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

[DWinzit]

3 hours ago, mudhog said:

I don't see why this is not obvious to so many here. Brevin Jordan was arguably the 3rd best TE in the draft after Pitts and Freiermuth, according to many draft gurus. Many on here had him in their top 5 TEs along with Long and Tremble. 
 

Now, considering our greatest needs going into the draft (LT, LB, TE, WR, FS, etc...), and where to take BPA to fit our needs, it would probably play out that in RD1 and 2 we would address LB and LT. Which we did. And, that would make the 3rd round picks the sweet spot for a TE. 

Hunter Long was taken the pick before our first 3rd round pick, and Tommy Tremble was still available after our second 3rd rounder. Brevin Jordan was still available when we picked Bates in the 4th.

We could have had any of these TEs after Pitts and Freiermuth, but we picked Bates because of his skillset and intangibles. It was stated by one of our coaches that after the Dyami Brown pick, Brevin Jordan would be 'more of the same'. We wanted an in-line TE that could and would block, as well as run and catch. It took MANY years for Ertz to become a willing and decent blocker. We picked a kid who is willing to do it now and is pretty good at it. 

I would even add without seeing him do it, that Sammis Reyes will be a good blocker while he learns his route tree.

I am thrilled they decided to go with a TE that blocks well along with being athletic enough to get open and catch. Reports had lead be to believe they wanted more of a pass catching type which what fueled the Jordan and Long interest. As it turns out all of the NFL teams felt he is probably too slow to translate well in the pro's.

 

Long was actually selected after our first 3rd round selection. I was certain they were going to announce Tremble or Long when St-Juste was announced. I was quite shocked but understood they DB's were flying off the board and they set the premium there. Same thing at 19, I was all excited to hear Trembles name but no....Brown and more of a a premium placed on an outside speed threat. They may have felt Tremble wasn't ready to play right away but damn is he laded with talent.

 

Thank goodness Bates was there in the 4th because the shelves were kind of bare after that. 

[Skinsinparadise]

Standig defending Rivera.  I agree

 

 

[kingdaddy]

8 hours ago, PartyPosse said:

Dunno. Ertz had one superstar season but really he just always felt like a good player on the cusp of some Gates/Kelce numbers. 

Ertz will likely be released by the Eagles on June 1st making him a free agent. I'd expect him to go to Indy to reunite with Wentz and Frank Reich but I hope we at least put a call into him.  The more weapons for Fitz the better and Ertz is a proven TE if healthy.  

[kingdaddy]

55 minutes ago, DWinzit said:

I am thrilled they decided to go with a TE that blocks well along with being athletic enough to get open and catch. Reports had lead be to believe they wanted more of a pass catching type which what fueled the Jordan and Long interest. As it turns out all of the NFL teams felt he is probably too slow to translate well in the pro's.

 

Long was actually selected after our first 3rd round selection. I was certain they were going to announce Tremble or Long when St-Juste was announced. I was quite shocked but understood they DB's were flying off the board and they set the premium there. Same thing at 19, I was all excited to hear Trembles name but no....Brown and more of a a premium placed on an outside speed threat. They may have felt Tremble wasn't ready to play right away but damn is he laded with talent.

 

Thank goodness Bates was there in the 4th because the shelves were kind of bare after that. 

Makes me wonder if Bates was who they were targeting all along or if they were just as comfortable with Bates as they were with the other guys you mentioned? 

I still can't believe we have Fitzmagic. 

[CommanderInTheRye]

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2943288-power-ranking-every-nfl-defense-after-the-2021-draft

 

 

2020 Points-Allowed Rank: No. 4

2020 Yards-Allowed Rank: No. 2

The Washington Football Team parlayed one of the best defensive performances of the 2020 campaign into a surprise run to the NFC East title. They should be even better this year thanks to some shrewd moves in the draft and on the open market.

 

No player will have more of an impact on this defense than Jamin Davis, the linebacker prospect that the club picked up at No. 19 overall. Davis will thrive behind Washington’s loaded defensive line, possessing the speed to get sideline to sideline swiftly and surge through holes to disrupt in the backfield. Third-round cornerback Benjamin St-Juste should see a good amount of snaps as a rookie as well.

The Football Team didn’t make too much noise in free agency, but signing cornerback William Jackson will offset the loss of Ronald Darby. The club didn't need to make any further big-money signings following a fantastic year on defense.

