Could these two be lining up together in 2018?
Jacksonville has been busy creating cap room over the last few days. Cutting Marcedes Lewis and Allen Hurns freed up $10m. Today it was revealed they’ve restructured Telvin Smith’s contract.
It means they have approximately $18m to spend.
So why are they making these moves?
Could they be creating room for an Earl Thomas trade?
The Jaguars are in ‘win now’ mode. They’ve been aggressive in free agency. Jason La Canfora called it a two-year window for Tom Coughlin in a piece earlier this week.
Despite fielding one of the best defenses in the NFL last season, the Jaguars were susceptible to the deep ball. Look how easily the Seahawks climbed back into the week 14 game between the teams. Unusually simple deep throws to Paul Richardson and Tyler Lockett almost inspired a late victory.
Touchdown #Seahawks They're crawling back in this game as Tyler Lockett scores! He pay's out +350 for that TD 🤑 and his team now trails the #Jaguars 30-24. pic.twitter.com/ODhCNHxiwS
— Bovada Official (@BovadaLV) December 11, 2017
In the AFC divisional game against Pittsburgh, Jacksonville were in complete control but blown coverages downfield kept the Steelers in it right until the end. Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns and 469 yards.
Tashaun Gipson gets beat bad by Martavis Bryant on a fourth down just before halftime.#Jaguars 28-14 #Steelers
🎥 : @LaurieFitzptrck pic.twitter.com/0ZkkPsg5Ju
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) January 14, 2018
That play above happened with 25 seconds left in the first half. It was a 36-yard pass from Roethlisberger, with the Steelers desperately trying to find some points trailing 28-7. That play — plus a 43-yarder to Antonio Brown later — kept Pittsburgh alive.
Thomas could be the missing piece to the defense. He’d take away the deep post and make the most of Jacksonville’s extreme talent at cornerback, linebacker and on the defensive line.
Furthermore, they also use a similar defensive scheme to the Seahawks. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash was Seattle’s D-line coach in 2011 and 2012 before leaving with Gus Bradley.
The Jaguars are picking in the late first round (#29). It’s possible New Orleans (#27) and Pittsburgh (#28) take safeties off the board right before they pick. Acquiring Thomas wouldn’t just make that a moot point. They’d add a future Hall-of-Famer to an already loaded defense. Jacksonville would be in a great position to go one better in 2018 and win the AFC.
For the Seahawks, it might be their best chance to get the desired first and third round pick they’re reportedly asking for.
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Makes a ton of sense for both teams. Earl would take that defense to another level. I would even be happy with a 1st this year and 3rd next year.
If we had # 18 and 29 I think JS would have a ton of flexibility to address the run game and perhaps add a high upside defender.
+1
Yes = it makes sense for both teams. Priority should still be a guard or tackle and a running back. Seahawks need plenty of offensive linemen to work with and get that line fixed for good.
But if Vita Vea is still there = he would be tough to pass up.
Why are people so willing to take less than what ET is worth?
Not singling you out Trevor but I see a lot of comments saying we should take anything,
ET is worth a current year R1 + R3 at least.
ET is worth whatever the team that offers you most is willing to give up. Nothing more or less.
Right. And the only information we have about his worth comes from SEA and their asking price (current year R1 + R3). We haven’t heard anything from any other team about they think he’s worth. So unless/until that happens, why drive his price down?
Remember he is on the record saying he wants to be the highest paid safety in the league. Whoever trades for him has to pay him too. That is why he is on the block.
Earl is worth that in OUR EYES. What the Hawks can get for him will probably be different. Also, remember the new team needs to afford him over the next 3-5 years.
+1
If we did trade him that could open up the door for McDougald to move back to FS then possibly sign a guy like Eric Reid for a one year deal to compete with Delano Hill for the SS spot (assuming Kam is done)
Sounds good to me. We need more cap space and to see what these young DB’s have to show us. End of an era, but the time is now.
possible if the Jags are willing to sacrifice the next few years salary caps and probably not be able to re-sign Earl
They are $14 mil over the cap for next year already, plus draft pics, plus whatever the re-structure is for Telvin Smith. They are going to be in bad shape after this year.
this may be a situation where there is a draft pick and a player going back to Seattle because of the salary cap situation, although NFL teams rarely do those type of “NBA type” deals.
