The Official ES 2021 Free Agency Thread / Tracker Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, William Jackson, LB Mayo, C Larsen WR Humphries, CB D. Roberts, KR D. Carter , LT Charles Leno, S Bobby McCain signed

[seantaylor=god]

2 hours ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

 

 

McLaurin + Samuel, however, is still a potent 1-2 punch and Samuel knows the offense well and is a playmaker. You probably save $$ on Samuel, which can be used to keep McLaurin long-term and build around those 2.

I’m with you on this. Also, if we don’t overpay for top tier WR we have some flexibility to go after a possible WR cap casualty to come compete with Harmon, AGG, etc.

 

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-spielberger-projecting-2021-nfl-cap-casualties

 

[Burgundy Yoda]

Welp. Onto Jayon Brown?

 

[DWinzit]

9 minutes ago, Burgundy Yoda said:

Welp. Onto Jayon Brown?

 

Noooo

Luckily Arians doesn't write the checks and they definitively are going to need to let go of some of their talent.

Jayon was already supposed to sign with us right    haha

[skinsfan66]

Orlando Brown Jr. wants to be traded to a team that will start him at left tackle. Stanley comes back with huge contract at left tackle. He does not want to return to Right side. 2 time pro

bowler, what would you give up for him?

[markmills67]

4 minutes ago, skinsfan66 said:

Orlando Brown Jr. wants to be traded to a team that will start him at left tackle. Stanley comes back with huge contract at left tackle. He does not want to return to Right side. 2 time pro

bowler, what would you give up for him?

2nd round pick 

[DWinzit]

4 minutes ago, markmills67 said:

2nd round pick 

I think he only has one year left on his contract. If you are giving away a 1 or 2 I would make sure you can extend him

Edited February 10, 2021 by DWinzit

[skinsfan66]

I would give next years 1 and maybe a third this year, something like that.

[Koolblue13]

Maybe we sign a QB if Smith retires. Doubt we over pay for a WR in FA.

 

FA LB and FS will be deep and Rich. This years so odd because of covid and us hitting the playoffs. 

 

Im sitting it mostly out this year. Rely on the draft. Play core football next year and really get to know our identity and invest from there.

 

I still think Winston is a FA target and I think Book in the draft. 3rd round QB should be the first selection of that tier.

[Dexter]

2 hours ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

Re: WR, here's my thinking.

 

We are all super distracted by the "shiny toys" that could be on the market. Lots of quality talent at WR. Signing Golladay, Robinson, Godwin, etc. would propel us into a top tier WR group. But we have a stud in McLaurin and a lot of young talent already in the group. I'm not quite ready to bail on Harmon/AGG ... so I'm probably hitting a mid-tier WR in free agency (Curtis Samuel, Corey Davis) and using a 2nd or 3rd on another WR. IMO that's the smartest/safest path to building a well-rounded unit.

 

McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, AGG, Harmon + a 2nd or 3rd round WR would be a decent, young, high upside unit and the resources/costs of that group would remain relatively low. You'd probably have all 6 of your rostered WRs under contract for the price of one of the premier FA WRs.

 

I guess my thinking is ... McLaurin + Robinson/Godwin/Golladay would be a Top 5 WR duo. BUT, why would we go invest in that without a proven option at QB to get them the ball?

 

McLaurin + Samuel, however, is still a potent 1-2 punch and Samuel knows the offense well and is a playmaker. You probably save $$ on Samuel, which can be used to keep McLaurin long-term and build around those 2.

I like your thinking.....I too don't want the shiny new toy when we already have one in McLaurin.  Plus, we need to set aside money to sign proven scheme fits that we have on this team.

 

I like also like a mid-level guy like Samuel too.  I think he's elusive and has a lot of position versatility.  If Samuel doesn't pan out I would shoot for John Ross.

 

Ross could really open up the run game with his speed and Curtis opens up everything.  Also, call me crazy but Isaiah Wright is another player who could be a poor man's Samuel.  I think he played really well considering we didn't have the preseason.

 

 

[Dexter]

2 hours ago, skinsfan66 said:

Orlando Brown Jr. wants to be traded to a team that will start him at left tackle. Stanley comes back with huge contract at left tackle. He does not want to return to Right side. 2 time pro

bowler, what would you give up for him?

I don't know about Brown....our lineman have been position versatile since Callahan was here.  Not sure if Brown is the type of character guy we are wanting on the squad.  He plays for one of the best teams in the league and wants to be traded?  Hard pass especially since his contract would expire after this year.

[Skins199021]

If we sign Corey Davis, Jayon Brown, and Justin Simmons and bring Scherff back. That is my perfect offseason.

 

Draft LT and then best available rounds 1 and 2

[ClaytoAli]

1 hour ago, Dexter said:

I don't know about Brown....our lineman have been position versatile since Callahan was here.  Not sure if Brown is the type of character guy we are wanting on the squad.  He plays for one of the best teams in the league and wants to be traded?  Hard pass especially since his contract would expire after this year.

