The Jags cut their starting QB for the last few years, David Garrard, this week. My question revolves around the concept of trying to get something in return for a player you no longer want, but the number of preseason NFL trades always seems very low (at least as compared to preseason MLB trades). Garrard may no longer fit into the Jags’ plans, but you’d think that he’d have enough value that it would be worth it to shop him around instead of just casually dumping him and getting zilch in return. Or does this basically involve the idea that a player can’t just jump into a new system and expect to be effective right away? So he spends a month memorizing playbooks first (beeg deal)-my original question remains.
If a player is traded, the new team is responsible for paying the old contract. If the player is cut/released, the new team can start negotiations fresh.
A new team wouldn’t be getting just Garrard. They would be getting Garrard plus a 9 million dollar debt.
This time of the year every NFL team has to trim their rosters significantly - and they all have to do so at the same time and under the same deadline. You’d be trying to shop around an unwanted player at the same time everyone else is trimming players, and you’d be attempting to do so at a time when every other team knows that you’ll have to cut him in another day or so anyway.
This, mostly. Garrard is better than 90% of the backups in the league, and several of the starters. However, there are few if any teams willing to pay him $9 million.
It’s possible that had they asked around a month ago someone might have coughed up a late round pick in addition to taking on his salary; but at this point teams have spent the last month evaluating the guys they already have, teaching them your system, telling the media and your team how much faith you have in them, etc. You can’t just turn around and dump that guy for someone who may be 5% better without looking ridiculous. … although the key there is the 5%; if the Patriots decided to trade Tom Brady tonight, they’d get ~25 offers by morning.
Basically, 33 year old David Garrard, at a price of $9 million, with no time to learn a new system, isn’t worth much.
And for the most part, NFL players don’t have guaranteed contracts, so the team that cuts them isn’t going to take a huge hit on salary.
Garrard may catch on in mid-season, when a starting QB gets hurt. But he won’t get $9 million.