End of 2013 league year cuts, signings, trades, voids, etc...

[Deus Irae]

Steelers released linebacker Larry Foote, cornerback Curtis Brown and offensive tackle Levi Brown, the team announced today.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/441325310991007744

 

[Deus Irae]

Fully expect Matt Cassel to hit the open market March 11. He's still been talking to MIN but nothing close. I anticipate he lands in Houston

https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/441414582931058688

 

[supafly]

https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/441414582931058688

I hadn't considered the thought of Cassel going to HOU until another poster brought it up a week or so ago.

If that happens, it's possible that they'd get their top defensive player in Clowney, as well as another QB with starting capability to compete with Cassel in round two at #33.

In other words, it would be the "Mallett" equivalent for them on some level, just without having to part with a higher round draft pick.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

With the cap savings that they received, I think it was a good move as well.

I think they are really going to go all in for the last couple of years of Peyton Manning's career. Just my opinion.

Elway stated that they'd be aggressive in free agency, so this gives them almost 30 million to spend (assuming that they save 10 million+ from the cutting of Bailey). I believe they had about 18 million under the cap prior to this move, but I don't follow it as closely as some others, so I could be a little off.

EDIT: Sorry, I see that you've addressed it already. Looks like 27 million.

Broncos are going all out this FA. Expect them to make some big moves /signings. Manning doesn't have many years left. Same as Brady. Difference is Denver have the space right now

 

[strngplyr]

Broncos are going all out this FA. Expect them to make some big moves /signings. Manning doesn't have many years left. Same as Brady. Difference is Denver have the space right now

Having a lot of space is usually the result of having a high number of free agents, especially when its a team that was just in the SB.

The only GOOD cap space they received was due to cutting Champ Bailey.

Their #1 RB, #2 WR, top 3 CB's, their 2nd best pass rusher, both starting safeties, starting G and C are all currently free agents or retiring.

 

[supafly]

Having a lot of space is usually the result of having a high number of free agents, especially when its a team that was just in the SB.

The only GOOD cap space they received was due to cutting Champ Bailey.

Their #1 RB, #2 WR, top 3 CB's, their 2nd best pass rusher, both starting safeties, starting G and C are all currently free agents or retiring.

I think you make a fair point with this, but it also can be seen as a bit of an exaggeration. Not saying that's how you're portraying it, but within the next day or two, DEN's situation will suddenly transform into a game of "telephone tag" and it will be grossly misunderstood.

For instance, they just spent a high draft pick in round 2 last year with Ball as RB, so we can firmly cross that off the list. It's obvious that he's their choice, so it's not nearly the hole that is being suggested at all. He was actually being groomed to be their RB1 all of last season with more responsibilities as the season progressed.

WR2 is another position that isn't going to be nearly as important, considering that they had Andre Caldwell showing flashes, and still have 3 other top notch receiving options in Demarius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Julius Thomas. They could easily try a guy like Caldwell, or throw in a draft choice or low level free agent and probably do just fine.

As far as their other positions, how are we not in the same boat on some level? People could just as easily say that we're down some interior linemen, have major holes in the DL/front seven, our starting WR AND CB, along with a total lack of anything in the safety game. I find it odd that some point out all of a team's free agent list as if none of them will be retained. I recently saw a post on another forum that said that we've "lost" all of Edelman, Spikes, Talib, Fletcher, Gregory, etc. It's just not true. We don't know how many will be kept, but 50/50 is a decent guess to start.

One would assume that some of DEN's (now current) almost 30 million dollars will be spent on retaining some of those players, if not trying to improve on them. I'm not going to be crying any tears for DEN's situation. They are fine, at least for the next year or two anyway.

 

[strngplyr]

One would assume that some of DEN's (now current) almost 30 million dollars will be spent on retaining some of those players, if not trying to improve on them. I'm not going to be crying any tears for DEN's situation. They are fine, at least for the next year or two anyway.

I agree, but the point is that people are talking it up as if Denver getting Revis is a more realistic scenario than it would be for us because they have an extra 10million, while ignoring that they HAVE that 10 million because they have more holes than we do.

A guy like Revis would certainly count as upgrading the position, but to call it realistic, or more realistic than us doing it, is simply false.

(I also am of the opinion that neither team comes remotely close to touching Revis, so the discussion is irrelevant to me as well.)

Edit: I'm also not shedding any tears for them, just pointing out that they aren't really in a good spot, as many people believe, simply because they have a lot of cap space.

 

[supafly]

I agree, but the point is that people are talking it up as if Denver getting Revis is a more realistic scenario than it would be for us because they have an extra 10million, while ignoring that they HAVE that 10 million because they have more holes than we do.

A guy like Revis would certainly count as upgrading the position, but to call it realistic, or more realistic than us doing it, is simply false.

(I also am of the opinion that neither team comes remotely close to touching Revis, so the discussion is irrelevant to me as well.)

