matter of timing. With Brady's timeline extended, they'll move Mallett now and go hunting for a developmental QB in another couple of years.

I also think they didn't intend to draft Mallett. I think when they saw him slide to the 3rd round, he was just too good of value to leave on the board.

Stele wrote:

Also heard something on the radio about the new salary cap rules. Something about Brady's new contract actually lowered the average by 800k or something?

Didn't quite catch it all. But sounded like the cap for the position can only be so far above the average pay? And his lower salary brought that down for everyone, so he kind of screwed the rest of the QBs.

It has to do with the Franchise Tag, and the Exclusive Franchise Tag. It's the average of the salary cap number for the top 5 players at your position. Brady was in the top 5 (#2?) and by restructuring, he's not anymore, and the new average is lower by $800,000.

Basically, the Patriots may have saved the Ravens $800,000 by not waiting until next week when the Franchise tag numbers are locked in (although there is discussion that the Ravens may not use the Exclusive Franchise Tag on Flacco).

kaostheory wrote:

Basically, the Patriots may have saved the Ravens $800,000 by not waiting until next week when the Franchise tag numbers are locked in (although there is discussion that the Ravens may not use the Exclusive Franchise Tag on Flacco).

Or you could say Brady can't beat Flacco on the field so hit him in the pocket book.

Spin, baby! :p

jowner wrote:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/ron-rivera-hints-panthers-will-look-for-a-receiver-in-free-agency/

Carolina Panthers. Figuring out you need multiple receivers not multiple running backs.

Ha, ha. This isn't exactly a news flash. Carolina has been picking up WRs and TEs at a pretty good clip now. Problem is, none of them except Greg Olsen (trade in 2011) can play. Brandon LaFell (drafted 2010) might turn into a decent No. 2 guy at some point, but he has been slow to develop. David Gettis (also drafted in 2010) shredded his knee in 2011 and his hamstring in 2012.

Louis Murphy (FA in 2012) and Legadu Naanee (FA in 2011) didn't really do much.

I'm really hoping Dave Gettleman picks up some more RBs. The Panthers have only three good ones.

Louis Murphy has been a disappointment. He kept flashing ability in Oakland and never could put it together consistently.

Cam really needs another serious target.

*Legion* wrote:
S0LIDARITY wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Patriots willing to trade Ryan Mallett, but they want more than a 3rd round pick in return.

I say, give it to them. I would rather trade a 2nd round pick for Mallett than invest a 1st round pick for the passers at the top of this draft.

Do you think it's more of the Patriots being unimpressed with Mallet, or the Patriots reading the market?

It's New England reading the market. They would be happy to keep Mallett, but he has value. And they just extended their starting QB. Mallett will be entering his 30s before Brady's deal is up.

It's like Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck in Green Bay. Brett Favre maintained his level of play, so the team traded away those guys to start elsewhere, while they still had trade value (in other words, while they were still under contract).

New England isn't trading Mallett if the price isn't right. They'll flip him for a profit if a team is willing to buy him as a potential starter. If not, they'll keep him. I think they like Mallett, but it's all a matter of timing. With Brady's timeline extended, they'll move Mallett now and go hunting for a developmental QB in another couple of years.

I also think they didn't intend to draft Mallett. I think when they saw him slide to the 3rd round, he was just too good of value to leave on the board.

Mallett probably hopes so too. I can't imagine he wants to sit around in NE being Brady's backup forever.

*Legion* wrote:

Louis Murphy has been a disappointment. He kept flashing ability in Oakland and never could put it together consistently.

That happens when you constantly get hurt by just looking at your pads.

*Legion* wrote:

Louis Murphy has been a disappointment. He kept flashing ability in Oakland and never could put it together consistently.

Cam really needs another serious target.

Been that way for years, though; it's been Steve Smith and "that guy who can't replace Mushin Muhammad".

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Been that way for years, though; it's been Steve Smith and "that guy who can't replace Mushin Muhammad".

Yep. Carolina is lucky Steve Smith is (a) good and (b) durable (mostly). Even so, Smith is losing more steps than he's gaining, and finding a good No. 2/replacing him has got to be atop the Panthers' to do list.

Or Mike Tolbert can catch more passes. He has two more than Murphy.

FWIW, the name being tossed around (maybe for a lack of any other available names?) is Mike Wallace of the Steelers.

