Thread: NFL 2017: draft, deals, and season

No, it's not too early for a little Football talk now. The draft is coming up I'm hoping me team can get a good O-lineman and make some deals for next season.



The current Kirk Cousins situation as of now with the franchise tag deadline approaching:

Quarterback Kirk Cousins won't sign a long-term deal before Washington applies the franchise tag to him, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Monday.

Florio cited "a source with knowledge of the situation" and noted Washington has nine days to apply the tag but could avoid doing so if it inked Cousins to a new contract. Alas, the signal-caller is reportedly more interested in drawing a second franchise tag.

Florio explained there is little motivation for the Michigan State product to sign a long-term deal before he is tagged, noting the deadline to turn said tag into a longer contract is still July 15 even after the March 1 tag deadline passes.

Florio provided additional details on the situation:

And so the flow chart for Washington is simple through March 1: Tag him or don't tag him. If he's tagged, Cousins will rush to sign it, adding $23.94 million to the $19.95 million he earned last year. Then, talks on a long-term deal likely will consist of Cousins receiving $23.94 million fully guaranteed in 2017, plus a 20-percent raise (reflecting the increase arising from use of the transition tag) fully guaranteed for 2018. It's a total of $52.67 million over two years; for anything less than that, Cousins should again take it year to year.

In essence, Washington missed an opportunity to ensure Cousins' long-term future remains with the organization at a reasonable price with a potential longer offer when he was still under his rookie contract.

Now the quarterback has leverage, and he couldn't have picked a better time to possess it.


Pro Football Focus lists Cousins as the top free-agent quarterback on its free-agency tracker, and the next five are Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Geno Smith and Shaun Hill. Those names don't exactly scream future Lombardi Trophy winners, making Cousins look all the better if he were to hit the open market.

What's more, he is just 28 years old and proved his durability by appearing in all 16 games in each of the last two seasons.

He threw for a career-high 4,917 yards to go along with 25 touchdowns in 2016, and the draft isn't exactly a viable fall-back option considering Chris Biderman of USA Today's Niners Wire said the quarterback class "appears pretty weak at the top."

Cousins has the leverage in this situation, and he is apparently set on waiting for the franchise tag before considering a long-term deal with the team that drafted him in 2012.

Kirk Cousins Reportedly Won't Sign New Contract Before Franchise-Tag Deadline | Bleacher Report


Can the Seahawks draft a TOP lineman in the first round? Some possibilities:

image: http://walterfootball.com/images/fba...awksb_logo.gif

Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Ramcyzk, OT, Wisconsin
image: http://walterfootball.com/college/Wisconsin_logo.gif

The Seahawks are clearly desperate for some offensive line help, as Russell Wilson barely had any time to throw this past season. I'd have to think that Seattle would jump at the opportunity to select one of the first-round tackles if one happens to be available, and that would be the case in this update.

Seattle Seahawks: Garett Bolles, OT, Utah



The Seahawks are clearly desperate for some offensive line help, as Russell Wilson barely had any time to throw this past season. It remains to be seen if Garrett Bolles would pass Seattle's qualifications for taking a blocker, so I guess we'll find out in a few weeks at the combine.

Ryan Ramcyzk's designation is a tricky one. He's a talented tackle, but will be undergoing hip surgery, so it's unknown if he'll work out for teams leading up to the draft.

Read more at WalterFootball.com: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: First Round Continued


Will Romo move on and where? I assume he'll go somewhere b/c of this age and competitiveness.

Did Pierre Garcon leave the Skins?

Will Russel "glass" Okung return to Seattle?


How your team doing?

Is Scot McCloughan on another drunken bender. He's been canned from two teams (the Niners and Seahawks). Now he's AWOL for the Skins.....

The move comes amid uncertainty at other levels of the organization, with questions surrounding the Redskins' general manager and starting quarterback.

Jay Gruden's contract extension comes amid uncertainty at other levels of the Redskins organization. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

GM Scot McCloughan is not at the NFL scouting combine with the rest of the Redskins brass this week. The team said McCloughan is tending to a family matter -- his grandmother died recently -- and he will return to the job once the matter is resolved.

Washington Redskins extend head coach Jay Gruden

Where's Romo headed? Guess correctly and win a prize.

ROMO'S FUTURE, CONFIDENT QB WON'T SIGN WITH RIVAL

On the heels of Dak Prescott winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and being named to the Pro Bowl, Romo is likely to be moved in order to return to a starting role.

Jerry Jones Discusses Tony Romo's Future, Confident QB Won't Sign with Rival | Bleacher Report

Yeah, the Romo to Redskins thing never really made much sense. Plus why would the Redskins give up their franchise QB when they could just tag him? And a three way trade?

The whole thing sounded absurd and almost made up from the start

Originally Posted by redhaze

Yeah, the Romo to Redskins thing never really made much sense. Plus why would the Redskins give up their franchise QB when they could just tag him? And a three way trade?