Yeah, I mentioned that a couple of weeks back that when their young stars start to get paid it will be a rude awakening for any and all veterans on that team. However, they won’t keep Bortles through the duration of that extension. He will come off of the books. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, that’s their problem lol.
Their cap situation next year is a bit of a red herring.
They front loaded a lot of these big contracts. So for example, D.J. Hayden’s contract is technically a three-year deal. However, it’s really one year for $9.4m. They’ll save $11m per player if they cut one of Malik Jackson, Calais Campbell or Macell Dareus next off-season. If they trade for Earl they can cut Tashaun Gipson and save $8m against the 2019 cap.
They’ve structured their big veteran free agent deals perfectly, using the massive amount of cap space they have to front load contracts. When it’s time to pay their young stars — the Campbell’s, Jackson’s and Dareus’ etc will be coming to the end of the road anyway. So they can shift the cost to the younger players and still have money to spend.
It’s a textbook cap management situation and one other teams can learn from.
Trading for Earl won’t be a problem at all in that regard.
Ah dang, beat me to the punch there Rob :/
Quick on the draw 🙂
There’s a reason Jacksonville just created $8m in cap space. It’ll be interesting to see why.
suh?……I kid, I kid.
They have a ton of players they can cut for 2019 with little to no dead money. I posted a few days ago on here about how impressed i was with how theyve managed their cap.
Obviously whenever you go into win now mode there can be consequences down the line, especially when the time comes to re up Ramsey, Yannick and Fourenette, but overall theyve been really smart about making an aggressive push at a title without crippling themselves down the line.
They’ve also got guys like Jack, Fowler, and Ngakoue coming up in the next couple for new contracts. It would almost be an all or nothing approach to it this year if they did manage to snag Earl.
As explained though, this isn’t a problem. They’ve front loaded the veteran contracts. By the time Jack, Fowler, Ngakoue, Ramsey etc are due new contracts — they’ll be able to move on from Calais, Malik, Dareus, Gipson, Bortles etc and save the best part of $60m. It’s a textbook example of cap management. They’re taking advantage of their enormous cap room to bolster the young players with top-tier veterans. And when it’s time to pay the younger guys — they’ll move the money to them. So they become the top-tier veterans. As long as they continue to draft well to supplement the roster and can eventually find a better QB option, they’ll be a contender for a long time. All because of the way they’ve managed their cap.
Cap space in 2019 is not a problem for Jax.
Saw the other reply after refreshed the page. Makes me a bit jealous to know they are set up so well
If this is the case then I wonder if the Jags want to see how far Lamar Jackson falls, and then trade the trade might look like
Earl+18 for JAX 2018 29+r2 and a 2019 1st.
They get their franchise QB, and Earl Thomas, we get a restock for the next few years draft classes.
And if the second is too much bump it to a 3rd but we are giving up 18, so the 2nd rounder didn’t seem too crazy to me.
Earl isn’t likely to be traded on draft day because any team bringing him in will need to have a contract extension agreed. Also not convinced Jacksonville are going to be that inclined to create a QB drama. Think they’ll roll with Bortles for now and let the year play out.
The AFC mostly sucks. It’s not hard to understand why the Jags are going hard after the next couple years. After the evil empire they are probably the second best team in the AFC.
If they trade for Earl they are h favorite to go to represent the AFC.period.
Counterpoint: their quarterback is Blake Bortles.
They still went pretty far with that guy who played the role that many writers accused Wilson of being for the first few years of his career.
what they should do….is go after earl. Lock that secondary down. And then because there may be no team better built for this, go after Lamar Jackson and just run/roll over all their competition.
If they get earl or get Jackson there may not be a better contender in the afc.
We have Russell Wilson. He’s better than he was in 2013. We missed the playoffs.
Never doubt the BOAT
Now this makes too much sense.
Feel for you rob.
Kind of wish this earl thing would or would not happen already so we could get back to breaking down draft options.
I agree Peter, it’d be nice to know one way or another.
That said, I’ve already got another article lined up for later discussing defensive line draft options.