Enix wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Been that way for years, though; it's been Steve Smith and "that guy who can't replace Mushin Muhammad".

Yep. Carolina is lucky Steve Smith is (a) good and (b) durable (mostly). Even so, Smith is losing more steps than he's gaining, and finding a good No. 2/replacing him has got to be atop the Panthers' to do list.

Or Mike Tolbert can catch more passes. He has two more than Murphy.

FWIW, the name being tossed around (maybe for a lack of any other available names?) is Mike Wallace of the Steelers.

Wallace is being tossed around for lots of teams, though, so wherever he goes, it's going to be someplace that can afford to spend a lot of money. In other words, not Carolina. They're pretty gimped cap-wise and have a number of needs, so not sure how they'll be able to spend big on WRs.

Steve Smith is the official opposing team "I hate that guy but I love that guy" NFC South player. There is no way a guy that small should be able to be the only viable receiving threat on a team, and yet year after year just pile up the numbers. 5'9" tall, 33, and still puts up 16+ yards a catch. Little bastard.

He's only 33? Seems like he's been around longer.

Steven Jackson voided the final year of the contract. Where's he headed? My guess: Patriots, if they have the money. It's where all the old people go to try and find glory.

garion333 wrote:

Steven Jackson voided the final year of the contract. Where's he headed? My guess: Patriots, if they have the money. It's where all the old people go to try and find glory.

Pats have a couple of good young backs, so he doesn't really fit a need. PFT was speculating Atlanta, which makes sense for a number of reasons.

EvilDead wrote:

Mallett probably hopes so too. I can't imagine he wants to sit around in NE being Brady's backup forever.

No doubt.

New England has been a good thing for him. Two years ago, he was a 1st round talent with late-round maturity. Two years of coming to work every day in Bill Belichick's building, never once having an issue, and even ascending past Brian Hoyer on the depth chart, speaks very strongly in favor of Mallett.

If the cost is a 2nd round pick, and I'm a QB-needy team, I would be happy to make that move. There are no guarantees, but that's a good talent buy for the cost of a 2nd. It's a lot better buy than people are going to find with late 1st round picks.

This is the kind of draft that makes 1st round picks out of J.P. Losman, Patrick Ramsey, and Kyle Boller. The QB poor drafts where desperate teams make a reach.

There's a lot of 2nd and 3rd round caliber QBs in this draft, and some of those guys may ultimately end up being good, but the whole class is going to get overdrafted.

garion333 wrote:

Steven Jackson voided the final year of the contract. Where's he headed? My guess: Patriots, if they have the money. It's where all the old people go to try and find glory.

I think Atlanta and Green Bay are the likely candidates. Teams looking for a push over the top.

Dark horse candidate: New York Giants. Bradshaw is an outgoing free agent, and David Wilson hasn't exactly inspired Coughlin's confidence. SJax could start there with Wilson as the rotational back.

It's also possible that a less competitive team comes in with the biggest contract offer. SJax seems to be interested in going to a contender, but we'll see if that holds in the face of a lesser team offering a big contract.

EDIT: Another dark horse candidate: Indianapolis, who have quickly found themselves competitive again, but with an uninspired RB situation, and lots of cap room. Ballard can be a rotational guy, and Donald Brown can just be cut.

"Asomugha ate in car" is a very confusing headline.

From those explanations I kinda like Indy Legion.

Where are Indy on the rebuilding map though? They just cut Freeney. No clue how effective he was last year especially weighed vs his salary but hardly sounds like they are near contention or willing to throw money around.

In the bleak realization of the RB market I think he ends up taking the money when no 'contender' ponies up the cash.

I would love to see him as a Packer but thats just me dreaming hes still a great back. If anything he catches some injuries and on the decline.

jowner wrote:

Where are Indy on the rebuilding map though? They just cut Freeney. No clue how effective he was last year especially weighed vs his salary but hardly sounds like they are near contention or willing to throw money around.

They cut Dwight Freeney because his sack stats look like this:
2009: 13.5
2010: 10.0
2011: 8.5
2012: 5.0

He is both in decline and has no place in the 3-4 that the Colts now run.

Indy is a team coming off an 11-5 record with about $44 million of free cap space. They're not cutting anyone for cap reasons, they're cutting dudes they don't want around anymore. And they've got cash to spend on replacements, to build a team around their shiny new franchise QB.

As a Jaguar fan, the last paragraph made me physically ill.