The whole thing sounded absurd and almost made up from the start

I never heard the 'Romo to the Skins' rumor but even Dan Snyder is not that stupid.

He's old and fragile. Seriously, I'll be money he get injured again this year.

Cousins is the man in Washington (for better or worse). He's all they've got. He did bang up good numbers this year but they missed the playoffs.

As for Romo, he'll land somewhere.


Draft day is coming to....

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

me team can get a good O-lineman

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Can the Seahawks draft a TOP lineman in the first round?

The seahawks issues go deeper than the O-line. The SB win is now 3+ years ago. ET III has to recover from a major injury. Wilson also banged up, 34 TDs and 8 Ints in 2015, 21 TDs and 11 Ints in 2016. Defense had highest points against, and offense had fewest points scored, since 2011.

Hawks have made the post season five seasons in a row, these streaks tend to end.

However, if Seattle believes they are still elite, they should go after AdrianP.

Seattle Seahawks Should Pursue Adrian Peterson In NFL Free Agency

Peterson would likely have some level of interest in joining the Seahawks should they send a contract offer his way. Seattle is widely viewed as a serious contender in the NFC, although other teams have surged past them.

Originally Posted by UrbanMan

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

me team can get a good O-lineman

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Can the Seahawks draft a TOP lineman in the first round?

The seahawks issues go deeper than the O-line. The SB win is now 3+ years ago. ET III has to recover from a major injury. Wilson also banged up, 34 TDs and 8 Ints in 2015, 21 TDs and 11 Ints in 2016. Defense had highest points against, and offense had fewest points scored, since 2011.

Hawks have made the post season five seasons in a row, these streaks tend to end.

Agreed.

More issues than the O-line. As for ETIII, he posted a photo of him jobbing but of course jogging does not tell the complete story early on.

However, if Seattle believes they are still elite, they should go after AdrianP.

Seattle Seahawks Should Pursue Adrian Peterson In NFL Free Agency

I heard the rumors about the Pats wanting him, also. AP wants a ring.

Peterson would likely have some level of interest in joining the Seahawks should they send a contract offer his way. Seattle is widely viewed as a serious contender in the NFC, although other teams have surged past them.

Yeah, the Seahawks window has closed enough where they can have a winning season but are not the caliber to go all the way.

McCloughan canned by Skins.

He must off on a wild multi-day bender.




Redskins fire general manager Scot McCloughan

Published: March 9, 2017
The Washington Redskins will trek through NFL free agency without a full-time general manager.

Hours after the start of free agency, the Redskins announced the dismissal of general manager Scot McCloughan. The Washington Post first reported the story.

"The Washington Redskins have released Scot McCloughan from the organization effective immediately," team president Bruce Allen said in a statement released by the team. "We wish him success in his future endeavors. The team will have no further comment on his departure. The organization remains confident in our personnel department as we execute our free agency plans as well as prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft."

Redskins fire general manager Scot McCloughan - NFL.com

Bit of weird start for Arizona.

Lose Calais Campbell, Tony Jefferson, and DJ Swearinger. All three had really big seasons in 2016. Also dropped our kicker Chandler Catenzero.

Pick up Karlos Dansby (for his third stint with the team) at age 36 (he did somehow still produce last year), Antoine Baethea (49ers safety), and Phil Dawson (49ers kicker). Also appear about ready to ink Chandler Jones to a huge multi year deal, and just inked TE Jermaine Gresham to a long term deal.
The 49ers are losing the few decent players they have left.


Mixed bag at best, they'll be lucky if these moves end up in a wash. Gonna take more if they want to be serious contenders. Still need a big WR, more safety depth in case Honey Badger remains or gets reinjured, a corner to play opposite Peterson, a backup RB, and a whole lot more help to ensure special teams doesn't destroy another season for us (the new kicker was one step towards that goal, even though he's old as dirt).

Gonna be a long offseason...

Originally Posted by redhaze

Lose Calais Campbell, Tony Jefferson, and DJ Swearinger.

Devastating.

Houston just pulled of a coup. Traded Osweiler to the Browns, dumped 16 million bucks a year in salary.

Houston Texans trade Brock Osweiler, 2018 second-round pick to Cleveland Browns

Romo to Houston in a day or two.

Coup is all relative, they just signed him to that contract last year. And they gave the Browns a 2nd round pick just to take them off their hands. That doesn't exactly sound like happy times to me.

If they get Romo, well I suppose that would brighten the scenario up a good bit

Originally Posted by redhaze

If they get Romo, well I suppose that would brighten the scenario up a good bit

Your presuming Romo has anything left. Last time he played well was 2014.

Jerry Jones may not know how to run a team, but he is a deal maker. For him to get anything for Romo is a win for the boyz.