Edit: I'm also not shedding any tears for them, just pointing out that they aren't really in a good spot, as many people believe, simply because they have a lot of cap space.

All reasonable points.

I was just pointing out that by early next week the thinking will suddenly turn into "Denver is screwed because they can't even field a team." Kind of like the thinking that went into BAL's free agent decisions last offseason. They actually ended up being a better defense than their SB winning one, as their offense and loss of Boldin greatly let them down instead.

If you read the high majority of poster responses though it was all "Baltimore's defense is going to suck," and they had "record setting losses for free agents" etc. The usual stuff that tends to spread like wildfire.

 

[Deus Irae]

I agree, but the point is that people are talking it up as if Denver getting Revis is a more realistic scenario than it would be for us because they have an extra 10million, while ignoring that they HAVE that 10 million because they have more holes than we do.

A guy like Revis would certainly count as upgrading the position, but to call it realistic, or more realistic than us doing it, is simply false.

(I also am of the opinion that neither team comes remotely close to touching Revis, so the discussion is irrelevant to me as well.)

Edit: I'm also not shedding any tears for them, just pointing out that they aren't really in a good spot, as many people believe, simply because they have a lot of cap space.

If I were to offer a reason as to why it would be more likely that Denver would bring in Revis than the Patriots doing so, I'd just point to past history.

 

[goheels22002]

If I were to offer a reason as to why it would be more likely that Denver would bring in Revis than the Patriots doing so, I'd just point to past history.

That would be just fine. Manning and Revis will account for $33 million against their cap at a time when they have lots of holes to fill. Revis will consume 84% of their available cap space. » Over the Cap- Denver Broncos 2014 Salary Cap and Contracts

 

[Huckleberry1]

Broncos are going all out this FA. Expect them to make some big moves /signings. Manning doesn't have many years left. Same as Brady. Difference is Denver have the space right now

Except that tact has never worked for any team in the salary cap era. I don't think that means that you don't go out and try to build up as much as possible in the offseason but going after the big names in free agency has never won a team a Super Bowl since they put the cap in. Last team that tried it if i remember correctly was the Eagles Dynasty of a few seasons ago. They would have been wise to have won more than a pre season game before proclaiming the Dynasty but at least we have the memories. Unstoppable.

 

[Rob0729]

Except that tact has never worked for any team in the salary cap era. I don't think that means that you don't go out and try to build up as much as possible in the offseason but going after the big names in free agency has never won a team a Super Bowl since they put the cap in. Last team that tried it if i remember correctly was the Eagles Dynasty of a few seasons ago. They would have been wise to have won more than a pre season game before proclaiming the Dynasty but at least we have the memories. Unstoppable.

Yeah, I can't think of the last team to win a Super Bowl or even conference champion who won by making a huge splash in free agency. The Broncos are going to have to replace 6-8 starters. That is a lot of turnover.

Besides, Miguel laid out how the Pats could have up to $32 million of cap space fairly easily if they want it.

 

[50-yard-line]

Yeah, I can't think of the last team to win a Super Bowl or even conference champion who won by making a huge splash in free agency. The Broncos are going to have to replace 6-8 starters. That is a lot of turnover.

Besides, Miguel laid out how the Pats could have up to $32 million of cap space fairly easily if they want it.

That's very true of dysfunctional organizations that try to patch over their general ineptness with $$$$ (Philly, Miami). In Philly, they didn't have the main component: a QB who could get them there. In Miami, they lost less sexy - Dansby, Long - players who were actually better than a couple of their pickups.

When thinking of what Denver might do, look at last year's Seahawks: Bennett, Avril, Harvin. If the Pats picked up three FA's like that, boom.

Elway is more of a "star" lover. He'll plug a JAG into half the positions mentioned try to grab a couple of stars to get them over the top. believe it or not, I don't think he's too worried about the OL, with Clady coming back and with a QB who can get rid of the ball in a split second.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Except that tact has never worked for any team in the salary cap era. I don't think that means that you don't go out and try to build up as much as possible in the offseason but going after the big names in free agency has never won a team a Super Bowl since they put the cap in. Last team that tried it if i remember correctly was the Eagles Dynasty of a few seasons ago. They would have been wise to have won more than a pre season game before proclaiming the Dynasty but at least we have the memories. Unstoppable.

1. Trade a 1st for Harvin and sign to 10+ million dollar deal

2. Sign Cliff Avril to a 2 year deal.

3. Sign Michael Bennett to a 1 year deal.

This happened last year.

 

[Rob0729]

That's very true of dysfunctional organizations that try to patch over their general ineptness with $$$$ (Philly, Miami). In Philly, they didn't have the main component: a QB who could get them there. In Miami, they lost less sexy - Dansby, Long - players who were actually better than a couple of their pickups.

When thinking of what Denver might do, look at last year's Seahawks: Bennett, Avril, Harvin. If the Pats picked up three FA's like that, boom.

