2016-2017 NFL Thread

[Grube]

Bad things could still happen to the Raiders. I mostly just don't like talking shit to people who through no fault of their own lost their team. I mean, I can understand shit talking the Broncos, cause they've been successful for a long time and kept the teams in that division down, but the Chargers? They are like the Bills of the AFC West, never lucky.

Chargers won the division 5 out of 6 years not too long ago, so it isn't like they are have been bad for a long time. Having their entire team minus Rivers on IR every year is pretty unlucky though.

AFCW is actually pretty competitive overall too, 5 different teams have won it in the last 18 years even with the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos all going on runs in that time frame.

[xskarma]

Chandler Jones franchise tagged by the Cardinals, and Kawann Short tagged by the Panthers.

Steelers apparently just tagged Bell. Teams are seemingly not waiting till the last moment with it. Kind of odd, usually they all wait till the last day.

[Vetali]

Giants tagging JPP as well

interesting day.

[xskarma]

JPP apparently tagged by the Giants as well. Tags coming in from everywhere today, and there's still more than a day to go. Very unusual.

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Okay, so who is NOT tagged yet but might be still:

Kirk Cousins QB, Washington

Don'ta Hightower LB, Patriots

Terelle Pryor WR, Browns

AJ Bouye CB, Texans

Melvin Ingram OLB, Chargers

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Antonio Brown apparently becoming the highest paid WR in the league, according to Schefter. Apparently teams want to get all htier business done before the Combine starts or something.

[Northern Goblin]

I doubt the Browns will tag TP3, they can sort money out, they're 100 mil in cap space.

[xskarma]

"Antonio Brown deal: 4-year extension worth $68 million - 17M per year over 4 years, and $18.5M over 3 years. Tied to Steelers through 2021."

Source: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/sta...43306326065152

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I'm getting the vibe from a LOT of reporters today that they expect free agency to be crazy again with the amount of money that will get thrown around to players who don;t necessarily deserve it, but are just lucky enough to be free agents right now.

Makes me seriously wonder just how much money is going to be thrown at Hightower and if the Patriots will match it. I'm starting to think more and more that they'll let him walk.

[draynay]

Makes me seriously wonder just how much money is going to be thrown at Hightower and if the Patriots will match it. I'm starting to think more and more that they'll let him walk.

Walk to the Saints hopefully

[xskarma]

Post from free agency last year:

So many names I've never even heard about getting like $40M contracts.

Brandon Brooks, Rodney McLeod, who?!

I still have no fucking clue who those 2 guys are, and they cashed in massively. I fully expect more of this this year.



And @draynay HANDS OFF.

[Darth Belichick]

I have a feeling Hightower is going to get paid, and honestly, it might even be by the Pats. I could foresee a McCourty type of situation where he goes to FA, gets a good deal elsewhere, and the pats match it in the 23rd hour. He is one of the like 3-4 most important pieces on that defense.

And on that note, can we please pay Malcolm Butler already? I don't wanna see him go to FA, even if its restricted FA.

[xskarma]

I have a feeling Hightower is going to get paid, and honestly, it might even be by the Pats. I could foresee a McCourty type of situation where he goes to FA, gets a good deal elsewhere, and the pats match it in the 23rd hour. He is one of the like 3-4 most important pieces on that defense.

And on that note, can we please pay Malcolm Butler already? I don't wanna see him go to FA, even if its restricted FA.

Problem with both those guys is that there is precious little behind them on the depth chart. LB is a problem area even with Hightower on the team. CB depth is problematic too, with Logan Ryan pretty much 100% surely signing elsewhere. If Butler were signed away too we'd be left with Eric Rowe and Cyrus Jones (who was decent defensively before anyone throws a fit about his special teams gaffs). Both are areas we need to adress in free agency/draft anyway, but without Hightower or Butler we'd be in deep doodoo.



I'll be honest I kind have an ominous feeling about next year's defense. We have free agents at all levels of the defense and it's pretty much assured that our third safety and slot corner are going to walk (Harmon and Ryan), there's a good chance our rock on the D-line walks for a last fat contract (Branch), our signal caller on defense might walk (Hightower) and most of our veterans on the edge are likely going to walk or not re-signed (Long and Sheard). That's all players that played significant time. Only player below 55% of the snaps on defense was Harmon, and he played 48%.


Even if it's just the 2 certainties that walk away, that's still going to leave our secondary exposed. Jordan Richards has been a healthy scratch for most of last year and was more of a SS then a deep safety anyway, so we have no immediate replacement for our 3 safety package. Same thing with our 3 CB package, Cyrus Jones will have to step up into that 3rd role, but is he really going to take over the slot role without any hiccups? I have my doubts.



We will know more in about 3 weeks when every one should be signed again and Belichick has had a chance to bring in veterans from elsewhere to fill any gaps, but I reallllllllllllllly would feel a lot better if I knew that Hightower would still be in the middle of the defense, getting the play call out, and making adjustments.

[Grube]

I know of another team that can use a Hightower that has cap space because of having so many players on rookie/team friendly deals that is paying both QBs like 2 mill combined next year.

Contracts are going to keep going up as long as the cap goes up, so it makes sense that random people at weak positions could get over payed, happens every year just like certain positions get over drafted and bomb every year. Wouldn't be surprised to see some o-lineman I have never heard of get somewhat big deals this year.