 

While it doesn't help that Washington still doesn't have a franchise quarterback, acquiring the timeless Ryan Fitzpatrick to manage the game and make enough plays to keep the defense well-rested will be a boon in 2021.

Edited May 20, 2021 by TrancesWithWolves

[Burgold]

57 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Standig defending Rivera.  I agree

I do, too. Thing is, you can't let yourself be held hostage by good nor can you let yourself be held hostage by sentiment (GIbbs in the glory days did, but there is a difference in being sentimental about players who won you Super Bowls and what we have presently.)

 

Moses is good. Kerrigan was very good. When we need to move on it will be sad for fans, teammates and coaches, but we will all move on. If we didn't... we'd still be talking about a 65-year old Donnie Warren's value as a blocking tight end (Don't get me wrong. I think Donnie could still hold down his roster spot and Darrell Green would still be one of the fastest corners in the league.)

 

Note: I didn't realize it, but Don Warren is still with the team! He rejoined as a senior scout in 2020. Belated welcome back Donnie!

Edited May 20, 2021 by Burgold

[JamesMadisonSkins]

7 hours ago, Fresh8686 said:

It was interesting to hear on John Keims podcast that Leno is seen as being the guy at the Left Tackle spot and Cosmi is seen as a 1st rounder they got in the 2nd who will be playing right away. That’s what’s pushing Moses out the door according to him. What they saw in camp reaffirmed what they saw on tape and Matsko has gotta be confident in what he can teach by week 1. 
 

Should be an interesting ride. 

Mock drafts are notoriously hit or miss but there were many that had Cosmi in the 20’s but the tackle run never fully matriculated. But I know there were many who were high on Cosmi so the 1st round part doesn’t surprise me. Happy to hear we were so high on him. 

[Skinsinparadise]

Was listening to Keim's recent podcast this morning.  He mentioned they made offers to Scherff two years in a row and they were turned down.  He said he's not plugged into the Scherff negotiations so he's not sure what's going on but he feels like the writing is on the wall as for him not likely being here next year.  He said he heard Scherff is crushed about the Moses news.  The two were close.  But he doesn't think that impacts things with him but he said it in a way because he doesn't expect Scherff to be back anyway but then said stranger things have happened.

 

Nothing too revealing in any of this.  This seems to be a repeat of the Kirk negotiations in some sense as for the double tag with the exception that from what's been said Scherff was actually offered a contract this year that would have made him the highest paid guard in the league yet he turned it down.  Wonder what's up with that?  The other difference with this from Kirk to me is I think Scherff is risking things much more for himself by doing the year to year thing.  QBs last a long time these days.  The guard position is more injury prone.  We've seen some top guards go from being highly paid to paid peanuts in a quick span of time.  Scherff will be turning 30 this year.  Granted I don't know what the guaranteed money was in their offer but if it was anything decent, not sure I'd be turning down contract offers that made me the highest paid guard in the league.  But heck its his business.  Will see. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[terpfan]

I have zero interest in bringing Scherff back to be honest. There’s just no chance paying a 30 year old guard 18 mil+ per year ends up being worth it. 

[Koolblue13]

29 minutes ago, terpfan said:

I have zero interest in bringing Scherff back to be honest. There’s just no chance paying a 30 year old guard 18 mil+ per year ends up being worth it. 

I agree. It's been a bad investment from the start and we now have starters and depth to move on from him. If he doesn't want to be a part of our long term plans, don't let the door hit ya.

[Est.1974]

Wouldn’t surprise me if Moses has been advised to push for more money/ a contract extension, especially with Roullier now picking up 10mil per year and Scherff just inside him on 18mil.

 

Moses on a two year 15/16mil deal from here on in isn’t the worst in the world, so to move him on with both Leno and Lucas free agents next year is a bit strange. 
 

Hell maybe we just draft another OT next year and pair the rookie with Cosmi. Rookie contracts at both tackle positions. Might have that anyway unless Charles becomes a clear guard prospect.

[CommDownMan]

10 hours ago, PartyPosse said:

Dunno. Ertz had one superstar season but really he just always felt like a good player on the cusp of some Gates/Kelce numbers. 

 

If you put his stats against the WFT vs his overall numbers, I'd be curious how it would look.  He has had several games where we heard his name after catches over and over.  Maybe that makes us a bit bias.  But I think over the last 10 years lots of TEs have crushed us, so maybe it isn't the players it was our defense...