Obviously you’re killing it this season.
Also the free agent and Earl talks are a big part of the process.
Looking forward to the d line article. Lots of interesting names and Seattle seems a bit thin on the line.
Rob kills it every offseason! I’ve not found another site that can turn the offseason into such compelling narrative…Glad we are able to return the favor with Patreon.
Agreed. Rob kills it. Such a great resource.
Thanks Rob!!
+1
My man trayvon henderson out of Hawaii has himself a nice pro day.
Safety prospect. Super project. 6.88 3 cone, 39.5 inch vert, 10-4 broad. But hitting hair on fire safety.
Rob also mentioned 2 other former Hawaii players too – Keith kirkwood and nick Nelson. That sucks that Hawaii had talent but have struggled the past few years…
JSPC must have been bracing for this to happen. They drafted 4 DB’s last year and signed Bradley. There is going to be many hungry players fighting for starting in camp. For years now, there has only been a fight for backups and CB2. This camp, it’s almost a free-for-all-fight.
Huge pet peeve in the scouting community
“This RB only had 25 catches in 2 years, he must not be a very good receiver”
Nah u just lazy and bad at scouting.
#EndStatSheetScouting
You rarely see college running backs with alot of catches. You really dont see alot of receivers with a lot of catches. You see a lot more running plays so the numbers get out of whack.
Let me do a quick mock draft. I know it might be a little bit unrealistic, but one can dream 🙂
For the trades I use the updated trade chart:
https://www.patspulpit.com/2017/4/23/15398184/2017-nfl-draft-creating-a-brand-new-nfl-draft-value-trade-chart
Seahawks trade Earl Thomas to Jacksonville for #29 and next year’s 3rd round pick.
On Draft Day Seahawks trade #18 to Pittsburg for #28 and second round pick #60.
With the #28 pick Seahawks select Will Hernandez OG, UTEP
#29 and #120 (4th round pick) trade for Chiefs next year 1st round pick and this year 2nd round pick, #54.
2nd round:
With the #54 pick Seahawks select Tim Settle DT, Virginia Tech
With the #60 pick Seahawks select Nick Chubb RB, Georgia
5th round:
#141 for Shaquem Griffin OLB, UCF
#146 for Chad Thomas DE, Miami
#156 for Troy Apke FS, Penn State
#168 for Akrum Wadley RB, Iowa
7th round:
#226 for Dylan Cantrell WR, Texas Tech
#248 for Desmond Harrison OT, West Georgia
#250 for Brett Toth OT, Army
What do all you Seahawks fans think about it?
good picks solid mechanics and a good recoup of stock.
Still uncertainty about toth and his service so!e players have had deferments but it seems he may not get one?
Some players…..have had deferments I mean to say.
I think he has to do the service, but if this pick works out we could have a new Ben Garland..
Interesting choices. I believe they no longer have pick 250. So no worry over Toth’s status anyways. 2019’s extra rd1 and rd3 choices would be fun to discuss the following year as well!
I would love that group of players!
Judging by fan interest in chub, I don’t think he will last past 36-40. He will be second or third running back off the board. Its probably best not to get to cute with the draft trades and just go get him.
+1
I’d love it if those were the picks. After watching film on Settle, Griffin, Thomas, Cantrell and Harrison, I’d be very happy…which of course means it won’t happen. Another name to look at later, who has been covered here, is Siran Neal. His rep coming out of college kind of reminds me of Kam when he came out.
My favorite guy in this draft for the middle rounds is Jaylen Samuels, NC State. Put him in Wadley’s spot and this would be my favorite draft ever.
Yes, that would be even better, Samuels is a hell of a player.
TBH I’d be happy if the FO drafts 2 or 3 of these guys, but they always have different kind of players in their minds.
Again with the “Let’s fire sale” the best FS in football.
I’m so glad none of us are managing this team.
+1
I could see the Patriots as a good trade partner. They could give is 31 and 63 for 18 to move up and get a left tackle. They would still have that early 2nd rounder from SF for Garropolo.
