NFL Free Agency 2022 edition

[jah]

Wasn't it just the 2020 Broncos game? I don't think that's the game to use to evaluate his play at guard, given that he likely had zero real practice reps there before the game. They lost Ferentz on Friday and Mason on Saturday, and then Wynn had to start at guard on Sunday.

I don't even recall seeing him play guard at a pro at all, but I probably didn't pay much attention to some of those 2020 mediocrity specials. I wouldn't write him off as a guard, but similarly I also wouldn't just assume he would work out there. The people who most strongly push the Wynn to guard narrative literally just think that would work because he's short for a tackle.

 

[NFL Mystique]

I still can’t believe the Falcons are a viable option with Matt Ryan still there. But I read yesterday that the Falcons have yet to make Ryan’s restructured contract official, so that does help a bit.

Here's What I believe happened:

Watson wanted Atlanta all along. Hometown and familiarity.

Why meet with Caroline and NO? Because those are Atlanta's biggest rivals. His hope was Atlanta would step up and offer more money than said two teams.

Atlanta didn't immediately come forward with an offer. So Watson let it be known he would be interested in meeting with Atlanta. The fact he did this after meeting with Car & NO tells me he wanted to be a Falcon all along. Hometown team.

Football wise? I think he immediately makes the Saints SB contenders. They already have a great D, coaches, and a top 5 receiver. I'm not so sure Atlanta would be top 6 SB odds on favs with Watson. Unless they guarantee him a plan is in place. They need RB, receivers, and Defense.

Long story short, he used NO & Car to get Atlanta's interest. And to get most money out of them. I wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta immediately agrees to pay him more than the other two offered.

That's just a guess. If Atlanta never got involved, I think he would've picked NO.

I'd be stunned if he's not a Falcon by tomorrow.

 

[Rob0729]

I thought he would be a good lower cost candidate to replace Jackson.

I am still holding out a very minor, miniscule hope the Pats sign Rasul Douglas. He had a monster year last year and is flying under the radar. Rumors are he is resigning with the Packers, but that was several days ago with no movement. So there is a chance he can be available.

 

[NFL Mystique]

If Atlanta were the ones to come out and show interest without Watson going to them, I'd say it would be between NO & Car.

But the fact Watson just reached out to Atlanta, after already meeting other teams, should worry Saints & Panthers fans. That tells me he wants to be a Falcon.

Going from Houston to Atlanta is not a huge improvement. At least not yet.

 

[crawhammer]

What folks here wish to do is to restructure all our players, pushing $25M of cap money into the future, cut players they don't like, and trade others.
With the new total of $40M-$50M, folks want to fill all the roster spots with their favorite stud players at high market prices, before they are all signed. The contract would have a maximum of money moved into the future when the caps will be higher.

My preference is for the $160 mil in guaranteed money spent last offseason to have not left the team in a state of considerable need with holes up and down the roster on both sides of the ball (with the one notable exception of the RBs).

Go for it! Have your wet dreams! Just understand that this approach has exactly ZERO to with how the patriots have been run since Kraft arrived in the 90's. I understand that there are those who would have managed the team much, much better than the Krafts and Belichick.
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Sheesh
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The patriots will NOT restructure every contract. They never do. The patriot strategy is a conservative one, one that has produced competitive teams every year. We have always been in the playoff or a game away. We have a better record that any other team. I realize that this isn't nearly enough for some.

Again, this doesn't jive with their offseason merely one year ago when they spent record amounts in free agency.

The patriots will push some money into the future, as we always have. We might even do a bit more than usual because of the increasing 2023 and 2024 cap levels. However, it more like the patriots to wait (last year was a carefully planned exception). We usually wait until the first level of contracts are gone at the highest prices. After all, these are the players who couldn't get enough from their former teams and have come to free agency to get paid. The patriots may sign a couple of players in the first week (other than our own re-signs). It is when the first is over that the patriots start really looking to sign players from other teams. We will likely sign more players, but rarely the very top free agents. Many posters really dislike this approach. They prefer that we spend everything we have on the most shiny expensive free agents, and then do little for the next 4 and 1/2 months of free agency.

That approach "works" when you have a HOF quarterback.

