[josefrees]

In free agency in the offseason, I try to stay away from the big names. They want so much money you will be screwed down the road especially when your players develop. I try to lock in the guys I want long term. I am cautious about giving to high of a signing bonus except for the guys I know without a doubt I am not getting rid of. Otherwise I try and try to minimize my use of signing bonuses because when money gets tight, being able to get rid of players without having to take huge cap hits is important. I look for the young guys who are just outside big to medium money range. Getting a guy locked in for a long time for a million and who can develop into solid starters at the least are what I base my teams periphery around.

The problem with full on draft is that the players you develop will want tons of money when their contract is up. It is a crappy feeling having to trade guys you really like and developed so they can beat the crap out of you later. I'd rather focus on a few guys I really want and ensure I get them and rely on signing a few old future HOFers for one year contracts at 5-6 million. That way my cap situation is always open for a while, I get reliable production and if you are an owner, high personality players to fill the coffers with merch sales.