Winners and losers from free agency

[Deleted member 6794]

I think the fact that we have the luxury of being business as usual, got to resign the 2 players many teams went for, and still have the cap room to work free agency after the black Friday signings end...

I would rather have a boring free agency and enjoy the way we draft, and the way we build, with continuity and stability.

Imagine a world where every year we are talking about who our new coach should be, who our new gm should be, and how trading for the likes of a busted wr like Wallace for tons erases where we paid tons for the likes of a 30 year old Greg Jennings was going to FINALLY get us over the hump... And give us the chance at a championship...

I take what we have.

Very few teams get it. Less win with it before their team tries again and resets.

Just remember, many (including me) were very envious of how the 49ers were putting it all on the line just 2 seasons ago, talking about how they were seeing it and saw their moment.

I take the way we are. We are like sharks, always awake, always moving, always replacing our teeth.

This is a good way. We aren't going to win it all every year, but we are always in the hunt, and always have that chance.

I'll take it

Overall I totally agree with Thompson´s approach. The only thing I would like him to do more often is sign some second- or third-tier free agents to fill some obvious holes on the defensive side of the ball. I´m still holding out hope that the Packers will add a veteran ILB and NT this offseason.

Cap space discussions sometimes need a little perspective. I'm glad Thompson has a little foresight. Remember, among other things, Aaron's contract will start eating cap money in the near future. Juxtapose this with his predecessor Mike Sherman. I used to have apoplectic seizures every time he traded away 2nd round picks because the Pack was bumped up against the cap. Yes, I know, there is a rookie scale now but, I'm glad this organization is a bit more patient and prudent than most.

Rodgers will count $18.25 million towards the cap in 2015. The number will increase to $21.1 million by 2019 but with the cap expected to rise at least another $10 million in 2016 that´s nothing to worry about.

 

[sjb12681]

IMO that Frank Gore deal was terrible for the colts and I am skeptical about the Johnson signing due to durability. Herremans was a good signing as well as Cole. I am a johnson fan so I hope he does very well, he deserves to see some catchable balls for the first time in a long time

I think the colts have one of the worst front offices that gets the least criticism in the league due to Andrew Luck bailing them out from being complete bottom feeders.

I live in Indy, and Grigson gets WAYYY too much credit for doing the obvious in drafting Luck. The only other move he has made that has been positive is the trade for Vonte Davis. Other than that, his drafts have been so so, his free agent moves border on Redskins-ish, and his trades have been questionable at best.

I will give him credit that he isnt afraid to pull the trigger on a major move, but that is about it.

The locals are starting to see the same thing. It will be interesting to see their roster once Luck needs paid.

 

[adambr2]

That Trent Richardson trade was awful from the get-go. 90% of us were laughing at the Colts for doing that from the moment it went down.

 

[sschind]

Overall I totally agree with Thompson´s approach. The only thing I would like him to do more often is sign some second- or third-tier free agents to fill some obvious holes on the defensive side of the ball. I´m still holding out hope that the Packers will add a veteran ILB and NT this offseason.



Rodgers will count $18.25 million towards the cap in 2015. The number will increase to $21.1 million by 2019 but with the cap expected to rise at least another $10 million in 2016 that´s nothing to worry about.

Right, a million dollar a year increase is usually not a big deal for a team to absorb. Its when player salaries go from 2 or 3 million to 8 or 9 in a single year that you start to see the cap casualties. That is why I don't like back loaded contracts.

Obviously it depends on the other players on the team and who else has big contracts coming due but in general if a team can fit in 18 million this year 21 million in 3 years is not going to be a big problem.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

Right but would you have paid House and/or Tramon 6 or 7M per? I mean at what point does what these guys are signing for play in? IMO those 2 are severely overpaid and will more than likely never see the end of those deals.

I agree that you generally dont' want to overpay a guy but that doesn't mean you also shouldn't explore signing lower cost guys elsewhere to compensate. Look at the Pats. They lost Revis and added Sheard. Overall that's obviously a loss. However, the addition of Sheard should help their pass rush, which in turn helps the secondary. Packers on the other hand, compared to last season, have gone backwards with no offset. The offense is the same and the defense is worse. The loss of overpaid free agents isn't bad in a vacuum but when that loss highlights a lack of depth at one of the top-3 most important positions on a team, that's when it gets bad.

The bar for the Packers isn't the Bucs or the Vikings or even the Cowboys. The bar is the Seahawks. The Seahawks, overall, look to have gotten better than they were last season (on paper, injuries and other things could happen during the season). Packers look to have gotten worse. Draft might help but it's tough to honestly think that the draft is going to solve the Packers' issues at NT, ILB and CB. That's asking A LOT of one draft. Especially since the Seahawks, among other teams, have said that there are only 16 players with first round grades in this year's draft.

 

[PackerDNA]

Huge cap increases for a player- such as Rodgers- are factored in. I've always believed all moves are made with at least the next 3, and probably 5 years in mind. There are retirements , free agents you don't resign, contract renegotiations, the jumps every year in cap room, and so on.
People panic when, for example, the Seahawks are doomed because they extended Wilson for $20M a year. But it's all in how it's structured. His cap hit likely won't get to around $20M till the 4th season of a deal. Look at Cobb and Bulaga's deals. They're combined cap hits this year are less than Cobb's yearly average. As good as the Packers are in handling contracts and the cap, how much a guy gets isn't much of an issue for me. Just get good enough players- and enough of them- to win the Super Bowl.