What team has ever won at a high level with hardly any well-paid premium players? I can't think of one.

 

[gobesmug]

Allen Robinson is actually a very good receiver. He's had a bad situation in Chicago for a very long time.

He's a good route runner, excellent hands, and I always see him fighting for the ball.

He's a bit unique since he has good speed, but isn't lightning fast, he's got good size but he isn't a brute that goes over the middle, he doesn't get huge separation but he outfights DBs for the ball.

In other words, he is what the Patriots thought NKeal Harry would be.

He should have been drafted by the Pats. It only took 1 year to know Dropson, Thompkins, and Josh Boyce were not the answer.

Allen Robinson was a perfect fit and available coming from Penn St under a similar offense

 

[upstater1]

I am still holding out a very minor, miniscule hope the Pats sign Rasul Douglas. He had a monster year last year and is flying under the radar. Rumors are he is resigning with the Packers, but that was several days ago with no movement. So there is a chance he can be available.

And the more FAs you sign, the more you can take advantage of a draft that's loaded for the first 25 picks. Someone is going to fall. If you're not married to taking a CB out of need, you can do very very well picking where New England is picking.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Russell Gage is going to be Tampa Bay's 3rd receiver, lining up mostly in the slot with Evans and Godwin on the outside, so he will have plenty of opportunities against lesser DBs. Plus, and this is the most important point, he now has Tom Brady throwing him the ball. Gage is going to be a great fit in Tampa Bay's offense. So would Agholor, and Bourne... any receiver playing along side two #1 receivers and a HOF quarterback is going to have a great opportunity for success.

That's nice

 

[Grogan14]

We need to do this to sign 3-5 quality starters or we won’t be contending for the playoffs is my projection

Question is why has this not been done yet?

 

[Grogan14]

What prevents teams from continuously doing this year in year out

 

[crawhammer]

McCourty and Judon are teaming up to recruit Chandler Jones back to NE. They both took their shirts off and took pictures at a police station parking lot in honor of him.

But seriously, I'd love to see Jones and Judon rushing from the outside.

I'm in favor of bringing back Chandler Jones... he and Judon would be a very good duo from the edges.

No thanks to TY Hilton he's too old wouldn't mind Landry. Our Offense needs Speed other than the RB's on Big run none of our WR's can beat a Team on one play we are too slow on Offense. With our current Receivers Safeties can play in the box which makes it difficult for our RB's t operate. Need a wude out who can open things up downfield.

Hard pass on Hilton... he'd fair no better than any number of washed up veteran WRs they tried to bring in over the years. Landry is acceptable as long as he's one of two FA receivers added (with the other receiver being a legit #1).

I don’t think Allen Robinson is good enough for the $ he’s going to get.

Robinson had 1400 receiving yards with Blake Bortles as his quarterback. He had back-to-back seasons of 100-1200-6 with Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles as his quarterbacks. He's worth it.

 

[Username]

What prevents teams from continuously doing this year in year out

Nothing.

As far as I can tell the Saints have been doing this for years. There's no "it'll bite you down the road" when the road is neverending and you can just keep kicking that can

 

[venecol]

What prevents teams from continuously doing this year in year out

Dead money.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

What prevents teams from continuously doing this year in year out

It pushes the money out over more years, so you can only push the money out so far. You don’t even need the players permission, basically they just treat salary as signing bonu.

Everyone is waiting for 5he Pats to restructure Judson’s contract, it would give the Pats almost 7 mil in cap space. Right now Judon’s cap numbers are 16.5 for 2022, 16.5 for 2023, and 15 for 2024.

if they restructure his deal, Judon still gets all the money he originally signed for, but his 2022 cap number goes down to 9.1 mil, but it raises his 2023 to 20.1 and 2024 to 18.6.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

What prevents teams from continuously doing this year in year out

It’s a risky strategy when the cap doesn’t increase much; that’s not a concern at this point with the new tv deal.

The other issue is that is makes it really difficult for the team to cut a player who declined, because they would have a huge dead cap charge. This problem is avoided if you perfectly assess the players - sign them for just as long as they’ll still be worthwhile. The Saints have been reasonably good talent assessors, which has helped keep them going. The Jete did this strategy too under Rex Ryan when they first started winning, but they were poor talent evaluators and it wound up biting them.

