The Cost of Free Agents

[vikesfan]

Originally posted by Cardiac
You keep using NE as the argument to make your point, I actually believe they do the opposite of what you are saying.

Name a high priced FA they have signed since Billichek has been in charge.

Colvin may fit your example of quality FA's but he came at a cap friendly price. Harrison was acquired at a bargain price. So are many of their FA signings. NE targets players who fit their system and will improve the teams play, they don't go after big name high dollar guys.

Who has TB signed in FA?? You may be right but I can't think of anyone except Rice and his initial deal was at a bargain price.

NO's keeps bringing in over rated guys that don't pan out. Their secondary has been a revolving door the past couple of years with no real improvement against the pass. They tried a DT or 2 and again that didn't work.


How did the Cowboys do after getting out of cap hell.

How about the 49ers, plus they are still trying to get out from under cap hell.

Let's see how the Raiders do going forward, this year speaks to how their cap forced them to keep restructuring contracts to the point they aren't just old but ancient.

Titans could start to slip as well.

Maybe I'm just missing your point but I have to disagree with the premise of your argument.

I am talking about quality FAs.
TB added in FA: an pro bowl C, a probowl QB in Johnson, a probowl WR in McArdell (and even Keyshawn can be seen as a FA he was a trade but cost them more money so it's a cap type deal) they added a solid starting OT and G and #3 WR. Rice was huge he made that defense.


NE added in their 1st SB year: Cox Phifer Buckley Patten and several other quaity FAs. A Smith was a FA he has been huge in the playoffs. They had 5 or 7 FAs starting SB Sunday vs STL. This year they added Colvin and Washington and Poole and Harrison. They really have been lucky on the draft last couple years and have great coaching but they add quality FAs.

NO is a badly coached team but they turned the team around with FA picks. They added a couple guys to DLINE when they started being good. They added a soid WR etc.

OAK made it to the SB on a team composed almost entirely of FAs. If they had a real coach they might have won the SB. I want to win a SB. They beat the cap for years. Their cap guy is gone they might go down.

There is no such thing as cap hell. Every year they say WASH is in cap hell and every year they add premium talent. KC added several quality FAs this year and won their division. Adding quality FAs to a team is possible if you know how to work the cap and structure deals.

Baltimore added several key FAs in their SB year. STL has rebuilt their team with FA and is made the playoffs. Look at Carolina: Steussie OT Davis RB Delholme QB. 3 key FAs. And adding quality even in back ups is crucial guys like Stokes and Proehl and Juarvicious.

The key is like the draft to add quality FAs not guys who are on their way down etc.


NE was a 5 win team they added their quality FAs and had a great draft and won a SB.



Look at the turnover in the NFL every year. You add quality FAs have a good draft and you can be a contender. Adding big time players makes your average players better. Adding quality back ups improves depth which is crucial in the NFL.

 

[john h]

Originally posted by JeffGollin
What happens is teams Cap Out and every year teams sign players to FA deals that are cheap.
That's 2 legs of the three-legged chair.

What also happens is that teams following that philosophy and wait too long can come up empty handed.

(Examples - Our apparent reluctance to be more aggressive re Roosevelt Colvin and Vonnie Holliday).

On one hand, you can say it saved us from overspending on certain players, but on the other, we ended the preseason with a lot of unspent cap money because there was no one left out there worth spending it on.

The Cards may want to modify their policy this year so that we're willing to accept overpaying a couple free agents Denny feels we absolutely gotta have; and then using the rest of our cap dollars to fill in other holes with solid though maybe somewhat less spectacular players.

If you see someone your really want and think he will really improve your team go and get him now. Do not wait around looking for something cheap to fall into your hands. One of our problems has always been being known by players and reps as a cheap team. There is good reason for this.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

One guy I like on that list is D.Northcutt. Unfortunatly he may be out of the Cards price range. Take a look at this:


Browns | Northcutt Looking for Big Pay Day - from www.KFFL.com
Sun, 8 Feb 2004 12:26:19 -0800

The Akron Beacon Journal's Terry Pluto reports Cleveland Browns WR Dennis Northcutt, an unrestricted free agent, is looking for a four-year, $20 million deal that pays him a $5 million signing bonus. While the Browns would like him to return, the team is looking in the $14 million range with a $2.5 million signing bonus.


I know the Cards wont pay $20mill for a FA WR.

 

[JeffGollin]

Anyone want to take a crack at what a typical 4 or 5 year salary-bonus structure might look like for, say McAllister, Winfield and Vincent - and what the annual cap hit might look like?

Those numbers look monstrous, but maybe when they're broken apart and prorated, they won't look so bad. (Or - maybe they will be kind of scary).

One thing that looks more and more apparent, our available cap dollars (whatever they turn out to be) aren't going to buy us as much as we think.