TEF alert: Dakoda Shepley from UBC (Canada) worked out at the EMU pro day and put up 32.5″ vert, 9’3″ broad and 31 reps for a TEF of 3.28 which would stand 3rd at the combine. Weighed in at 6”4″ 305lbs
I’d assume late round/UDFA coming out of the Canadian system
http://3downnation.com/2018/03/20/canadian-ol-dakoda-shepley-puts-athleticism-on-display-at-eastern-michigan-pro-day/
Great athlete but a PS development guy for sure. Great guy to sign and stash on then practice squad for a year to adapt to the different game and level of competition.
with Luke gone and Ryan likely gone the team needs at least 1 canuck.
would like Nathan Sheppard as DT is a need also
I am with you! I would love that pick. He would be the best Canuck yet.
I wonder how a UBC guy ends up at Eastern Michigan Pro Day as opposed to one of the schools in the northwest.
Jacksonville needs to clear cap and is loaded at DT and needs safety help. Seattle is loaded at Safety and needs DT help.
Earl to Jacksonville for Pick 29 (overwhelmingly ironic) and Abry Jones straight up?
They’d only save $500,000 this year trading Jones but the thought did cross my mind that they might be willing to deal a D-liner.
I think the Seahawks would prefer the picks though. And there are some really good mid-to-late round DL’s in this draft.
Yeah, I can see that. Would love to see the team land one of the NC State DLiners. A future rotation of Jones, Reed and BJ Hill has a fun feel to it.
I’ve taken a liking to Andrew Brown myself.
Some interesting options, for sure. Probably why the free agent DT market was chilly, I would think.
Brown looked very, very good at the Senior Bowl and could probably be available between the 4th and 5th rounds.
Brown is a good run stuffer but he lacks the ability to pressure the QB. I like him in R7.
I would like to see them draft Kantavious Street. I really think with his size (280 and speed (4.7/4.8) he could fill a Will Tuafaka role as a DL/FB. He would be a nasty lead blocker.
John Schnieder is in attendance at USC pro day. Let the RoJo2 to Seattle train roll on. Go Hawks
C-Dog you beat me.
Seahawks reporters are all saying that Pocic added good weight in the offseason. We just signed Fluker. It would great to get one of Wynn, Hernandez or Corbett. I just really want Ronald Jones. If we can get Corbett in the 3rd round, great.
Even if we don’t get one of those OGs, imagine an OL like this:
Brown-Ifedi-Britt-Fluker-Fant
With Pocic backing up virtually every position, as well as a blocking TE/extra OT in goal line situations.
I know, I know, why move Ifedi? With an entirely new OL coach, anything can happen.
I would love this. Fant has/had a long time to recover. I think Solari is really gonna get the best out of him. Hopefully Ifedi as a guard too.
With an OL like that, we should be running for 200 yards a game!
Heard on KIRO radio today that Pocic was up to 322-lbs. (+ More muscles hopefully.) The OL is getting a lot bigger these days with the Fluker addition.
Subterfuge?
Could be Brown-Pocic-Britt-Fluker-Ifedi-Dickson as well. Fant the swing tackle, Odi and Roos swing guards. Could be pretty good.
Schneider at USC pro day today. I wonder who he is checking out.
RoJo, Rasheem Green and Uchenna Nwosu?
Those are the three that came to my mind.
C-Dog you beat me.
Go Hawks!
Do you think Seattle will take a look at DT Jonathan Hankins?
Too expensive. They get guys like that in May and June every year for vet minimum. Ok, Hankins is better than those guys, but not worth the $8M/year difference. IMO there’s 0 chance they even look at him seriously.
I agree, to much money for a run stuffer. They do need a veteran though.
RoJo won’t participate today at USC pro day.
Sorry. Now they say he will do some route running.
Nwosu is probably getting looked at
+1
I was just reading that the 49ers safety Eric Reid is still unsigned. Maybe the reason that Thomas is a hard sale is because there are two great safeties on the market.
I disagree ET is a “hard sale”
Just because it hasn’t happened yet (at least that we know of) doesn’t mean it’s hard. SEA have their price and they’re waiting for it.
Well I’m perfectly willing to let him play out the rest of his contract with the Seahawks. Do you think the Seahawks are willing to do that if they don’t get a 1st and 3rd?
