NFL 2023 Offseason/Free Agency/Draft Thread

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Is there any chance that the Brown's GM made the Deshaun Watson deal for the sole purpose of messing with the Ravens?

Originally Posted by molson

I love that the transition tag almost seems to have been designed strictly to maximize drama and chaos.

Well, fundamentally this is still an entertainment industry we're talking about, so....

[GrantDawg]

There is still one team that hasn't ruled out Lamar Jackson...the Raiders.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[GrantDawg]

That is just crazy:

Freak-show fact of the day...

Mecole Hardman's 10-yard split at the 2019 NFL Combine was 1.54 seconds

Darnell Washington's was 1.57 last week.

The two are sparated by 77 pounds.

— Jake Rowe (@JakeMRowe) March 8, 2023

[Danny]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

There is still one team that hasn't ruled out Lamar Jackson...the Raiders.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Huh? Raiders one of the first teams reported to not be interested

[Solecismic]

Teams almost always use the non-exclusive franchise tag when using the franchise tag. The two first-round picks is a barrier. There have been a couple of cases where teams offered the two picks and the offer was accepted, happily. It's been a long time. I'm not sure, but I think the last case was Joey Galloway in 1999, though it was a sign-and-trade. And there was the notorious Sean Gilbert/Washington battle a few years earlier.

Quarterbacks are the exception. Mostly because they are too valuable to risk pissing off and because an offer is somewhat likely if the quarterback is good enough to warrant franchising.

However, the difference between nonexclusive and exclusive is huge right now because of the last few mega-contracts. Baltimore is gambling, then, because it's going to be hard enough to free up the cap room by next week just to finalize the non-exclusive offer.

The gamble is bigger because there are teams out there that can offer more money off of the 2023 cap than Baltimore can presumably match. It's less in that in order to do so, Jackson himself has to be willing to sit down with a GM and work out a deal. Is he that angry at Baltimore, when they're usually thought of as one of the places that works very well with players?

The transition tag is rarely used because there's only a match, no picks involved. It has been used a total of five times, I think. Two players played under the tag, two players had their offers matched and one player (Charles Clay in 2015 went from Miami to Buffalo) signed an unexpectedly high offer that wasn't matched.

We're in new territory here because of the crazy new quarterback contract numbers and scarcity of quarterbacks who can run a modern offense competently. It's generally accepted that franchise tags are left alone and teams figure out a way to keep their superstars, but quarterbacks have become too valuable.

[albionmoonlight]

I'm sure he's a fine human being, but Purdue's late-round projected QB looks like a guy who got fired from the tire shop for selling weed in the parking lot.

[QuikSand]

...or like he's out there posting random tweets about what he saw while at the combine

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Freak-show fact of the day...

Mecole Hardman's 10-yard split at the 2019 NFL Combine was 1.54 seconds

Darnell Washington's was 1.57 last week.

The two are sparated by 77 pounds.

— Jake Rowe (@JakeMRowe) March 8, 2023

[albionmoonlight]

LOL

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Danny

Huh? Raiders one of the first teams reported to not be interested

But then another reporter covering the Raiders said they have not ruled out any QB options, including Jackson.

[Solecismic]

I can't imagine why teams would announce their interest in the press, or answer questions from the press.

I can imagine why GMs might use the press to float ideas, or even to throw stuff out there that they had shared with the one person in the office who they suspected of talking with the press.

We don't know why Jackson is his own agent. Looking over his Twitter account, he seems very religious, very into social media, not really into showing off wealth. Kind of old-school in some ways.

He might simply feel the money takes care of itself and giving 10% to an agent to extract another 10% is a waste of time or hurts the team. Or maybe arguing about money feels wrong to him. He has never negotiated a contract - the rookie contracts are easy. What he retweets seems more along the lines of just not enjoying this process.

In other words, teams may signal no interest because they have gotten word that Jackson has no interest in negotiating with them, either. He might be just fine playing under the franchise tag.

He did tweet about his injury in some detail at the time of the playoff game. Sounds like he wanted to play, but his knee would have limited him too much. Given how much he runs, that makes sense. He could have gone out there, but the usual course of action with a quarterback who would not be able to do other than straight-line running wouldn't have worked for him. I see nothing negative. My assessment right now is that the press is trying to stir up something that isn't there.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

I can't imagine why teams would announce their interest in the press, or answer questions from the press.

I can imagine why GMs might use the press to float ideas, or even to throw stuff out there that they had shared with the one person in the office who they suspected of talking with the press.

And this was a clear message that seemed to be too concerted. The press didn't invent this, actually the press had been pushing the "Lamar to..." narratives for their respected teams for awhile. This reaction by the teams actually made them all look a little foolish. Also, teams official social media retwittting the reports underlines the teams want this out there. Why wouldn't they just want to be non-committal? A "while we haven't made any move directly on Lamar Jackson, we will do due diligence on all available options". How does closing the door benefit anyone but the Ravens?