Elway is more of a "star" lover. He'll plug a JAG into half the positions mentioned try to grab a couple of stars to get them over the top. believe it or not, I don't think he's too worried about the OL, with Clady coming back and with a QB who can get rid of the ball in a split second.

The Broncos aren't the only ones with money (there are eight other teams with currently with over $29 million and half the league has over $20 million of cap space and by the start of free agency those numbers will go up), they need to allocate a lot of this money to resign the two Thomases and Von Miller, and this year's free agent class isn't that great. I don't think they will be as aggressive as you think because they will have a lot of competition for a lot better free agents.

The Seahawks are a bad example. First Harvin didn't do anything all season. Second, they had very few holes and filled those holes with stars. Third, last year was with a stagnant cap. No one was spending. With the cap going up $10 million this year and almost another $20 million by 2016, it could be the Wild Wild West in free agency for the marquee players. Last year was the year to build to win now with the bargains, but there is no guarantees there will be bargains with the top players this year.

Lastly, free agency over the years has shown that getting star players in free agency is a crap shoot. Look at the top rated free agents every year and a lot of them wash out for their new team. Look at Mike Wallace, Derek Cox, Greg Jennings (a player a large number of people on this board wanted the Pats to overpay for), Ed Reed (another player people killed Belichick for not being aggressive in pursuing), Jake Long, etc.

Building a contender through free agency is a crap shoot. Many people praised Ozzie Newsome for reloading his team through free agency and predicted that the Ravens would be contenders because of it. But the Ravens went .500 and missed the playoffs.

Manning's physical skills are deteriorating. Despite having the best statistical season in NFL history, his passing ability is definitely deteriorating. Will it deteriorate enough by next season that he can cover for the deficiencies they have by loading up and getting two, possibly three big names and leaving holes elsewhere because they threw all their money at several big free agents?

BTW, you point out the dysfunctional organizations (many of which like the Jets, Raiders, and Redskins all have tons of cap space and likely will be aggressive in this free agency) that spend foolishly, but name a functional organization that was aggressive in free agency to win now and won a Conference Championship or a Super Bowl.

 

[Rob0729]

1. Trade a 1st for Harvin and sign to 10+ million dollar deal

2. Sign Cliff Avril to a 2 year deal.

3. Sign Michael Bennett to a 1 year deal.

This happened last year.

And Bennett signed an one year deal because no one was spending because the cap hadn't increased in three years so he could cash in this year. The cap went up $10 million this off season.

The Raiders have $64 million in cap space.

The Jets are going to have $30-40 million when they release guys like Holmes, Sanchez, and a few others. And Woody Johnson likes flashy names to sell PSLs.

The Redskins have $20 million and you know how Snyder likes to spend. Him knowing that the cap should be up to $150 million in two years may mean that he will go crazy in free agency this year.

A flat cap allowed the Seahawks to make these types of bargain steals like Avril and Bennett. Plus being a young team, they had plenty of cap space and could afford to gamble on a several high priced short term deals because most of their stars (Wilson, Sherman, etc.) were still playing on their rookie contracts.

The Broncos are older at a lot of positions with a big contract for Manning and several of their best young guys in line for new contracts this offseason. Are they going to go all in and risk losing one or two of the two Thomases and/or Von Miller because they went into win now mode?

 

[patsinthesnow]

And Bennett signed an one year deal because no one was spending because the cap hadn't increased in three years so he could cash in this year. The cap went up $10 million this off season.

The Raiders have $64 million in cap space.

The Jets are going to have $30-40 million when they release guys like Holmes, Sanchez, and a few others. And Woody Johnson likes flashy names to sell PSLs.

The Redskins have $20 million and you know how Snyder likes to spend. Him knowing that the cap should be up to $150 million in two years may mean that he will go crazy in free agency this year.

A flat cap allowed the Seahawks to make these types of bargain steals like Avril and Bennett. Plus being a young team, they had plenty of cap space and could afford to gamble on a several high priced short term deals because most of their stars (Wilson, Sherman, etc.) were still playing on their rookie contracts.

The Broncos are older at a lot of positions with a big contract for Manning and several of their best young guys in line for new contracts this offseason. Are they going to go all in and risk losing one or two of the two Thomases and/or Von Miller because they went into win now mode?

Yes. I'd bet on it. IMO it will be Manning's last year. He can be cut in 2015 with 19 million in cap savings.

 

[Nunchucks]

One of the most underplayed media stories of the last few years has been how bad the Steelers have been in the personnel department. Their drafts have been mediocre at best. Other than 2010 (where they had a solid draft), I would argue they haven't had a really good draft in almost a decade.

I wonder if that is because of the loss of Cower?

 

[patsinthesnow]

Colts are signing D'Qwell Jackson. He was a Mayo-level ILB in 2012, if he returns to form this will be a very underrated signing.

 

[ATippett56]

D'Qwell Jackson - Indianapolis Colts - 2014 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

Colts signed ILB D'Qwell Jackson.

Mar 6 - 9:33 AM