He wants to be traded because he knows the Ravens will make him move back to right tackle when Staley comes back and he wants to honor his dad by playing left tackle. They’ve allowed him to seek a trade.

Edited February 11, 2021 by ClaytoAli

[Warhead36]

39 minutes ago, ClaytoAli said:

He wants to be traded because he knows the Ravens will make him move back to right tackle when Staley comes back and he wants to honor his dad by playing left tackle. They’ve allowed him to seek a trade.

Has nothing to do with honoring his dad. He wants to play LT because when he hits FA LTs get paid a lot more. Nothing wrong with wanting money to be honest, he's a hell of a player and I'd definitely consider trading for him.

[CommDownMan]

47 minutes ago, Skins199021 said:

If we sign Corey Davis, Jayon Brown, and Justin Simmons and bring Scherff back. That is my perfect offseason.

 

Draft LT and then best available rounds 1 and 2

 

David for Davis was my primary, but it makes a lot of sense based on what David is saying.

 

[duffy]

2 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

Has nothing to do with honoring his dad. He wants to play LT because when he hits FA LTs get paid a lot more. Nothing wrong with wanting money to be honest, he's a hell of a player and I'd definitely consider trading for him.

I've been seriously hoping we make a move for Baby Zeus ever since his "I'm a Left Tackle" message. I wouldn't send a 1st because his contract is nearly up, but a 2nd would be fair. He's proven his value in this league. He's more of a sure thing than a draft pick. The Ravens are in need of DL. I wonder if we could create a deal using a player like Settle or Ioannidis?? 

Edited February 11, 2021 by duffy

[CommDownMan]

1 hour ago, duffy said:

I've been seriously hoping we make a move for Baby Zeus ever since his "I'm a Left Tackle" message. I wouldn't send a 1st because his contract is nearly up, but a 2nd would be fair. He's proven his value in this league. He's more of a sure thing than a draft pick. The Ravens are in need of DL. I wonder if we could create a deal using a player like Settle or Ioannidis?? 

 

Maybe to lower pick ask, but a starting LT for a backup DT doesn't seem even.

[skinny21]

1 hour ago, duffy said:

I've been seriously hoping we make a move for Baby Zeus ever since his "I'm a Left Tackle" message. I wouldn't send a 1st because his contract is nearly up, but a 2nd would be fair. He's proven his value in this league. He's more of a sure thing than a draft pick. The Ravens are in need of DL. I wonder if we could create a deal using a player like Settle or Ioannidis?? 

No idea how the league views Ioannidis, but his pass rushing has been near top of the league for DTs (when he’s played) if I remember correctly?  2 years on his deal vs 1 for Brown, though I’m assuming Io is making more than him this year at least.

 

IMO, I’d love to add a good LT - I think our ground game was a bit shaky - but I don’t love the idea of paying substantial contracts to 4 linemen at once (even though this year the hit shouldn’t be so bad with Roullier’s smaller figure).  That’s assuming we re-sign Scherff of course.

I think I’d rather try to draft a guy that can compete with Lucas and hopefully earn the starting job at a far lesser cost than Brown, and hold onto Io to see what he can do with this crew.  It’s an interesting thought.  Part of the calculus might depend on what happens on the qb front - if we are trying to trade up, we might need to hold onto draft picks, but if we land a good one, we might be more interested in adding a good LT.  Hmm...

[JamesMadisonSkins]

@skinny21 Roullier, Scherff, Moses on substantial deals is a lot. Now Moses is entering his final year and can probably be extended to lower some of the potential cap, but he’s still a $8-10m APY contract which is solid for a RT. Plus he’s aging. We struck gold with Lucas but the prudent move is to draft the LT in R1 or R2 and keep the unit cost fairly low. 
 

Schweitzer and Lucas are on very affordable deals but once Lucas is up after this year and Wes after 2022 you’ll want to have some rookie contracts in place to fill back in. Charles could easily be the future LG, LT or RT. Ismael could slide into LG as well with Roullier locked in at C. But still think prudent move is to draft an LT this year to keep costs down. 

[skinny21]

2 hours ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

@skinny21 Roullier, Scherff, Moses on substantial deals is a lot. Now Moses is entering his final year and can probably be extended to lower some of the potential cap, but he’s still a $8-10m APY contract which is solid for a RT. Plus he’s aging. We struck gold with Lucas but the prudent move is to draft the LT in R1 or R2 and keep the unit cost fairly low. 
 

Schweitzer and Lucas are on very affordable deals but once Lucas is up after this year and Wes after 2022 you’ll want to have some rookie contracts in place to fill back in. Charles could easily be the future LG, LT or RT. Ismael could slide into LG as well with Roullier locked in at C. But still think prudent move is to draft an LT this year to keep costs down. 

Ah, for some reason I thought Moses had more years on his contract.  That actually makes me more interested in looking into Brown.  Not saying it’s the right move for us, but I’d feel a lot better about the oline in 2022 and beyond if we had a high end LT (along with RG/C) in place.  Prudent move is probably adding youth/depth/competition over the next couple years while search for a quality qb.  Also think trading up for a qb is a serious consideration, which would almost certainly prohibit a big trade for Brown.

