The Official NFL Off-Season Thread - Tony Gonzalez traded to the Falcons

[mayhemmonkey000]

Originally Posted by LESGodSonC0

Giants will most likely use their high 2nd round pick on a wr.

Who's worth it, though?

We obviously aren't moving up to get Crabtree....his stock seems to have dropped the past week anyway.

I don't want to overpay a 32 year old reciever like Housh...he's def not the solution to our problems. And I haven't heard much about Boldin, who should've been the #1 priority...we have the picks to bring him, IMO.

I'm surprised we've spent so much adding depth to the D, we never spend much during the off-season. But Cofield and Robbins both took a beating last season, so it's great to have some depth. And who really knows how Osi is gonna respond...
There's gonna be someone there. Whether it be Nicks, Britt, DWill there's a good amount of pretty good WRs by that pick.

 

[dmxfury]

TJ was offered 5 here from Cincy, that is the word and probably why he hasn't signed somewhere else. TN I think will get Nate Washington....he isn'tbad but very inconsistent and the Steelers won't overpay for him

 

[jules300]

I am convinced My bills want to move to toronto smh. They havent made anymoves on anybody smh I see wat u doin ralph i see you -.-

 

[n3ff 3000]

Canty isn't as bad as some of you guys are making him out to be. I'm not saying he wasn't overpaid but damn near every F/A is.

 

[gottagitdemjs]

DUUUUUUDES....The rumor that's picking up steam on the Chiefs boards is that Pioli is speaking to Ray Lewis today about possibly coming to KC.

 

[assistantsupervisor81]

jerry angelo needs to do something

 

[laced up jordans]

^ Imagine if Haynesworth's price was within our range?!

ABSOLUTE MURDER on the opposing team's O-LINE

DE-Tuck
DE-Osi
DT-Haynesworth
DT-Cofield

with Kiawanuka coming in and Robbins backing up either DTs.

And as for the draft, I see the Giants selecting a WR like Nicks or Britt in the 1st Round with LB help in the 2nd round. I still think we need a lil help inthe secondary and the O-Line depth

 

[parada45]

Peppers in NE?

What??

 

[TheGift23]

Thought this was an Interesting chain of events about Haynesworth Contract and how it affected Chris Canty...Good Job by King on the Info (and I don't saythat often about him lol)

Seven years, $100 million. With reachable incentive bonuses, seven years, $115 million.

Everywhere -- in Washington, Nashville and in national publications -- it was written over the weekend that Haynesworth signed the first $100-million contract by a defensive player in league history, a contract that could jump to $115 million if he earned some incentives.

That could happen. I could succeed Roger Goodell as commissioner of the NFL one day, too.

Haynesworth, barring a miracle, will never see the fifth year of the contract. In essence, he signed a four-year, $48-million contract Friday with the ********. That will carry him through his 11th season, in 2012 (barring a work stoppage in 2011, which is a real possibility). Here is the real contract:


Year Signing Bonus Option Bonus Salary

2009 $5 million -- $6 million

2010 -- $21 million $3.6 million

*2011 -- -- $5.4 million

2012 -- -- $7.2 million

Totals: four years, $48.2 million.

The asterisk is for an additional $1 million he could earn in an offseason workout bonus before camp.

The seven-year deal calls for Haynesworth to earn $29 million in 2013, $10.8 million in 2014 and $12 million in 2015.

I am reminded of players in Washington who were scheduled to make far less and who never made it to the pay window in the later years of their contracts. Deion Sanders signed a seven-year, $56-million deal with Washington in 2000, and lasted one year. Adam Archuleta and Brandon Lloyd similarly busted in 2006.

The last three years of the Haynesworth deal are agent recruiting years. They have no bearing on reality.

********************************************

CANTY INFO

Chris Canty must be sick to his stomach. He was on a roller coaster all weekend.

There is enough rule breaking in the free-agency chase to write three books, but I can tell you that the time on the screen of my MacBook Air was 12:00:06 (six seconds after midnight) when the phone rang in the Back Bay condo of agent Brad Blank Friday morning. I was in the upscale downtown Boston neighborhood with Blank, and on the other end of the phone was Washington vice president of player personnel Vinny Cerrato. The subject was Blank's client, defensive end Chris Canty, who'd been a free agent for all of six seconds.