Originally Posted by Solecismic

In other words, teams may signal no interest because they have gotten word that Jackson has no interest in negotiating with them, either. He might be just fine playing under the franchise tag.

That would be pretty hard to line up with the level of hardball he has been using in this negotiation. "I won't take anything less than $250 million guaranteed, but I'm willing to risk injury and my value by playing for a $35 million one year contract." It is really hard for me to believe the Ravens did this with any fear they will lose Jackson, but then how could they have possibly known no team was going to be willing to offer him as contract they couldn't match?

The smart thing for Jackson right now is wait until after the draft. It is a risk to him that all the teams that can afford him might end up picking up a QB and not be in a position to offer him, but it is just as likely at least one team won't get whoever they are targeting and get desperate.

[SirFozzie]

In a small piece of amusement, the Texans got docked a fifth round pick and fined $175,000 over a salary cap violation that was apparently renting a place for Deshaun Watson to workout during COVID.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/sta...26840036343808

edit: They should suspend Watson for a year, after all he was generally aware that he was helping the Texans circumvent the salary cap. No, I don't think the penalty he got previously was ridiculously light, why do you ask? (yes,this is a joke)

[Solecismic]

Seems like a lot has been written about the $250 million, but no one actually quoted. There's a lack of detail that indicates it's third- or fourth-hand information.

I find it hard to believe the Ravens are willing to lose their quarterback in order to "fix" a league-wide problem created by franchises that have hurt themselves. There's collusion and then there's just plain stupid.

If the NFL couldn't or wouldn't pressure Cleveland over Watson, what leverage would it have over Baltimore?

There doesn't seem to be any evidence that Jackson is even mildly upset with the Ravens. That would not be the case if the Ravens were unwilling to work out a fair long-term deal and the entire NFL was using him to break a league-wide trend.

The salary cap has been carefully negotiated. Guaranteed money only shifts more of it to veterans and quarterbacks and away from younger players.

Other teams would make that generic comment for their own fan base, obviously excited by the idea that someone like Jackson could be available.

If the Ravens only wanted to trade Jackson and Jackson was on board, they could have had more than two firsts by working the trade circuit and doing a sign-and-trade.

I don't see anything written that can't easily be explained by "the media wants clicks."

On the other hand, it is puzzling that the deal didn't get done long ago. We had the rumors that Jackson wouldn't return phone calls last year. He could easily have years of guaranteed money at a level higher than the non-exclusive tag. It seems to add up to a guy who doesn't want an agent but doesn't have much interest in the process himself. His mother played the role for the rookie contract, but there isn't much to do with those, especially for 1-32.

[GrantDawg]

I would say that the Green Bay GM talking about Rodgers in the past tense is a pretty clear sign he is moving on.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[bhlloy]

Bears move down to 9 and also pick up DJ Moore, a late second, 2024 first and a 2025 second. Moore is a nice player and who knows what the 2024 pick will be but that feels awfully light for the #1 overall, puts them beyond the range of the two defensive studs and isn’t the multiple trade down scenario that had the most upside.

Interesting what Bears fans think but unless that 2024 pick is top 5 I’m not sure it’s a great return

[GrantDawg]

Picking up a #1 receiver at a bit of a discount along with several picks looks pretty good to me. More than I would have wanted the Falcons to give up to get that pick. DJ Moores Twitter response is hilarious.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[Atocep]

Love it. A better return than I was expecting.

[JPhillips]

Trading all your offensive skill players is a hell of a way to welcome a new QB.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Bears move down to 9 and also pick up DJ Moore, a late second, 2024 first and a 2025 second. Moore is a nice player and who knows what the 2024 pick will be but that feels awfully light for the #1 overall, puts them beyond the range of the two defensive studs and isn’t the multiple trade down scenario that had the most upside.

Interesting what Bears fans think but unless that 2024 pick is top 5 I’m not sure it’s a great return

If you look at the history on the return on the number 1 pick being traded this is a nice return.

Receiver needed to be addressed but there really isn't anything in FA and its a weak draft for the position.

I don't think there's a guy at 1 that brings enough value for the Bears. Trading down was a given. I'd take a pick at 9, an extra 2nd, and the first of a team playing a rookie qb over what anyone else could really offer.

[rjolley]

I'm coming around to feeling good about the trade. I was hoping for multiple trade backs with a higher second rounder, but getting a #1 WR for Fields and a #1 pick next year in case they need to move on from Fields is pretty good. Now the Bears don't have to worry about selecting a WR early in the draft or signing one in free agency and get to work on building the trenches.

[Solecismic]

The dominoes continue to fall from the Deshaun Watson trade.

