Arizona Contract Renegotiations
Before I push the button, I have a few contracts to make decisions on. Here are the players whose contracts are about to run out with us that were with Arizona from the beginning of training camp.
Code:
Player # Pos Exp Cur/Fut Role With 2003 Team
Anderson, Damien 20 RB 2 25/31 #3 RB
Bush, Steve 87 TE 7 50/51 #2 TE
Gilmore, Bryan 86 SE 3 19/26 #4 WR/returner
Kasper, Kevin 82 FL 3 17/31 rsrv receiver (inact)
Poole, Nate 19 FL 2 18/28 rsrv receiver (inact)
Starkey, Jason 50 C 4 13/25 rsrv center (inact)
Dishman, Chris 67 RG 7 12/12 Starting RG
Rodgers, Kendrick 78 RT 1 19/35 Starting LT
Shelton, L.J. 70 LT 5 23/23 Starting RT
Player, Scott 10 P 6 37/37 Punter
Ransom, Derrick 95 RDT 6 31/39 #2 DT/key reserve
Bell, Marcus 94 LDT 3 12/27 #3 DT
Thompson, Raynoch 55 SLB 4 46/50 Starting SLB
Woods, LeVar 56 WLB 3 15/24 #2 LB/key reserve
Barrett, David 36 RCB 4 35/35 Starting RCB
Hill, Renaldo 21 LCB 3 13/21 #4 CB/#5 S
Wilson, Adrian 24 SS 3 50/67 Starting SS
Here are the players I signed during training camp to compete for spots and fill holes. At this point of the game, I discovered I couldn't renegotiate these players into longer contracts, much to my chagrin. I later (much later, pretty much too late to chenge my plans) discovered that I had resitricted rights to these players through the beginning of the 2004 training camp. Had I been aware of this, I might not have made some of the decisions I did in free agency. Of course, had I looked at the players more closely, I would have seen this. Oh well...more on that later. Just accept at this point (just prior to the end of the 2003 season) that it is my belief I will have to go head-to-head with the rest of the NFL for the services of the following players:
Code:
Player # Pos Exp Cur/Fut Role With 2003 Team
Hickman, Jermaine 17 QB 1 10/43 #3 QB
Summers, Rex 45 FB 1 21/30 Starter FB/#2 FB
Richie, Joe 89 FL 1 13/30 rsrv returner (inj res)
Swift, Jared 59 C 1 10/36 #2 C/long snapper
Sanderson, Britt 71 LG 1 16/38 #2 guard/key reserve
Hodges, Deon 69 LG 1 15/45 rsrv guard (inj res)
Boivin, Graham 16 K 1 32/46 Kicker
Grier, Corey 35 LCB 1 17/37 Nickel CB/Starter CB
Anderson, Marques 37 SS 2 26/37 Key Reserve DB
Hannah, Larry 38 SS 1 16/44 #4 S/Special Teams Ace
As you can see, while there are very few key players, a good portion of my roster was on the verge of free agency. Fortunately, I was looking at a lot of cap room (some $20-25 M for 2004), so I had room to maneuver. The tricky part was deciding who I needed to keep.
Here's what I did, one-by-one.
RB Damien Anderson (25/31): I was pretty certain Emmitt Smith was about to retire. I had already accepted I would be looking for a running back this offseason. But I didn't want to have to look for two. Marcel Shipp was under contract for 2004, but second-year man Anderson was not. I decided that, even though Anderson isn't someone I want around for long, I should keep him around for insurance purposes. Heck, he's almost as good as Shipp, and he's not looking for a lot to return next year.
Signed to $460K/1 yr extension with a $30K bonus
TE Steve Bush (50/51): Bush hardly played for me this year, but I know he's a very good player. I figure at some point I will be dumping the higher profile Freddie Jones, who seems likely to ask for inflated contracts with his higher reception totals. Bush is the future at tight end and could even conceivably beat out Jones in 2004. So I signed him to a lucrative, long-term contract.