"Hey, Brad,'' Cerrato said, eschewing pleasantries, "I need to get what you're thinking of numbers-wise so I can go in and talk to [owner] Dan [Snyder] and see if it fits us.''

"It's eight, Vinny, and I don't really care how it's structured if we get to eight,'' Blank said, meaning $8 million per year for a four-, five-, six- or seven-year contract. "You know the deal. I'd like to get him somewhere on a plane tomorrow. You interested?''

"Let me get back to you,'' Cerrato said, and just like that he was gone.

In his living room, Blank, the preppy 48-year-old former Brown roommate of John F. Kennedy Jr., alternated between ESPN and NFL Network on the tv as free agency dawned. On a legal pad he had sketched out the teams he felt were the best shot for Canty. In order, they were:

1. Washington, 2. Tennessee, 3. San Francisco, 4. Seattle, 5. Denver, 6. Dallas, 7. Miami, 8. Green Bay, 9. New York Giants.

The ideal trip, Blank thought, would be Friday in Washington, Saturday in Tennessee and Monday in Seattle. Washington wouldn't be interested if the 'Skins signed defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the prize of the crop. And Blank waited. And Canty, sitting home in Charlotte, waited. And his dad, Joe, who was going to take the recruiting trips with his son, waited.

And nothing.

At the Scouting Combine the previous week, when it's supposed to be against NFL rules for teams to have discussions with agents for soon-to-be free agents, Blank had spoken to a number of teams about Canty, a 6-7 defensive end in a 3-4 defense who some teams thought could play defensive tackle in the 4-3. The teams, ostensibly, were feeling out the agents, and vice versa, about what level of compensation the player might get and what other teams might be interested.

One of the parties interested in Canty was Washington. Blank thought San Francisco, Tennessee and Seattle would also want in. There were others. Teams are smart enough not to blatantly offer contracts at the combine, but some of them come close. In this case, Blank made it clear to anyone asking that he expected the money to come in between $6 million and $8 million a year, hopefully closer to eight.

"Football is a game of supply and demand,'' Blank said. "Chris is a 3-4 end and a lot of teams are going to the 3-4, and there aren't enough good ends out there. So he should be in demand.''

1:08 a.m.: Cerrato rang to ask if Canty would come in for a visit later that day. "Does he like basketball?'' Cerrato said. "The Wizards are in town playing Chicago. I think Obama's going to the game.''

He likes basketball, Blank said, but more to the point, Blank asked if all the rumors were true about the ******** and Haynesworth.

"We're out,'' said Cerrato. "He's too expensive.''

"Do our numbers make sense?' Blank asked.

Pause. One second, maybe two seconds. "I'll get Eric [negotiator Eric Schaffer] with you in the morning,'' Cerrato said.

Hmmmm. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. But Cerrato said the ******** would send a private plane to pick up Chris and Joe Canty at the Charlotte airport at 1 p.m., and he'd get back to him with details.

Blank called Canty. "How you doing, Chris?'' Blank said.

"On pins and needles, Brad,'' Canty said.

"We're doing fine,'' Blank said. "I'm getting conflicting reports on Haynesworth and whether they'll sign him. But they're going to send a plane for you tomorrow. That's enough of a gesture to me that you should make the trip.''

"Is there any way they could sign both Chris and Haynesworth?'' Joe asked.

"No, I wouldn't think so,'' Blank said.

"Is $8 million going to be the best we can do?'' Chris inquired.

"I don't know,'' Blank said. "I'd press for more, but you never know.''

In the next 15 minutes, Blank was in touch with Seattle, Tennessee and San Francisco, and all seemed interested, but not frothing at the mouth. They clearly didn't want to encourage Blank to think they'd be in the market to pay $8 million a year for a good run defender with little pass-rush impact in the 3-4.

"What's the price of admission?'' San Francisco director of football operations Paraag Marathe asked at 1:33 a.m..