I imagine they would prefer at least a 1st round draft pick this year instead of a 3rd/4th round comp pick 2 years from now.
I think a 1st is the lowest they’ll go.
I think they’ll move him. But I think that as much because I think they’ll get their price (or close enough) as because of them wanting to get whatever they can while they can.
I think Reid is gonna get blackballed. Also think the McD re-signing means we don’t go after Reid. I don’t think we signed McD to play FS. Reid has the athleticism to play FS but he seems like more of a quintessential SS to me.
That said, I would love to have Reid come here. But I doubt it happens unless it’s a low-ball deal because nobody else will sign him.
What are your guys thoughts on Green from USC?
Love Rojo as a runner but he does not look natural catching the ball. Is that something to be concerned about?
Today he catched 1/4 i think. But he is still injured.
Bum hammies
Ronald Jones caught 39 balls over the last 3 seasons. Jamaal Charles was a really good receiver out of the backfield, so the comparison to their running style is valid, but Charles caught almost everything thrown his way. I still want Jones, in fact that’s all I want from the first round.
No. I think he is a natural. They just didn’t use him as a pass catcher
Charles had 49 catches in 3 years at Texas and Jones had 39. Colleges just dont use the RB’s that often in the passing game.
I dug through some RoJo highlights. This one shows him catching the ball more than once. It covers highlights from 2015-2017. As he only caught 39 balls vs 580+ rushing attempts, it wasn’t often that I saw him catch the ball.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YB4O9OR9c
A couple of screens, scramble drill where he sits in the open zone, and a wheel route, down the sideline, over the shoulder. Okay, he looks natural as a receiver. A youtuber calls him the Texas Tesla, because he’s from Texas and well because he accelerates in ludicrous mode.
I watched a lot of Jamaal Charles because he was my fantasy franchise protected player. RoJo not only runs like him, but also catches the ball effortlessly like him.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more accurate pro-comparison than Rojo and Jamaal Charles. They are virtually the same player.
I just can’t see the Jags giving up a 1st and a 3rd, leaving them with one pick in the first 2 days, and a late second at that.
I’d probably take their first and TJ Yeldon. Yeldon can compete or provide depth in-case Carson or a rookie RB gets hurt.
Well when the Seahawks were contending, they regularly made trades like that…
Most of those came back to haunt us though…
True, but ET is a proven HOF caliber player in the prime of his career. Harvin was all potential (almost unproven in the NFL) when they traded for him. And Jimmy Graham isn’t a HOF player.
Sure, but it shows that teams are willing to consider trades like this during a window.
Rob I think the other team that could be interested in Earl is Atlanta. What are your thoughts about that?
Saints, not sure why they’re not talked about as a possible suitor. I guess, honestly though, what team couldn’t use ET?
The Falcons are pretty set at safety with Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen.
Question Rob. I am on the I Wynn train, nothing has taken me off since I got on. Betters stated the LG train, trading back and missing out on Wynn but drafting Hernandez or Corbett is fine by me. Who knows how they will be slottted.
Thing is the only player I don’t fully trust is Ifedi. I like him a lot, just seems to really lack discipline. With Fluker signing and OL shuffling doesn’t that RT spot stick out more as per quality? If Fant comes back and he is suited for such, that would be amazing. Brown and Fant as bookends. If not, would Hawks consider UT’s Connor Williams as per versatility to play LG and or RT?
Brown, Wynn, Britt, Fluker, Fant is the ideal for me. With Pocic as the swing. They need more depth, so Ifedi fits plus the fact that Fants is not ready just yet. I just see Ifedi as a possible trade candidate. I know he won’t garner much in trade market.
We’ll see. Earl Thomas situation will dictate all of this.
I don’t think so personally. None of the potential tackles in this class fill me with any more confidence than Ifedi.
I think we need to give Ifedi some time. He’s had one season starting at right tackle in the NFL in a year when the whole line was awful. They’ve changed coaches for a reason and it’s time to see what Mike Solari can do and start afresh. Plus the addition of Ed Dickson at tight end should help the RT plus they could still draft another good blocking TE like Schultz, Smythe or Dissly.