 

[bresna]

All this talk about Watson coming in and suddenly making any team a Super Bowl contender... what has Watson done to get this much shine?

Year	Age	Tm	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	1D	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	QBR	Sk	Yds	4QC	GWD	AV	Awards
2017	22	HOU	7	6	3-3-0	126	204	61.8	1699	19	8	85	72	8.3	8.4	13.5	242.7	103.0	83.5	19	116			7	AP ORoY-3
2018*	23	HOU	16	16	11-5-0	345	505	68.3	4165	26	9	215	73	8.2	8.5	12.1	260.3	103.1	61.8	62	384	5	5	16	PB
2019*	24	HOU	15	15	10-5-0	333	495	67.3	3852	26	12	191	54	7.8	7.7	11.6	256.8	98.0	70.5	44	257	3	5	16	PB
2020*	25	HOU	16	16	4-12-0	382	544	70.2	4823	33	7	221	77	8.9	9.5	12.6	301.4	112.4	63.7	49	293			16	PB

Career record: 28-25 regular season; 1-2 playoffs

On top of that, his cap hits are astronomical:
2022: $40.4 Million
2023: $42.4 Million

And I don't think that they can easily lower that since he's technically signed until 2025 (with 2024 & 2025 essentially voidable with a $5.4 Million dead cap hit). That's a lot of cap space for a QB that hasn't really won anything.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

Question is why has this not been done yet?

This can be answered after the draft and FA signings
There is a plan I am sure

 

[50-yard-line]

Bringing in Collins at LT would be a big move - both in FA money and the OL. Assuming Wynn can suddenly move in to LG is still a gamble, not only for the position change but relying on his consistency regarding injuries. But, it'd be a big step up too.
I think 1 more top-level OL talent will suffice. whether Collins or Brown - we could probably make Onwenu and one of the newer guys like Sherman, Desjarlias work at the other G spot. So either:
Collins - Wynn - Andrews - Onwenu/Sherman - Herron/Onwenu OR
Wynn/Herron - Sherman/Wynn - Andrews - Onwenu - Brown

And this is before any potential draftee.

Collins isn't a FA and isn't on big money (like 3/30, iirc).

 

[WinstonSmith]

Nothing.

As far as I can tell the Saints have been doing this for years. There's no "it'll bite you down the road" when the road is neverending and you can just keep kicking that can

The Saints are already close to being 6M over the 2023 cap and they don't have a QB. They're paying for previous years' cap sins now. But it's a short term cap purgatory and not a long-term cap hell.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

All this talk about Watson coming in and suddenly making any team a Super Bowl contender... what has Watson done to get this much shine?

Year	Age	Tm	G	GS	QBrec	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	1D	Lng	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	QBR	Sk	Yds	4QC	GWD	AV	Awards
2017	22	HOU	7	6	3-3-0	126	204	61.8	1699	19	8	85	72	8.3	8.4	13.5	242.7	103.0	83.5	19	116			7	AP ORoY-3
2018*	23	HOU	16	16	11-5-0	345	505	68.3	4165	26	9	215	73	8.2	8.5	12.1	260.3	103.1	61.8	62	384	5	5	16	PB
2019*	24	HOU	15	15	10-5-0	333	495	67.3	3852	26	12	191	54	7.8	7.7	11.6	256.8	98.0	70.5	44	257	3	5	16	PB
2020*	25	HOU	16	16	4-12-0	382	544	70.2	4823	33	7	221	77	8.9	9.5	12.6	301.4	112.4	63.7	49	293			16	PB

Career record: 28-25 regular season; 1-2 playoffs

On top of that, his cap hits are astronomical:
2022: $40.4 Million
2023: $42.4 Million

And I don't think that they can easily lower that since he's technically signed until 2025 (with 2024 & 2025 essentially voidable with a $5.4 Million dead cap hit). That's a lot of cap space for a QB that hasn't really won anything.

Those are his cap hits on the Texans. Whoever acquires him (assuming no contract changes) will “only” have cap hits of $35m and $37m for those years, and then $32m each for 2024/2025.