"Eight million,'' Blank said.

"Be in touch,'' Marathe said.

At 1:42, Cerrato called back with the tail number of the ******** plane. "N10RZ,'' he said.

"N10RZ,'' Blank repeated. "I've scheduled three other trips, but it's in your hands.''

"Eric will call you tomorrow,'' Cerrato said. He still hadn't said one word about what he thought of Canty as a player, or whether the ******** would work hard to close the deal.

Blank informed the Cantys about the flight to Washington at 1 p.m. "Hopefully Tennessee after that, then Seattle Monday, then who knows?'' Blank said.

To which Chris Canty said: "I'm feeling better about this. Hey Brad, you think you can leverage one offer against the other?''

Blank said he didn't know, and he suggested Canty get some sleep. Blank went to bed around 4 a.m., feeling good about Canty's chance to get an offer Friday afternoon.

Now, Blank has had some bad days in the business. Friday and Saturday were right up there with them. He had 10 voice-mails, five from Cerrato, when he woke up around 9:30.

"BradcallmeVinny.''

"BradcallmeVinny.''

And then he heard it from a voice-mailer: Haynesworth had signed with the ********. As Cerrato explained to Blank that morning, Schaffer told Cerrato of Haynesworth's demands at the start of the night, just after midnight, and after some back and forth (Cerrato said agent Chad Speck was talking about a contract in the neighborhood for six years and $100 million, and the guarantees and averages were unacceptable to Washington), Cerrato said the ******** were out of it. And so he had no qualms telling Blank at 1:08 a.m. that they were out of it.

("I felt awful about it,'' Cerrato said Sunday afternoon. "We were out of it with Haynesworth, then around 2:30, Chad Speck calls back, and his demands are different, and so we started talking again. I like Brad, and I felt bad about it, but things changed.'')

Now Blank had to prop up the market for Canty. He called Tennessee GM Mike Reinfeldt and was astonished to hear the words: "We're not interested.'' So the first two teams on Blank's list had vanished. The Giants scheduled a Saturday visit with Canty, and they would be interested in him as a hybrid tackle-end, but Blank also knew they were seeing Seattle defensive tackle Rocky Bernard.

Then Seattle lost some motivation by signing Green Bay defensive tackle Colin Cole. The the Giants signed Bernard.

Uh-oh.

Blank thought: My God. We may have to go back to Dallas for a year or two, at $6 million per. But the Giants said they still were interested, and Green Bay called back to schedule a Monday visit. By Sunday afternoon, with his client in New York, Blank was seeing momentum toward a contract; he didn't want Canty to get on a plane to Green Bay because his experience in the business told him that if the kid got on the plane, the Giants offer could vanish in a New York minute.

The Giants got to six years, $41 million. That's it, they said; if you don't want it, good luck on your trip to Green Bay.

Blank called Canty, who was in the Giants offices in New Jersey. "You've got to draw the line somewhere,'' Canty said, "and I want to draw it at $7 million a year. That's what we get, or I go to Green Bay.''

And that's what they got. They got the extra million. All in a weekend's worth of chicken for Blank and his new, rich client, who would have liked to have been richer, but was euphoric Sunday night for his windfall.

"You play with fire sometimes,'' Blank said Sunday night, "and sometimes you get burned. I needed the ********. They pay people, and they pay people quick. It didn't work out with them, and I know I'll be second-guessed, but I did what I thought I had to do to get the biggest contract I could. You can't ignore the team you think is going to pay you the most money. But isn't it amazing? The last team on my list the other night is the team he ends up with. That's what happens in this business.''

Canty signed the deal (six years, $42 million, including an $8.5-million signing bonus), finished his visit Sunday afternoon and went to JFK Airport. A snowstorm delayed his departure until today -- he hopes. So there was Canty, on his first night as an incredibly wealthy man, sitting in the JFK Holiday Inn.

"I can't get the smile off my face,'' he said. "I'm ecstatic. It was a wild ride, but I ended up in the best place for me.''

Link

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

No update on Peppers to NE? Or was it all just rumors?

 

[dam itz lou]

@ that signing bonus dude is getting next year.

