Actually G Kevin Zeitler (the player they got for OV) seems to be a pretty good player, an upgrade they need on the OL. Vernon underperformed for the Giants. He was hurt a lot and really was only a pretty good pass rusher.
As to OBJ being shopped, that seems like a media driven story with little basis on anything that the Giants front office has done or said. I still think that Eli is going to be the QB next year. After that, they need to figure out something. Personally, I’m on the fence about the draft. If they like any of the QB’s they probably need to take one. This trade, however, does leave a big hole at pass rusher. A position that is considered to be the strength of this years draft.
Gettleman’s focus for the Giants appears to have two points of emphasis: the trenches and offensive weapons.
Last year Gettleman drafted Saquon Barkley and extended OBJ’s contract. I doubt OBJ will be traded now.
This year he’s purging most of the veterans and free agents, focusing on the offensive line and improving the locker room. I think one key element to all of his plans is that Eli remains “good enough” for the next season or two. I doubt Eli will be traded.
One thing to keep in mind regarding Eli: He is now essentially a replacement level QB, reliably. As in, most “replacement level” players are journeyman who can play “good enough” if they have a good game, or possibly much worse. Eli occasionally has terrible games but for the most part you can reliably expect a replacement level performance out of him. This is something a coach can build around, and it definitely helps that Eli is being paid like a replacement level player.
Here’s a list of starting QB salaries. Eli is listed as $21 million / year, which sounds like way too much in a vacuum. But he’s the 13th highest paid QB, and barely costs more than the high-teens contracts for Ryan Tannehill, Case Keenum and Blake Bortles. Is Eli worth $21 million? Easy to say no. Would you rather have Eli, or Blake Bortles and a few million extra cap space? I’d much rather have Eli.
My main takeaway from that list of contracts is that Aaron Rodgers is way overpaid at $33.5 million. The only top 10 contract in that list that seems reasonable to me is Drew Brees @ $25 million, and he’s older than dirt.
Late-breaking Saturday night news: the Steelers have agreed to trade Antonio Brown to the Raiders, for 3rd and 5th round picks in this year’s draft. In addition, the Raiders will be giving Brown a new contract, worth $50.1 million over three years (up to $54.1 million with incentives).
Pretty good value getting a HoF receiver with a couple good years left for a third and a fifth round pick. Nice job.
Completely mental to give a 30 year old WR $30 million guaranteed and $50 million overall after you’ve gutted your roster, are in the process of “rebuilding”, and have no legitimate shot of competing for a Super Bowl in the next couple years.
Gruden is amazingly fun to watch, because there is absolutely no consistency or vision. I will enjoy watching that Oakland/Las Vegas thing devolve into a clusterfuck. It’s like Al Davis is still alive.
I love it that you have to compare Eli to Blake Bortles and Case Keenum to make it appear he’s some kind of value.
We’ve disagreed about Eli for years, and if anything, that time has shown I was, and still are, right in my assessment of Eli. I’m more than happy to watch the Giants spin their wheels for the 7th straight season without a playoff win with Eli.
I think it could’ve been an incredibly prudent move if they were able to trade away Antonio for a 1st round pick. To be clear, i loved watching AB, and would’ve preferred that he remained a productive member of the Steelers, but he is at an age where WRs start to decline and there’s obviously some kind of locker room issue, so getting back a 1st round pick would’ve a decent way to move forward. Getting only 3rd and 5th round picks is pretty meh. The best i can say now is at least the Le’Veon/AB circus is over now and we can just move forward.
I’m still unclear on whether 2019 is salary cap hell for the Steelers. Reportedly, they will have the most dead money in history (~$20M) for Brown, but i still don’t understand if they get additional cap space in 2019 because Bell never signed the franchise tag in 2018 (or if that “cap space” is just gone).
The Seahawks did that for Kam Chancellor as well, after he had a neck injury that ended his career (doctors say if he plays there’s a good chance it would paralyze him). But in Kam’s case, his contract is such that cutting him saves no money; it’s guaranteed.
But there doesn’t seem to be any resentment. He’s on the sideline for games, he gives encouragement and advice. He works out with them. He’s still part of the team (and on the roster) even though he’ll never take the field.
I like when players and teams have good relationships like that.
Bears are getting ready to something, restructuring Mack’s salary into a signing bonus. No reason to do that unless you want to spend that money now. They’re rumored to be going after Bell, but I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Definitely so. Even though I’m a Packer fan, I really respect the Bears for what they did for tight end Zach Miller. Miller had suffered a dislocated knee during a game in 2017, which also tore an artery in his leg, nearly leading to amputation. He was looking at a lengthy rehab, with no guarantee that he would ever play again. Yet, the Bears signed him for 2018, giving him the salary, as well as access to medical care from the team.
I haven’t seen this reported on this thread yet: Nick Foles makes bank with Jaguars
$88 million over 4 years with $50 million guaranteed. While he’s not awful, that’s a huge commitment for someone who’s just okay. He had one brilliant Super Bowl performance but that’s pretty much his one bright spot in a snooze of a career. Going to Jacksonville isn’t going to elevate him or anything. But the Jaguars are pretty used to losing so I think they’ll be okay.
The Packers, who were always very quiet in free agency when Ted Thompson was GM, announced four free agency signings today, which (by Packer standards) is huge:
It is so weird. Being a Packer fan, I’m not accustomed to the Packers being movers in free agency, but this year, they’ve signed 4 free agents, all of whom are upgrades to what they had on their roster. The Packers are getting really close to the salary cap, but it is heartening to see them actually try to win now. I’m excited about ZaDarius Smith, but getting Amos away from the Bears could be fun. Interesting to see hae these work out.