Another thing to remember is Ifedi will now have a veteran blocker on either side of him. Fluker would be at RG replacing Pocic and Dickson will most likely line up next to Ifedi. I feel more comfortable with Fluker and Dickson next to Ifedi that I do with Pocic and Graham.
Absolutely!
Just curious but when was the last time a team gave up a 1st round pick for a veteran defensive player?
Probably Revis.
Forgot about Revis and I think Dan Wilkinson got traded for a first.
It does not happen often. I guess as much as I would like it to happen I think the odds of getting 1st are pretty slim unless it is a team like the Jags who feel he could put them over the top.
More shopping for DT:
Hmmm, Seahawks not even mentioned in passing. Guess Rob’s intuition was right on this one. But if he is “back home”… 😉
Suh cancels his visit with the Raiders after having his meeting with McVay and the Rams.
Does this imply he was very impressed and has made his decision.
That scares me.
All signs pointing to Suh in LA next year.
Might be time to get used to that (slightly terrifying) thought…
Rob, just wanted to jump in here and give a shout out. You do great work and your site is a daily must read. Thank you~
Thanks for the kind words Edgar and thank you for reading
Brown got 2 years 5.5 mil not bad for hawks.
Florida St’s Josh Sweat met with the Seahawks.
Which mean, in all likelihood, JS and Seattle were scouting Rasheem Green at USC this year.
Long, athletic, 20 years old, 10 sacks, can line up just about anywhere.
DL dries up quick this year
I wouldn’t be surprised if we went DL, RB
More depth at RB than DL
EDGE rush dries up for sure. Some good DT options later. But the EDGE is limited.
I don’t think they were watching ‘one’ guy at USC this year. Lot’s of pro-prospects.
But of all the players at USC I think they’re going to be all over Ronald Jones II. We’ll see. Just a hunch…
Early numbers for Jaren Brown. 2 years $5.5 million with a SB of $1.95 and $2.75 mill guaranteed.
Year——–Base———-SB——-Cap Hit
2018——-$800k——-$975k——-$1.775m
2019——-$2.75m—-$975k——–$3.725m
This like another one year deal with a 2nd year option. Like Mingo and Dickson they can easily cut bait after year one and if it works out you get a good value in year two. That is the beauty of the two year contract. Dickson in a three year but is built the same way.
Love seeing half the money as 2nd year base salary. Easy to cut if you need to. Thanks for posting these in such a readable format.
Just waiting on Fluker’s now. I think we have everyone else’s.
Is Fluker a draft hedge or a hedge for Ifedi?
The latter. Big Ole T/G
Yes
I hear ya. 😉
I don’t think he’s a hedge for Ifedi.
I think more than anything this is Mike Solari vouching for Fluker’s impact in the run game and the price was right, so they brought him in. They still need a LG. That could be Pocic or Odhiambo but we’ll see.
I read today that NYG averaged 20+ rushing yards more per game in 2017 with Fluker in the lineup.
That would be a bitter pill to swallow. Maybe we can play 8 OL and flank them with TE’s on the outside so maybe we can block them? Ugh.
A ten man line? I like it, very retro like the old Flying V. RW becomes RB/QB. Next year everyone in the league will be doing it.
Looking at DJ Fluker, he just looks like a guy ready to kill someone. That is something that will look good on our O Line. Reminds me of Breno G.
I defy you to find better feet than Royce Freeman
I love Royce. Legit one of my favorite backs.
He ain’t Le’Veon Bell although their athletic profiles are so, so similar. Probably more like Jordan Howard.
Howard & Tarik Cohen is one of the better young 1-2 punches in the league.
Freeman & McKissic & Carson? Oh hell yeah!
Kelly’s feet are pretty dang good. He’s a skateboarder, and that balance and foot agility shows.
but he goes down when the wind blows to hard. He is like Shawn Alexander part 2.
Kelly? I think the Florida and Georgia Tech defenses would tell a different story. That dude can stay up through contact.
Yeah, Kelly is one of the hardest runners to tackle in this draft.
I was referring to Freeman, Kelly is a beast.
Yeah, I agree on Freeman. He’s on the ground if you look at him wrong.
So far between adding Bradley McDougald, Barkevious Mingo, Ed Dickson, and Jaren Brown they have only eaten up $9.37 million of cap space in 2018. Ill add in Fluker as soon as I get the numbers.