 

[dajoka004]

Originally Posted by truthmain

Originally Posted by DaJoka004

Whoever gets Housh is going to overpay. I'm not sure why people are dying to have a 32 year old possession receiver. I'm glad the Eagles didn't pursue.

Welcome to free agency - you don't realize dudes get overpaid? TJ is the best WR of a subpar free-agent crop, of course he's gonna get overpaid.

And you stay making me laugh with your "I'm glad the Eagles didn't pursue", he's better than your entire receiving corps and you been talkin' the past few seasons like "we're bout to make a big, WR signing just you guys watch"

. So far your team has done absolutely nothing.

I've never wanted Housh. Never. Ever. Housh on ourteam will not make us better. There's two months until the draft. Quit talking like offseason moves are done with.

Oh yeah. Enjoy Sage at QB.

 

[doublejs07]

Just saw on NFL Live that Jason Taylor was released....I'm looking around for a link, and i'll post one when I find it...

http://******** | Taylor released
Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:04:12 -0800
Chris Mortensen, of ESPN, reports the Washington ******** have released DE Jason Taylor


Link

Makes me think the Skins are gonna go after another FA, or make a trade...Peppers???

 

[mister friendly]

I guess ax was going fall with Haynesworth getting so much money. Where do you think Jason taylor will go...The Patroits?

 

[dlo13]

That picture isn't necessary.

 

[doublejs07]

^Rupertone...c'mon now...

*if we kept him, it would have been 8m against the cap....that beign said, good move by Vinnie to bring in Taylor for a 2nd Rounder

 

[heat23]

Mister Friendly does sound kinda gay now that I think about it lol. Just playing put take that pic down

 

[651akathepaul]

TJ is gonna choose Seattle. He's a West Coast guy. Went to school in Oregon. People are completely sleeping on the team in the Pacific Northwest. They wereriddled big time with injuries this last year and with a guy like TJ they fill a massive void at WR.




People on this board also seem to let Hasselbeck slip under the radar, who can be a top 7 QB when fully healthy for a year. I don't know, but Seattleisn't far off from going back to the playoffs at all.

 

[lilstarz07]

damn ... skins are probably going after peppers as we speak ... smh

 

[acidicality]

49ers getting Warner?

...if we get a shot at signing him, do it!!!

 

[651akathepaul]

^ You know nothing. I'll bypass that statement.

 

[mister friendly]

People on this board also seem to let Hasselbeck slip under the radar, who can be a top 7 QB when fully healthy for a year. I don't know, but Seattle isn't far off from going back to the playoffs at all.



Hasselback is done!

I think they said they cut Jason Taylor because he wouldnt accept a addendum to his contract that probably made him workout with the team to recover some ofhis salary.

 

[drock2010]

Originally Posted by LilStarZ07

damn ... skins are probably going after peppers as we speak ... smh

Doubt it

he wants too much money

 

[dajoka004]

Originally Posted by 651akathePaul

TJ is gonna choose Seattle. He's a West Coast guy. Went to school in Oregon. People are completely sleeping on the team in the Pacific Northwest. They were riddled big time with injuries this last year and with a guy like TJ they fill a massive void at WR.




People on this board also seem to let Hasselbeck slip under the radar, who can be a top 7 QB when fully healthy for a year. I don't know, but Seattle isn't far off from going back to the playoffs at all.

Seattle isn't far off because that division sucks. I hate to say this, but I think the 49ers are the best team in that division right now,regardless of whether Warner comes back to the Cards or not. Even if the Seahawks are healthy next year, I don't think they are a contender for anythingother than an NFC West title.

 

[doublejs07]

Originally Posted by 651akathePaul

^ You know nothing. I'll bypass that statement.

that sounded funny....but rupertone was right..

per PFT

The team was willing to keep Taylor at his $8 million salary, but asked for a workout clause to be added to his contract.

The workout clause would have required Taylor to attend 25 of 39 days of the offseason program, and he refused.

And so the move was made. Taylor will soon be on the market.



Link



As long as Hasselbeck is on that EAS, he'll be back in top form before you know it.