Maybe a stretch there - thinking that's why Baker Mayfield ended up broken and massively ineffective in Carolina, which is why they felt they needed something more dramatic. Matt Corral lost his rookie season to an injury, so that will be an interesting quarterback room this fall, especially if they go with the inexperienced Richardson, who probably needs to ease in to a starting role.

Moore's done some things, but he gets Paid, so no bargain there - just that there aren't a lot of WR options available right now and the Bears need one. Lots of picks. The Bears gave up a league-high 27.2 points per game, but they also need multiple good offensive linemen. Expecting the Bears to be competitive next season is wishful thinking, even if you believe in Fields.

Overall, the trade seems decent. I think you have to gamble on Fields if you're running Chicago. They have so many holes. He was not terrible the second half of last season and he was not OMG-this-makes-Ryan-Leaf-look-okay the first half of last season, as he was as a rookie. It's not like rookie quarterbacks come out of the box polished.

[RainMaker]

The Bears have an obscene amount of cap space this offseason. Like $30 million more than any other team. So a lot of those holes on the OL and DL can be filled.

I love the trade. Bears can still get a nice player at #9. DJ Moore is a legit young #1 WR on a team friendly deal. The two 2nds are gravy. And the 2024 1st might be really good since I don't see Carolina winning much next season.

[RainMaker]

And if Fields does turn out to suck, the Bears will have two high 1st round picks next season to find his replacement. It's a nice hedge.

[Coffee Warlord]

I think the absolute key was the 1st rounder next year. As I've said before, this is the make or break season for Fields. Now they have two first rounders next year - so if Fields sucks, they have draft capital to get a QB, if Fields is not the guy.

[weegeebored]

I don't know. The trade is decent but this early in the offseason I would have expected something a little better. The Bears' O- and D- lines are horseshit and I would have hoped that the trade would have included a very good player on either line as opposed to a WR.

[GrantDawg]

The Bears will only be paying Moore $17-18 million a year for the next three years, which should be his prime. That is a deal when most recievers his caliber are getting $25 million a year.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

I don't know. The trade is decent but this early in the offseason I would have expected something a little better. The Bears' O- and D- lines are horseshit and I would have hoped that the trade would have included a very good player on either line as opposed to a WR.

They have almost $100 million in cap space and can probably get the best offensive lineman at #9 according to most mock drafts.

[GrantDawg]

There is an outside chance the Falcons take an OT at 8, especially if they don't resign McGary. But most likely, the Bears will have their choice.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[GrantDawg]

And now the Panthers say they are open to move down. What?

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

[weegeebored]

Poles wanted to get this done before free agency but I think he could have waited for a better deal. We will never know.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

Poles wanted to get this done before free agency but I think he could have waited for a better deal. We will never know.

I find myself leaning more in this direction. Going down to nine feels like it would have garnered more than what they got.

[rjolley]

What else would you expect to get? A first instead of the 2025 second? The better of Carolina's 2nds this year? A 3rd somewhere?

I ask because my initial reaction was that they could've gotten more, but then thinking about it, I don't know what more they could have gotten. Very possible they could have traded down twice and gotten more, but a proven WR to shore up the WR corps may not have been in the return.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I find myself leaning more in this direction. Going down to nine feels like it would have garnered more than what they got.

When the Rams traded from 15 to 1 to select Goff they gave up: 15th pick, two 2nds, a third, a 2017 first, and a 2017 third.

The titans gave up 1st pick, 4th round, 6th round.


When the Falcons traded up to take Vick they sent: 5th pick, 3rd rounder, 2002 2nd, and Tim Dwight.

The Chargers gave up the 1st pick.


The bears could have gotten a 2025 first from the panthers, but held out for DJ Moore.

Historically, the number 1 pick hasn't pulled in a massive amount of picks. As I said, this was actually more than I was expecting.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by rjolley

What else would you expect to get? A first instead of the 2025 second? The better of Carolina's 2nds this year? A 3rd somewhere?

I ask because my initial reaction was that they could've gotten more, but then thinking about it, I don't know what more they could have gotten. Very possible they could have traded down twice and gotten more, but a proven WR to shore up the WR corps may not have been in the return.

I have not giving it a great deal of thought tbh. It is also my initial reaction. It is probably a fair trade. I guess I was expecting a trade where the Bears took advantage of a team especially if there were dropping from 1 to 9. For me, this would have been a good deal to move from 1 to say 5. Of course we shall see.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

And now the Panthers say they are open to move down. What?

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Since this happened right after the combine I'm guessing the Panthers have fallen in love with Stroud and/or Richardson and want to get a feel for if they can still get one if they move back down a bit. This locks them into a position where they're guaranteed to get the qb they want, but can negotiate back down if there's an opening.

[RainMaker]

They basically got 2 1sts and 2 2nds to move back 8 spots in the draft. And that 2024 Carolina 1st may be high. I feel like that is a really good deal.