Signed to $5.71M/3 yr extension with a $1.29M bonus
WR Bryan Gilmore (19/26): I came out of this season feeling I was pretty set with my young receivers in Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson and Jason McAddley. All these other receivers I have are just worthless extras. Gilmore is probably the best overall of these, but he didn't do enough to deserve a return to the team, even at the low price he was asking for (about $400K/1 yr).
DUMPED!
WR Kevin Kaspar (17/31): My feelings on this one are much the same as they were with Gilmore. But Kaspar was more fun to cut. For one thing, the guy is a leader and was getting the position leader nod despite spending the entire season on the inactive list. Also, he had a conflict with McAddley, and the bastard had the gall to ask for a three-year contract in which he would have been paiud almost a million bucks in 2005. Not likely!
DUMPED!
WR Nate Poole (18/28): I still remember how impressed I was with Poole in the preseason and how I wanted to see if I could get him on the team without sacrificing anywhere else. I couldn't do it, though, so he ended up staying inactive all year. And he's not good enough to resign.
DUMPED!
C Jason Starkey (13/25): Had I known what I knew after the season, Starkey might have seen more time. His carbon copy, Chris Dishman, had a very solid season at guard, despite having next to no pass blocking technique abilities. Starkey was much the same, but he was a better run blocker and he had a lot more ptential in the long run as a blocker. Nonetheless, in the preseason I saw that '0' in pass blocking and went in search of a more versatile backup center. That search produced undrafted rookie Jared Swift, who doubles as a long snapper. Now Swift was a free-agent-to-be as well, so you would think I would seek to keep at least one backup signed. But I just decided I felt I could get better on the market, or in the long run, just re-sign Swift. So I let Starkey go.
DUMPED!
G Chris Dishman (12/12): Despite a season where he ranked among league leaders in run block percentage and was surprisingly effective pass blocking, I knew Dishman could not be a long term answer at this position. But I knew I would need a backup, and Dishman's salary request was not exorbitant. It made sense to me to keep this insurance in the fold, in case I struck out in free agency, or whichever free agent i did grab went down with an injury.
Signed to $860K/1 yr extension with a 80K bonus
T Kendrick Rodgers (19/35): Does it say more about Rodgers or about my line that he actually ended up starting at LT for most of the year? As you might expect from an undrafted rookie out of Alabama A&M, Rodgers was very inconsistent and had to learn on the job. Still, he showed enough to be worth it to keep around, especially when I saw he was looking for not much more than his minimum salary to return. I don't want him starting in 2004, but he could be a nice project and a solid backup.
Signed to $360K/1 yr extension with a $20K bonus
T L.J. Shelton (23/23): Like Dishman, Shelton was a run-block heavy/pass-block light lineman who started almost by default. He was rated as our second-best run blocker (behind Kendall, the god of all Arizona linemen), but had just a shade better pass blocking abilities than Dishman. I installed him on the right side, and like Dishman, Shelton was solid in the run (at least for this team), and better than expected against the pass. In fact, he was almost as good as Kendall, and even on the right side, tackles get faced with some pretty good rushers. So while he wasn't good enough to start long term, he seemed like a good bet to keep around. At least that's what I thought until I saw he was looking for a salary at over a million per year over the next two years. That's a little too rich for my blood, especially with three tackles already in the fold (we also had developing tackle Reggie Wells on injured reserve).
DUMPED!
P Scott Player (37/37): I didn't have any big issues with Player. He had a decent, but not spectacular season. His salary requests weren't too exorbitant, but I just felt I could get better in free agency. So I let him go.
DUMPED!
DT Derrick Ransom (31/39): Ransom was a key player for me on the line. Wendell Bryant is the future at one spot, and Russell Davis was locked in at the other, but Bryant has been a bit inconsistent and slow to develop. Having a guy like Ransom around was useful. Ransom was actually a better run defender than Bryant, and almost as good a pass rusher. He also performed well when he was called upon this season. So I was prepared to offer him an extension. Then I saw what he wanted. A five-year renegotiated deal for almost $10 M, with a $1.5 M bonus. Ouch! Sorry, Derrick, but no F-way.
DUMPED!