[Est.1974]

Moses is under contract through 2022.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

18 minutes ago, skinny21 said:

Ah, for some reason I thought Moses had more years on his contract.  That actually makes me more interested in looking into Brown.  Not saying it’s the right move for us, but I’d feel a lot better about the oline in 2022 and beyond if we had a high end LT (along with RG/C) in place.  Prudent move is probably adding youth/depth/competition over the next couple years while search for a quality qb.  Also think trading up for a qb is a serious consideration, which would almost certainly prohibit a big trade for Brown.

 

You know what, I stand corrected. Moses' deal runs through 2022. But he has only $1.9m guaranteed the next two years so he could be primed for an extension with more guaranteed $$ and some reduced cap hits this and next year (though they are hardly substantial). He's also pushing a little older so it might not make total sense to back up the brinks truck for a 31 year old RT who has been banged up throughout his career (a warrior no doubt, but those might eventually catchup).

 

Anyway, last off-season I had Moses as a sure-fire "cut" option going into this off-season to free-up cap space since he counts $9.5m and would free up $7m if cut this year and $8m next year. But he had an excellent season and really anchored our OL and has proven quite reliable over the years, so I feel pretty good about keeping him around.

[CommDownMan]

5 minutes ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

 

You know what, I stand corrected. Moses' deal runs through 2022. But he has only $1.9m guaranteed the next two years so he could be primed for an extension with more guaranteed $$ and some reduced cap hits this and next year (though they are hardly substantial). He's also pushing a little older so it might not make total sense to back up the brinks truck for a 31 year old RT who has been banged up throughout his career (a warrior no doubt, but those might eventually catchup).

 

Anyway, last off-season I had Moses as a sure-fire "cut" option going into this off-season to free-up cap space since he counts $9.5m and would free up $7m if cut this year and $8m next year. But he had an excellent season and really anchored our OL and has proven quite reliable over the years, so I feel pretty good about keeping him around.

 

Yeah, dead money almost completely gone.  7.7 mill in 2022 is pretty small considering a lot of these OL contracts we are seeing. 

[Ball Security]

1 minute ago, jsharrin55 said:

 

Yeah, dead money almost completely gone.  7.7 mill in 2022 is pretty small considering a lot of these OL contracts we are seeing. 

I think Moses is firmly in the camp of “taking care of our own” that RR references.

[Est.1974]

27 minutes ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

 

You know what, I stand corrected. Moses' deal runs through 2022. But he has only $1.9m guaranteed the next two years so he could be primed for an extension with more guaranteed $$ and some reduced cap hits this and next year (though they are hardly substantial). He's also pushing a little older so it might not make total sense to back up the brinks truck for a 31 year old RT who has been banged up throughout his career (a warrior no doubt, but those might eventually catchup).

 

Anyway, last off-season I had Moses as a sure-fire "cut" option going into this off-season to free-up cap space since he counts $9.5m and would free up $7m if cut this year and $8m next year. But he had an excellent season and really anchored our OL and has proven quite reliable over the years, so I feel pretty good about keeping him around.

I don’t think he’s guaranteed anything, that 1.9mil is the pro-rated allocation of a previous signing bonus, so it’s a hit to the cap but not cash.

 

In terms of his salary, i said a while back that I think he could be a candidate for a marginal contract extension/restructure. Maybe an extra year, convert some salary to bonus and drop that 2021 cap hit by 2-3mil.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

2 minutes ago, UK SKINS FAN 74 said:

I don’t think he’s guaranteed anything, that 1.9mil is the pro-rated allocation of a previous signing bonus, so it’s a hit to the cap but not cash.

 

In terms of his salary, i said a while back that I think he could be a candidate for a marginal contract extension/restructure. Maybe an extra year, convert some salary to bonus and drop that 2021 cap hit by 2-3mil.

 

Yeah, that makes sense. And he's "Only 30" ... his contract runs through his age 31 season. He has been pretty resilient to overcome the injuries and while those might catch up with him at some point, I don't see any reason to be concerned with an extension through 2024 even. That would put him at 33, and if you draft well and have a solid swing-tackle on the roster you can overcome some hiccups along the way.

 

Hypothetically, if we were to draft an OT in Rounds 1-3 I would expect that between that player and Saahdiq Charles, you have two young Tackles to groom. Whoever is the best ends up at LT after Lucas' contract runs out after this year (or overtakes him if they beat them out in camp) ... and then the other one ends up being a high-end backup at either LT or RT. Which gives you some luxury to keep someone like Moses around a bit longer.

 

Hell, Moses has only improved the last couple of years, so there's no reason to think he can't play at a high level until he's 33 and beyond. We are seeing tackles play well into their late 30's .... of course my concern with Moses is his injury past will catch up with him and wear him down sooner rather than later, but I can't see that being any time in the next 2-3 years.