[Conn]

Hearing that the team really wants to get Allen’s extension done, and then hearing that they haven’t even begun negotiations yet, just reflexively freaks me out due to recent history. I don’t want to franchise tag him (twice lol), I don’t want another Kirk and Scherff. They need to come strong with the guaranteed money and not **** it up. We know it’s going to be a contract that’s probably too large for comfort so just don’t insult the dude and his agent by withholding the guarantees, prove that you can keep these guys home and not play the losing tag game over and over. 

 

I get that Keim says it’s different this time  because Allen is from here and wants to be here...but I don’t want that to be the only way we can re-sign our impending FA’s, them having deep connections to the area.

Edited May 20, 2021 by ConnSKINS26

[wit33]

11 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

I agree. It's been a bad investment from the start and we now have starters and depth to move on from him. If he doesn't want to be a part of our long term plans, don't let the door hit ya.

Played out a rookie contract and was an all-pro on the tag. Not a bad investment.
 

Buckle up, because players leveraging their power in the short term is the new way of doing things. The risk isn’t what it was due to the amount of money 1 season on a tag provides and medical advances. You can come back from any injury outside of a chronic concussion issue, which isn’t a problem for an Olineman. 

 

[skinny21]

As of now, looks like we’ll be going into 2022 with holes at QB, LT (possibly RT instead if Cosmi moves), FS, TE and maybe G (depending on Charles - Sweitzer is serviceable, but a big step down from Scherff).  Of course, we can always try to extend our current guys (I’m writing off Scherff, but Fitz, Leno/Lucas, McCain and Thomas are options), those contracts eat into the cap for our big re-signings though.  There’s the draft, but if we trade up for a qb, it’s going to be hard to fill the other areas with immediate starters.  Going to be an interesting balance/dance these next few years.

 

Speaking of which, I’m curious what the board thinks the ball park will be for our (potential) re-signs:

Allen 

Payne (2023, assuming he plays 2022 on his RO)

McLaurin (2023)

Holcomb (2023)

Thomas (2022) 

Settle (2022, if we re-sign him)

and Sweat/Young (2024/2025, assuming they play on their ROs)

I’m presuming Ioannidis walks in 2023

 

Front loaded contracts might make sense for most of these guys in terms of preparing for Sweat/Young...

 

 

 

I wonder if we see a guy like Hemingway or Yelder earn a spot as a more direct backup to Thomas while Bates stays as the #2.  Particularly if Reyes makes the active roster.  Perhaps Bates can be a #1 TE in a year or two (or at least fill in decently).  Would be pretty awesome if he followed Cooley’s trajectory, but right now, I see him as more of a Logan Paulsen (with better hands though).  Might be problematic to carry 4th TE though, perhaps they PS Hemingway/Yelder/etc.

Edited May 20, 2021 by skinny21

[lovemaskins]

45 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

I agree. It's been a bad investment from the start and we now have starters and depth to move on from him. If he doesn't want to be a part of our long term plans, don't let the door hit ya.

He must want top tackle money.  When you’re an All Pro with his skill set, it wouldn’t surprise me if he and his agent think money along the Trent Williams contract is more aligned with his value, which is absolutely nuts. But he solidifies the interior of an offensive line and is a staple of a nasty front, I’ll hate to see him go, but can’t pay him 20M per.

[Koolblue13]

19 minutes ago, wit33 said:

Played out a rookie contract and was an all-pro on the tag. Not a bad investment.
 

Buckle up, because players leveraging their power in the short term is the new way of doing things. The risk isn’t what it was due to the amount of money 1 season on a tag provides and medical advances. You can come back from any injury outside of a chronic concussion issue, which isn’t a problem for an Olineman. 

 

It wasn't a good investment at 5.

 

He's a great player and I've advocated resigning him, but at 30 it's just not worth it, despite him being one of the leagues best guards. He's no Hutchinson though.

[skinny21]

3 minutes ago, lovemaskins said:

He must want top tackle money.  When you’re an All Pro with his skill set, it wouldn’t surprise me if he and his agent think money along the Trent Williams contract is more aligned with his value, which is absolutely nuts. But he solidifies the interior of an offensive line and is a staple of a nasty front, I’ll hate to see him go, but can’t pay him 20M per.

I’m curious if it is/was more of an Amari Cooper situation - big contract, but too light on guarantees.  And/or maybe a contract length issue?

