jaybadger82
Cheesehead
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2012
- Messages
- 837
- Reaction score
- 83
My point wasn't that you should always keep veterans and not count on developing players, my point was that there doesn't seem to be a good reason to let Nelson walk. People are only looking at this in a vacuum. The inherent assumption in NOT signing Nelson is that you'll sign Cobb. Well, let's say Cobb gets $7m/yr. Ok, now Adams HAS to work out because Cobb is only a slot receiver (albeait a VERY good one). If you sign Nelson though, he's a very good outside receiver AND a very good slot receiver. With Nelson, you could let Adams play outside and move Nelson to the slot or, if Adams takes time to develop (likely), then Nelson stays outside and Boykin moves to the slot. In either scenario you're paying a receiver quite a bit more than they're currently making. However, in signing Nelson you're getting a more versatile receiver than Cobb (note that I said receiver, obviously Cobb is more versatile overall than Nelson).
There's always a good reason to let players walk: it's called the salary cap. I don't mean to be a ***** but I feel obligated to point out that it seems silly to tell others they're "looking at this in a vacuum" while ignoring the impact of an 8-10 million dollar contract on the team's flexibility going forward.
You make a great point about Nelson's versatility relative to Cobb, though. If we opt to pay Jordy like a top ten receiver, his value to the Packers is as a flanker that forces safety help over the top. I imagine we would be more cautious about lining him up in the slot, where he's at greater risk to get hammered.
FWIW, I don't have a strong opinion on resigning Nelson. But I'm on board with Green Bay's draft and develop model in conjunction with the front office's reluctance to sign aging players to large deals. The Packers will be cautious and I think Nelson understands that the Packers tend to be frugal. I hope they can reach an agreement.
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