[larrymcg421]

Dolphins picked up Tua's 5th year option. Hopefully this ends all the dumb Jackson/Rodgers/Brady rumors that never made sense for Miami.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Dolphins picked up Tua's 5th year option. Hopefully this ends all the dumb Jackson/Rodgers/Brady rumors that never made sense for Miami.

It's been replaced by stupid "Go get Henry" shit on the FB comments. Lot of fucking morons in this fanbase

[Coffee Warlord]

Fun fact. DJ Moore already has more receiving yards than the Bears all time leader.

[stevew]

Return seems like something you should get to drop to #4-6 instead of all the way to 9. Thinking like a #2 next year also. Don’t know what DJ Moore does for a shit passing game. They should re-route Moore for an additional first. KC might give you a 1 and 3 if you eat a large chunk of his base. Like wtf would Moore wanna pass block for a team that’s going to pass 14 times a game.

[RainMaker]

Their passing game was shit in part because they had no receivers.

[bhlloy]

I do get the logic for the Bears, especially the desire to give Fields a bit more of a go with a better WR core, and the pick next year is a potential Fields replacement if he doesn't improve... I'm just not sure DJ Moore is really that guy. Definitely a useful piece for your offense, but one season in the top 10 in yards and receptions and not really a TD threat (to the point where it's a joke in the FF community) - I certainly don't think it's a case where if Fields can't succeed with a stud like next year DJ Moore he's clearly a bust. Also typically true #1 WRs (Hopkins, Adams) have been surprisingly cheap. Maybe there was nothing on the market this year but to me still, Moore isn't much more than a decent throw in on a deal for the #1 overall pick.

I see the arguments, to me it does still feel a bit light especially moving back out of the range of the impact players on the D-Line, and I don't really understand why it had to be done now rather than creating a bidding war up to the draft - previous comps may or may not have been a year in which there were multiple QB desperate teams and multiple hyped QBs, so yeah I think he probably could have got more draft capital for it.

Long story short, I still think it all comes down to that 2024 pick. If it's top 5 and you get your Fields replacement or a real impact player everything turns out great, but I think there's certainly a chance that you come out of it with a muddle and this gets looked back at as the chance the reshape the franchise that wasn't taken. Just my opinion.

[B & B]

Moore is so much more than a 'throw in'

IMO Chicago fleeced Carolina in this trade, might as well be wearing a ski mask.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, was gonna come close to that level of compensation. Ironically, we still dont have a clue which of the 3 QBs the Panthers are gonna take with #1 but at this ridiculous price lets hope they do.

[Ksyrup]

Hopefully he came with extra chinstraps to keep his helmet on.

[GrantDawg]

Sports is crazy how wide and varied the opinion of the same action is. Most people I have seen feel like the Bears fleeced the Panthers, except Bears fan who somehow thought that they would lose two spots and get a huge windfall of picks. Of course dealing dealing with my own fan-base tells me how extreme the views of a fan base can be. Fans be like "What? We traded our third string TE and only got a 7th rounder? I thought we were going to get two First and a third at least."

[Honolulu_Blue]

I feel like this was a great deal for the Bears. A good haul of picks and DJ Moore is a great player that fills a huge need for the team.

They can build things up around Fields and if he ends up not being “the guy” this year, they’ll have the ammunition to trade up to address the QB position next year and have a better core in place for that guy.

That being said, I think Fields is pretty good and could be the next Jalen Hurts. Fields had no O-Line and pretty much nothing at WR and carried this team on his back. Give him a line and some weapons and things could be looking good in Chicago, which isn’t what anybody wants.

And by “anybody”, I mean Lions fans.

[Danny]

Yep great move for bears. Gives fields another year abd if he craps the bed you'll have the ammo for a qb.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I feel like this was a great deal for the Bears. A good haul of picks and DJ Moore is a great player that fills a huge need for the team.

They can build things up around Fields and if he ends up not being “the guy” this year, they’ll have the ammunition to trade up to address the QB position next year and have a better core in place for that guy.

+1 to this

[flere-imsaho]

The Bears, acting competent in the front office? What's next, cats & dogs living in harmony together? Porcine aviation?

[rjolley]

This offseason should be viewed as a building one for the Bears. Fields showed enough to be given a shot at being the guy going forward. They needed to utilize the #1 pick to surround him with talent and to hedge their bets in case Fields isn't the guy and they need to draft a QB next season.

Getting Moore and staying in the top 10 and getting a 2nd round pick helps build that roster. Getting a 1st next year hedges their bet and allows them to pursue another QB if they need to next year. If Fields is the guy, you have 2 1st rounders to add to the roster to hopefully help them contend for the near future.

With the #9, are the Bears going after one of the OTs? If they sign Brown and another OL in free agency, does that change and they're more open to trading back again?