A shot from the hip:
With the cap space they saved by cutting Sherman and trading Bennett, they signed:
Starting TE (Ed Dickson)
Retained starting SS or FS (Bradley McDougald)
Starting SAM/LEO (Barkevious Mingo)
Starting RG (D.J. Fluker)
#3/4 WR (Jaron Brown)
Marcus Johnson (Possible depth WR/core special teams)
Maurice Alexander (Former starting SS/depth, competition for Hill & Thompson)
5th round draft pick
I hated losing Sherman and Bennett. That being said, while none of the guys they signed in their stead are all stars, they’re good football players and the kind of players they want on the team. With the exception of safety (which also gets questionable if they trade Earl), the entire defense still needs a major infusion of depth and youth. At least they did tender Coleman and Jordan (predictable). I’d feel a bit better if they bring Maxwell back and a veteran DT like a Bennie Logan. Suh was/is doable but a pipe dream at the same time.
I still see Seattle as a 7-9 team right now, unless they nail this draft, which could change everything. They’re still going to be a fun team to watch anyway – maybe even more fun – with lower expectations this season.
I have seen a lot of people on Twitter mocking the Hawks for supposedly changing their price for Earl from a first round pick to a first and a third rounder. I replied that there is a good chance that they have told teams that are in the teens that it would take a first round pick and they told teams picking at the end of the round that it would take a first and a third. sense to me so a team like JAX would take a first and a third.
Another team to keep an eye on is the Chargers. They are picking at 17 and looked very squared away right now with their roster. Except at safety. I could see them trying for ET and the Hawks would be willing to take their first round pick.
I think you’re right Ralph. It’s highly unlikely they’re demanding a R1 and a R3 from teams in the teens. If you’re picking at #27, #29 or #31 — then it makes sense to ask for another pick. For example, trading down from #17 to the late 20’s or early 30’s might net you a third rounder. So that’s the price difference there. Perfectly fair to ask for a R1 at #19 and an extra pick for a later R1.
You might end up settling for a R4 instead of a R3 but you have to negotiate from the 1+3 starting point.
Can someone help me understand why Earl’s contract keeps coming up in this discussion?
His extension should have no bearing on the trade. The Hawks can trade him for whatever they want in terms of picks, and they have no obligation to him before, during or after at anytime.
So he wants to be paid? That is for him to work out with his new team on his own. There isn’t a no trade clause so if the trade partner wants to “one and done” him they can also choose to do so. What am I missing here? We don’t owe him anything.
He has contracted the “disease of me,” which is basically like quitting on the team until he gets paid.
The reason his contact keeps coming up is the best way to get value is to allow a team to discuss an extension with ET and then complete a trade.
Nobody is going to pay, for example, a top-40 pick for a rental. I know we’ve seen recent examples of rental deals (Sammy Watkins, Sheldon Richardson) but if anything that works against Seattle. Watkins will bring a third round comp pick to the Rams but Richardson certainly won’t. Teams have seen the best and worst of that situation and with the way the safety market currently is in free agency, will probably be put off risking a rental scenario.
So it’s not about any obligation to Earl Thomas or anything like that. It’s merely about the Seahawks getting proper value. No doubt someone would give them a R3 right now to bring him in without discussing a new deal. That’s not what the Seahawks want though. And if they want a R1 plus or even just a R2, they’re going to have to strike a deal with a team that can negotiate a contract extension first.
so we want to give the fake LOB our HOF free safety?? lol nope. let Jax struggle on their own without our help, they talked n talked n talked n talked and couldnt walk the walk and i sure as heck dont want to help them. next year they wont even get past the 1st round of the playoffs so its not like ET will have success there. if we are gonna send him anywhere send him to the Cowboys cause they wont get any better from it really and they WILL overpay for his services. i would rather have us get a comeup off a team that sucks rather then helping the fake LOB get a solid FS lol if we get the same quality in return then why would we help another good team even if its in the AFC?? lol cowboys will never be good again so just sent ET there
really excited about getting Marcus Smith back for another season in a rotational role with more opportunities for PT… what % of snaps do yall think he could play this year??