Sports

[yellowBeetle]

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@Spurtwrote:

@yellowBeetle

John Keim said the Snyder rumor wasnt true....Snyder and the team really tried to woo Cousins into re-signing, they wanted him to stay.....but obviously it didnt work.  Although its true they didn want to see Kirk and Kyle re-unite that wasnt the reason for the tag......they wanted to work out a deal..........

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@Spurt

You know I read and heard that Snyder story in multiple places over the last few years...but maybe it was erroneously started by one person and just kept getting perpetuated by different people!

One thing that just about everyone can agree on, though, is that the Redskins and Kirk Cousins will be better off having parted ways! The combo was just not working!

[gardenman]

Lots of craziness around the league yesterday with some head scratching contracts thrown around. One of the more confusing contracts was Ryan Grant's. He got a four year $29 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus and $14.5 million guaranteed. That's some serious money for a seldom used guy who isn't a top notch receiver. Last year wide receivers had very little value. This year, even the mediocre guys are getting wheelbarrows of cash plopped down in front of them.

As good as it is for wide recievers, the free agent marketplace is even better for quarterbacks. It looks like something like $200 million in total was dedicated to quarterbacks yesterday and none of them are top ten, or arguably top twenty quarterbacks.

It looks like Saquon Barkley may be dropping a bit in the draft as the Browns and Giants are both signing free agent running backs instead of drafting Barkley. He could drop to the Jets or Bucs, or even slip farther.

By four o'click today every team has to be below the cap. The Eagles made it yesterday by restructuring Lane Johnson's contract and cutting Brent Celek. At four, all of the trades will be official, free agents will officially sign, and the new league year will start.

[gardenman]

The Eagles signed linebacker Nigel Bradham to a five year $40 million deal. That's a good signing for the Eagles. Bradham was a key piece of the defense. Getting him back is one less hole to fill.

I haven't heard anything about Darren Sproles. I suspect he'll end up back in Philly on a one year, low cost contract. Some other team may sign him, but I don't see him getting a big deal at his age coming off a torn ACL. The Eagles likely value him the most right now, and he'd fill the kick returner role for the Eagles.

[teganslaw]

The Jaguars signed former Colts WR Donte Moncrief. I think it was for 10 million. Moncrief stated out playing well, but his productivity decreased later on. Not sure how well he'll do in Jacksonville.

The Colts are interested in re signing C Rasheem Melvin (I hope they do), but are taking a "wait and see" attitude. It's kind of frustrating to see other teams signing all kinds of free agents and not hearing much from Indy. Ballard has already stated that he won't make a big splash in free agency, but it's difficult to wait like this and wondering "how would this certain player fit in with the Colts?"

Tyrann Mathieu will most likely be released because he won't take a pay cut, according to an article I read. Mathieu won't be at any loss for suiters. There will be some teams who want him no matter what.

[gardenman]

It's an interesting year in free agency. Some teams seem to buying up every player with no regard to price, while other teams are more or less just sitting around and watching. The Eagles have been moderately active, but by and large I'm happy with the moves so far. Adding Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata to the defensive line should improve the depth. Resigning linebacker Nigel Bradham is good. Corey Nelson is a good, low cost option at linebacker. Losing Patrick Robinson, our slot corner, hurts a bit, but should be survivable.

[yellowBeetle]

Eli must be thrilled at the Giants getting  Nate Solder! 

And Jonathan Stewart is a good acquisition for the Giants, too. He is getting a bit "old" for the position...but still very talented.

Given Stewart's age, though, would not be surprising if the Giants went with Saquon Barkley as their pick. The Eagles certainly showed this year how advantageous it is to have multiple RBs.

[yellowBeetle]

Wanted to add to my above post that even though Cleveland picked up a RB, it would not be surprising, imo, if they still went for Saquon Barkley with their #1 pick...and got a QB at #4. 

And where will N. Suh wind up?? Some are saying Dallas. 

[gardenman]

Eli gained Nate Solder as his left tackle, but lost his center Weston Richburg, who was the Giants best offensive lineman last year. Solder's a good piece, but they need three or four linemen not just one. I still think the Giants have to take a QB at two. Getting that second pick in the draft in a quarterback rich draft, isn't easy. We've seen the problems teams have finding young QB's and if there's a guy there they like, they'd better grab him.

I'm pretty sure most of the teams that signed a QB are planning to draft a kid. There were lots of one and two year contracts given. If they really believed in Bradford, Keenum, Bridgewater, or the rest, they'd give them five year deals to lock them in. Even Cousins is only getting a three year deal. Most of the free agent QB's signed today can be flushed this time next year if the kid is ready.

I think three QB's will go in the first four picks and it could be four in the first four. Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen are pretty much NFL ready now. Baker Mayfield might be able to play now. Lamar Jackson is the most physically gifted, but probably not pro ready. Josh Allen is a wildcard. Prototypical size, great arm talent, but questionable football intelligence. Any, or all of them could be great, could bomb, or could be mediocre, but all five will likely be gone early. I could see the first five picks being QB's with the Colts (pick 3) and Browns (pick 4) trading down. The Bills and Jets will be looking to move up. I don't think they can get to one or two, but three and four should be in play. If they move up for a QB and the Broncos take a QB at five then we could see the first five picks all be QB's.q

[gardenman]

The first wave of signings is now done. All of the quarterback needy teams signed a guy or two. Nearly all were signed to just one or two year contracts though which makes me suspect they're nearly all viewed as place holders and not "the guy." The Cards made the most puzzling signings giving Sam Bradford $20 million, and Mike Glennon $8 million. They then had to cut Tyrann Mathieu to free up the cap space. When you have to cut one of your best players to sign an often injured quarterback who has a mediocre record, something's wrong.

By and large from this stage on things calm down. Players will fly to teams to see the facilities, meet the staff, get a feel for the organization, and decide where to go. The frantic "We need this guy!" stage of free agency is largely over and now we enter the "Can this guy help us?" and "Can we afford him?" stage of free agency. The panic of needing to sign a guy is largely gone and now it's time for both players and teams to become smarter shoppers.

By and large, the Philly media and fan base are happy with the Eagles' signings. We traded for Michael Bennett and Daryl Worley, signed Haloti Ngata (not yet official as he has to pass a physical,) and Corey Nelson. We lost Beau Allen and Patrick Robinson. 

Teams are sitting back now, looking at who's left, checking their cap numbers, comparing the remaining guys to guys they could get in the draft, and trying to decide where best to spend their remaining money. Expect Suh and Tyrann Mathieu to sign sometime today or tomorrow. They'll be priority guys for several teams who won't want them to leave their facility. They won't want to wait too long to sign for fear teams will spend too much to be able to afford them. 

[teganslaw]

This has been one of the busiest free agencies I can recall. Frank Gore is finalizing a deal with the Lions. I thought that he wanted to go to a contender, but they must have offered him some good incentives. I wish Gore well, as he is an upstanding person.

Barkevious Mingo signed with Seattle: Indy's loss, Seattle's gain. I didn't like losing him, but Seattle can use his talents, as their defense was kind of depleted.

The Raiders are interested in Jordy Nelson. If he signs with them, the team would release Michael Crabtree.