[Vetali]

Pats have plenty of room to retain Hightower and Butler, but who knows wtf they will do.

[xskarma]

Colts lineman got busted for some crazy shit, including robbing someone of a street legal golf cart and driving it into a fence, while drunk. http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2...zona/98507834/

He'll probably end up in jail over this and be done. Off season, more dangerous to careers then concussions are for some players.

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Pats have plenty of room to retain Hightower and Butler, but who knows wtf they will do.

Butler is a RFA so if a team signs him and the Patriots don't match they'll get a first round draft choice for him back. Butler is a good player, but I don't think teams will value him good enough as a first round draft choice + large contract.

Hightower though... Patriots have the cap space, no doubt, but like you said, you never know wtf they will do. The one thing I keep in mind is that they pretty much always tend to make decisions on guys like Hightower early, and the fact they kept him around till now signifies that they want him on the team, or they would have traded him already. It's very rare for the Patriots to just let a top notch guy like Hightower walk without compensation of some kind.

If all they get back fro Hightower is a compensatory 3rd rounder next year, it's a bad deal, cause there's no way you can replace him this year with a 3rd rounder, let alone with a 3rd rounder that you only get next year.

...that is, unless the Patriots figure they CAN replace Hightower with a veteran and the linebackers they already have and they let him walk if the price is too high and invest that money elsewhere (in the D-line for instance). Cause in the end, you never fucking know with BB.

In BB we trust though, even if it's hard. If he let's Hightower walk, he did so with a plan in mind and we have to trust it will work out. I still remember when we went into 2015 with Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan as the top 2 corners after we had Revis and Browner walk and at the end of the year the secondary was probably our best unit. Things have a way of working out.

I'll be honest though. I just got my Edelman jersey delivered, but I would have just as gladly had a Hightower jersey, if it weren't for the fact I didn't know if he;d actually be on the team next season so Edelman was the only sure thing. Even Gronk is iffy enough that I would have probably not dared get his jersey, if they had had his available in my size.

Even Edelman could be gone after this coming season, but he's got the game winning TD in one Superbowl and the most jaw dropping play in another and kind of defines these Patriots teams over the past 4 years. I felt his status as a Patriot is above reproach enough that you can wear his jersey in like 20 years and still be relevant. Gronk and Hightower, not as sure.

[Pendulous]

Le'Veon Bell and Melvin Ingram have been tagged, not sure if those have been mentioned yet.

A deleted tweet seems to imply Tyrod Taylor is staying in Buffalo (good).

Information seems to suggest Eric Berry will be franchise tagged and Dontari Poe will be released. Pretty expected there, and the right call I think.

[Vetali]

Adrian Peterson to be let go by the Vikings. I don't think there is much of a market for him atm. Probably will end up back with the Vikings at a reduced pay.

[xskarma]

Cousins being tagged. Washington does the hard but necessary thing. Now they HAVE to lock him up long term this year or they are screwed next year when tagging Cousins would cost 35M and that's never going to happen. Washington is now on the clock.

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Okay, so who is NOT tagged yet but might be still:

Don'ta Hightower LB, Patriots

Terelle Pryor WR, Browns

AJ Bouye CB, Texans

Melvin Ingram was tagged too, so he's off this list. Basically only these names remain, unless something crazy happens, like the Rams tagging Trumain Johnson.

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Oh damn, apparently Eric Berry and the Chiefs are close to a deal. If they can get it done quickly it would mean the Chiefs could franchise tag Dontari Poe and keep himn on the team.

[Skayaq]

Cousins tagged by Washington. Chiefs have been busy today, first a five-year $41M deal with Duvernay-Tardif and then a 6 year $78M deal with Berry.

[xskarma]

Cousins tagged by Washington. Chiefs have been busy today, first a five-year $41M deal with Duvernay-Tardif and then a 6 year $78M deal with Berry.

Cap is going up something like 12 million. Teams are swimming in cash. Going to be a whole lot of players getting ridiculous cash, not just the really good guys.

That kind of sucks cause it means teams will have an easier time hanging on to players, which means less action in free agency.

A few years ago it's almost guaranteed that Cousins, Berry, JPP and other would have hit the market. Now, all tagged and locked up.

[Grube]

That Berry contract makes D-Stews contract look insanely good. Berry is quite a bit better, but thats almost twice as much per year. Well deserved for him. Tagging a QB for a second time is interesting, teams like the 49ers could be waiting until the last minute to do anything at QB just because Cousins might become available if they don't get a deal done.

Feels weird for Denver to not have anyone to tag, biggest FAs are Kayvon Webster, Dekoda Watson and Vance Walker. Should be interesting to see which round tender Elway puts on McManus though, especially with how many teams could use a kicker upgrade after last year.

[xskarma]

Chiefs continue making moves. Releasing RB Jamaal Charles.
@Pendulous Sorry dude.

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"Just in: @_sportstrust informed that Patriots' LB @Zeus30hightower will not be given franchise tag. Hightower now expected to test market."

Source: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/sta...60734608228352


>.<

For better or worse, Belichick will often let his players test the open market and see what their market value is. Usually the Players will take their offers to the Patriots and give them a chance to match. Sometimes the Patriots let them walk and it sucks (Welker) and sometimes it works out in the end (McCourty).

I still hope we can get Hightower signed, but with all the money out there, almost have to think some team will overpay for his services.