2013 NFL Offseason Thread (Page 2)

Except your totally ignoring the business part of this equation.  Alex Smith is due to make about $8 million in 2013.  Brandon Weeden's rookie contract is worth $8 million over 4 years.

Draft picks are nothing to just throw away.  Even 2nd-5th round picks.  That's where teams find a lot of good talent.  Not every pick works out, but it helps keep teams under the salary cap while affording to pay the few star player on their team.  You've got a 53 man roster you have to pay.  With a $120 million salary cap, that means each player has to average only $2.5 million per year against the cap.  If you have too many "average" players making $8 million per year...you're not going to survive.

At least at the beginning of last year, Smith's contract was 20th out of 32 starting quarterbacks. Not a bad deal for a guy who won't get stuck under the American flag before the game.

He's a beast, I feel bad for him though. I don't think he's been on a winning team in his career. I'd hate for him to go to Pittsburgh and have to experience a losing season again

I bet he goes to GB. Out of all the major playoff contenders, they probably need a good RB the most and they have expressed interest previously.

Can I still hope a miracle happens and he signs for the minimum with SF? Do 2 over-used, broken down backs equal one healthy strong back?

The 49ers need to figure out a long term plan for their backfield. Gore is definitely at the tail end of his career and we don't have anyone right now who can be a feature back.

That is true...but why trade a solid draft pick (2nd or 3rd rounder) for a guy that's marginally better than the guy you currently have, but his salary is 4x higher?  You should also note that the 12 starting QB's that are being paid less than Smith include Newton, Luck, RGIII, and Wilson.

I mean, it wouldn't be the worst trade in the world if Cleveland did it, since we all know that most NFL teams can't make it through a whole season with just one QB...but I don't think Cleveland is ready to give up on Weeden just yet if the alternative is Smith.  Use the extra $8 million and that draft pick to fill some of the other obvious holes in the team.

I'm not sure of the salary cap implications that would follow if KC cut Cassel or Arizona cut Kolb, but if it could free up cap space, and eliminate those horrible long term contracts they got...Smith might be a better solution for those teams.

Stephen Jackson to New England?  He also would give NE that tough inside running presence that they lack on third and short.  He would probably not need to carry the ball more than 8-10 times per game to keep him fresh for the playoffs.  I guess it just depends on if Jackson is still looking to get paid or if he wants to chase rings.

Green Bay would be another option.

If the Browns or any other team in need of a QB could find a Newton, Luck, RGIII or Wilson in this draft, I would agree that would be the better decision. Quite frankly, no one is saying that there is one. Smith is better than anything in the draft.

The only reason I think the 49ers are getting at least a second round pick for him is that it otherwise makes sense to hold on to him. We have a young QB who is prone to taking big hits and 8 million for a proven backup isn't outrageous when your starter is still on a 2nd round rookie deal. IF they aren't going to get something of value, they will hold on to him or even possibly trade him in training camp or mid season.

IMHO, I think you are severly undervaluing what a second round pick is to most teams.  Most teams view it as an opportunity to get a pro bowl caliber player.  A 3rd or 4th round pick is no slouch.  Those are players that most teams envision being full time starters for a few years or at least see significant playing time. 

If SF can get a mid 3rd rounder, or early 4th round pick, I think they would be extremely pleased.  Holding out for a 2nd round pick (especially if it's a early 2nd round pick from a team like Cleveland)...just so they can eat $8 million against the cap for someone they hope never plays is a bit wishful thinking.  But then again...stranger things have happened.  Oakland gave up multiple first round picks and more for Palmer...which I thought was absolutely crazy.

I don't know the exact math for Smith, but it's not always so clear cut. In the Seahawks case, cutting Matt Flynn won't just save us $5.25M he's owed this year. After you take into account his guaranteed salary, etc. cutting him only nets us $1.25M in cap space (which is why it's silly that people think we will cut him).

Friend of mine was up at the combine and the word on the field was that Smith and KC have come to terms on a trade.  I'm sure that info isn't set in stone as agents always work for the best deal and nothing is signed yet, but that seems to be the "inside" rumor.

I could be wrong, but I thought I heard that SF would get almost the full $8 million in relief, which is why there was a possibility that they might even cut Smith before he's owed his $3 million roster bonus in March if a trade couldn't be reached.

I understand though that it's not always that simple...which is why I was wondering how much (if any) cap relief KC could get by cutting Cassel or if Arizona cut Kolb.  That would make it easier to understand why (or why not) they would be pursuing Smith.

Alex Smith was just traded to the Chiefs.

And for the 34th overall pick in this year's draft, and a conditional pick in 2014.  WOW!!! 

Are we really talking about Alex Smith and not Leon Sandcastle?

The interesting parallel with the Chiefs...

They traded for and signed a quarterback that had a good season playing for a super bowl caliber team recently...and we all know how that turned out.

The good news for KC is while they did give up a high draft pick for Smith, they at least haven't had to sign him to a $60 million deal.

Andy Reid does have a good track record in working with QBs, and KC did have 5 pro bowlers...so maybe this will work out.

ETA: so what happens to Cassel now?  I think his contract runs through 2014.  Not sure what his cap number is, but it says he's slated to make $7.5 million in 2013 and $9 million in 2014.

I underestimated KC's desire for a QB.  I think it's a bad call. I think they should have done the Pete Carroll route. Stick with your crappy QB and build the rest of the team this year. Next year there are two very good QB's probably going 1,2. If you suck bad enough then you can get one. 

Would that be like a team sticking to a crappy QB last year with the plans to draft a very good Matt Barkley with the 1st pick this year?