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

17 minutes ago, skinny21 said:

Speaking of which, I’m curious what the board thinks the ball park will be for our (potential) re-signs:

Allen 

McLaurin (2023)

 

 

Allen should be easier to predict as it's happening (likely) this offseason.  I'm going to take a guess that it's 15-16 a year.

 

I think McLaurin gets 20 million a year.  Harder to predict 2 years out.

 

17 minutes ago, skinny21 said:

and Sweat/Young (2024/2025, assuming they play on their ROs)

 

Way too early to predict...and I almost don't want to think about how expensive.

 

17 minutes ago, skinny21 said:

Front loaded contracts might make sense for most of these guys in terms of preparing for Sweat/Young...

 

 

Unused cap rolls over to the next season.  You don't need to front load.

[lovemaskins]

Just now, skinny21 said:

I’m curious if it is/was more of an Amari Cooper situation - big contract, but too light on guarantees.  And/or maybe a contract length issue?

Makes sense, he does have an injury history now. Agent probably wanted a 5 yr deal avg. 19-21 per, WFT said not no but Hell no, countered with something like 3-4 yrs 16 per (still highest paid guard), Sherff quickly signed franchise tag and thinks I’ll have another all pro caliber year and get 20M from a sucker next year. Can’t blame him, but I’d be furious to see a 4 year 80M contract for a 30yr old oft injured all pro guard, knowing we gotta sign McLaurin Payne Sweat and Logan Thomas in the next 3 yrs. 

[Going Commando]

2 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Standig defending Rivera.  I agree

 

It's a problem that Rivera is getting such comically crappy returns on the good players that were here before he took over though.  He's a bad trader.  And it's also a problem that Scherff's contract situation has gotten so out of hand that it's a foregone conclusion he'll walk heading into an offseason where the cap is supposed to explode and we had plenty of cap space the one before.  Stuff like this is why coaches usually make such bad GMs.  Hopefully the Martins can do a better job of minding the shop moving forward.

[FrFan]

https://www.bearsfansonline.com/forum/search.php?keywords=Charles+Leno&fid[0]=2

[Anselmheifer]

51 minutes ago, lovemaskins said:

Makes sense, he does have an injury history now. Agent probably wanted a 5 yr deal avg. 19-21 per, WFT said not no but Hell no, countered with something like 3-4 yrs 16 per (still highest paid guard), Sherff quickly signed franchise tag and thinks I’ll have another all pro caliber year and get 20M from a sucker next year. Can’t blame him, but I’d be furious to see a 4 year 80M contract for a 30yr old oft injured all pro guard, knowing we gotta sign McLaurin Payne Sweat and Logan Thomas in the next 3 yrs. 

 

Scherff is making a risky play. He’s very injury prone. I would have taken the contract. Wouldn’t be surprised to see injuries lead to him signing a lesser offer next year. 

[goskins10]

1 hour ago, Koolblue13 said:

I agree. It's been a bad investment from the start and we now have starters and depth to move on from him. If he doesn't want to be a part of our long term plans, don't let the door hit ya.

 

I don't agree with the investment part at all. He has played at near a all-pro level since he got here including last year when he was an all-rpo. We have had him 6 yrs with #7 coming. Even including $18M this year, the team with have paid him a total of just under $48M over those 7 yrs - ~$6.9M/yr. That to me is a very good investment. 

 

Where I agree is it time to move him. Either trade him if you can (very difficult unless someone can get him to agree to a deal) or let him walk after this year. This assumes they still cannot get a reasonable LTD done. I believe they franchised him with the expectation of signing him to a LTD. He has refused both offers ala Kirk C. It's a hardball move - which is fine. He gets to do that. But then the team has to move on as the cost per yr will become a bad investment. He is not worth what he is asking. Let someone else pay it. 

[Die Hard]

4 hours ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

Scherff is making a risky play. He’s very injury prone. I would have taken the contract. Wouldn’t be surprised to see injuries lead to him signing a lesser offer next year. 

I was going to say I agree. But Eric Fisher just got almost $10M (1-yr) coming off an Achilles tear and will likely miss some time during the season. That’s not a bad consolation prize.

 

He’s approximately same age as Scherff (30), different position, of course, but not nearly as acclaimed as him. 
 

He’s going to get paid. Just not here. And I’m fine with it, but I would have let him walk this year. If we’re not in our championship window right now, and he won’t be part of it, roll over the money.

Edited May 20, 2021 by Die Hard