I agree, and even assuming he does have something left how long can he play before falling apart?

Only a team that is truly desperate would give anything away for him. Texans, I'm looking in your direction....

Romo's been released so he can go where is wanted and wants to go. Me thinks the same on Houston.

RGIII released also.

More on McCloughan. Dyfunction in Skin-land. It's a soap opera. Styles didn't jell? Personalities not compatible? A few nips too many?

Washington Fired Scot McCloughan And Is Already Smearing Him With Alcohol Claims

By: Ryan Phillips | March 9, 2017

Washington has finally fired general manager Scot McCloughan after more than a week of uncertainty. McCloughan wasn’t in attendance at the NFL Scouting Combine, and has reportedly been out of the loop in the team’s free agency plans. We don’t know why McCloughan was canned two years into a four-year contract but several storylines have emerged. One claiming he had an alcohol problem.

Here’s the statement team president Bruce Allen released:

“The Washington Redskins have released Scot McCloughan from the organization effective immediately. We wish him success in his future endeavors. The team will have no further comment on his departure. The organization remains confident in our personnel department as we execute our free agency plans as well as prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.”

Then behind the scenes, Washington has already started smearing him. Here’s the first salvo:


Mike Garafolo ✔ @MikeGarafolo
Unnamed Skins team official told @washingtonpost McCloughan was fired b/c of alcohol relapses. Showed up in locker room drunk, report says.
7:18 AM - 10 Mar 2017

Hogs Haven @HogsHaven
Unnamed Skins official on McC firing: “He showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions. This has been a disaster for 18 months.”
7:23 AM - 10 Mar 2017

But not everyone is buying that:


Mike Jones ✔ @MikeJonesWaPo
Most teams are busy signing free agents. Redskins are busy firing their GM, who everyone who worked and played for him respected.
7:16 AM - 10 Mar 2017

Mike Jones ✔ @MikeJonesWaPo
Was told late in the season of jealousy up top and how they'd one day use McCloughan drinking as an excuse to can him. Exactly what happened
7:21 AM - 10 Mar 2017

Follow
Mike Jones ✔ @MikeJonesWaPo
But players, his scouting staff, and even coaches all respected and appreciated McCloughan.
7:22 AM - 10 Mar 2017

This was also pretty telling:

Mike Jones ✔ @MikeJonesWaPo
Had to add this. ... This nugget here really blew my mind. Players loved McCloughan's approach. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.92cfd3102ffc …
8:54 AM - 9 Mar 2017

So either McCloughan was drinking again, or Allen and the team’s top brass really didn’t like him. Either way, the fact that Washington is leaking his alcohol issues is a clear shot at the team’s now-former GM. If the franchise really cared about his health, everyone involved would keep that quiet.

McCloughan is well-regarded around the league as a fantastic talent evaluator and he’s done a great job helping to rebuild Washington’s roster. His firing has to come as a huge shock to the players and staff who loved him.

On Thursday. Washington lost both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, while recently-franchised quarterback Kirk Cousins has reportedly asked for a trade.

So yeah, Washington is a mess of a franchise right now. What was old is new again.

Washington Fired Scot McCloughan And Is Already Smearing Him With Alcohol Claims | The Big Lead

The reports that Romo has been released are not true. Not to say it won't happen, but he is still a member of the Cowboys as of now.

Originally Posted by redhaze

The reports that Romo has been released are not true. Not to say it won't happen, but he is still a member of the Cowboys as of now.

He won't be with them for long, unless something fell through behind closed doors.

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

Yeah, the Seahawks window has closed enough where they can have a winning season but are not the caliber to go all the way.

Seattle Seahawks sign free agent RB Eddie Lacy

Running back Eddie Lacy has agreed to a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, his agents said Tuesday.

SportsTrust Advisors tweeted that Lacy reached the deal with Seattle. A source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $5.55 million, with $3 million fully guaranteed.

LMFAO, Lacy is a fat piece of shit. Is that really The best they could do? Guy is garbage

Who else is out there? A.Peterson and J.Charles, both of whom are imo more damaged goods than Lacy.

Coach Pete did well turning M.Lynch around, guess he thinks he can do it again. Good thing from Seahawks point of view, he can get his butt to Seattle and maybe lose some fat in the next couple of months.

He sucks. I'd use Rawls. Maybe they just signed him to some low rent contract. Future camp cut in the making

They signed him because they need a veteran to coach up Rawls and CJ Prosise. I doubt he will be the workhorse. I am really bummed the hawks did not get another O lineman. I guess they just got stingy.

My hope was that they would pick up a guard and tackle in FA and load up on DB's in the draft. Also maybe an edge rusher. Hawks have five picks in the first three rounds.

Five picks in the first three rounds? God damn. What is the breakdown on that (one first, two second, two third?)