DT Marcus Bell (12/27): I passed on Bell at first, or put him in my "maybe" pile while I dealt with Ransom. The third-year player Bell was definitely the least talented of all my linemen and still had a ways to go to get to full maturity. A former fourth round pick, he was a loser from the real Cards' crappy drafts, it would seem. Still, he wasn't asking for a lot, he could develop into a Derrick Ransom down the line, and when Ransom's demands were too high, it became a cinch to just resign Bell.
Sign to $680K/1 yr extension with a $100K bonus
LB Raynoch Thompson (46/50): Fourth-year man Thompson, a former second round pick, was easily our second best linebacker this year. He really played the strong side about as well as you could expect it. He held up strong against the run and was much better than I thought he would be in pass defense. Plus, he's still young. I have enough holes on my team. I didn't need to have another one on the strong side of my defense. So I was prepared to give him what he wanted, so long as it wasn't superstar money. It was a rich contract, but I can handle it.
Signed to $10.03M/4 yrs extension with a $1.75M bonus
LB LeVar Woods (15/24): I actually don't like Woods a lot. I tried to hide him in my depth chart, despite the fact I needed him because of an overall lack of linebacker depth, especially on the weakside. But I didn't see that issue changing much next year--I would still need a guy who can fill in at the linebacker positions, and who also was a natural weakside backer. It helped that the guy didn't ask for much.
Signed to $650K/1 yr extension with a $80K bonus
CB David Barrett (35/35): I had decided early in the season (as you might expect) that cornerback was a critical need, especially at the spot across from Starks. That was, of course, Barrett's home this year. Barrett did some things well this year. He's strong in run support and he plays with all the talent he has. I fel the was a good guy to have around. But he's just not starter material. He's not that good. I wanted to keep him around as a backup and as insurance, like I did with Dishman, but Barrett was seeking over $5 M for a three-year extension, and I just couldn't see spending that on a reserve corner with limited talent.
DUMPED!
CB Renaldo Hill (13/21): Cornerback was a lot like receiver, where I would have an awful lot of bodies (especially if you throw in reserve safety Marques Anderson), but next to no talent beyond mediocre. Hill was an example of this. He played well in spurts, but he languished on the inactive list for much of the year, and hwen he wasn't on the list, he was backing up at safety instead of corner half the time. Considering he doesn't exactly look like a star in the making either, I saw no reason to keep his mediocrity around.
DUMPED!
S Adrian Wilson (50/67): When I saw this list of potential free agents, Wilson really stood out. Like Thompson, I felt there wasn't enough I could pay to keep him around. He simply had to be kept. At this point, I saw Anderson as a free-agent-to-be I would have to fight to bring back, and the other back up safety Larry Hannah was in a similar spot. On top of that, WIlson was one of my best all-around defenders already and had the talent to develop into one of the top five strong safeties in the league (judging by his potential and the general level of strong safeties in the league). So it wasn't a question of if I would sign him, so much as "how much do you want, Adrian?" Fortunately, his request was quite reasonable.
Signed to $7.04M/3 yrs with a $1.81M bonus
Quick Recap
Signed...
RB Damien Anderson
TE Steve Bush*
G Chris Dishman
T Kendrick Rodgers
DT Marcus Bell
OLB Raynoch Thompson*
OLB LeVar Woods
SS Adrian Wilson*
*--signed to multi-year contract
Dumped...
WR Bryan Gilmore
WR Kevin Kaspar
WR Nate Poole
C Jason Starkey
T L.J. Shelton #
P Scott Player #
DT Derrick Ransom
CB David Barrett #
CB Renaldo Hill
#-- starter in 2003
My cap number hovered around $49.5M for 2003, with a $75 M cap. After these deals, next year was looking at about $57 M, with the new cap number yet to be announced (I am using standard inflation, as the game sets it initally).
CR
Out of my hands. Hey, at least the Rams made it to the Super Bowl. And I'll bet the real life Steelers would be pretty good, too, if Bettis was running like he could a few years ago, and Maddox was playing like Rich Gannon (last year's version).
