Beck Water

I guess we'll see who's right. In my observation, when a guy is a former OPOY with multiple pro-bowl and all-pro appearances, he'll have multiple suitors. And multiple suitors drives up the price. OBJ was coming off injury and hadn't put up numbers for years - since 2019. He got vet minimum salary in his deal, true - but he also got $14M signing bonus paid up front, and carries a modest $4-$5M cap hit. For which he put up modest numbers of 35 receptions for 560 yds.

He may well make the roster as a gunner/STer 5th or 6th WR - why would you have a problem with that? He's shown he can produce more with a good QB throwing to him than most #5 or 6 WR do.

Then there's the bit about utensils: "if you can't eat it with your hands, you shouldn't be eating it". He might need to re-think his shoe stance in Buffalo, though.

Exactly.

In all seriousness, what is your problem with this signing? He's been a career STer, he's put up some numbers when he got the chance. New Jake Kumerow or Trent Sherfield candidate. Sounds like he's got a bit of a screw loose, which is right on point for a guy who might play gunner. Generally when a guy's most recent contract was 1 year, $10M and he's got a $2.2M roster bonus already due to him, the answer to that question is gonna be "no". FWIW, Spotrac suggests a market value of $9.2M for Michael Thomas, and if you don't think any team would invest higher than $5M, that kind of implies some team just might invest $5M, which means he won't sign for $2 or $3M early in FA.

30 years old, 7 year vet. Tall guy, 6'4" 220 Best season, 2022 with LVR and Derek Carr throwing to him, 57 receptions for 690 yds, behind Davonte Adams. Aside from that year, primarily a STer, with hoped-for potential that never materialized. 4.53 40 time with the comment "he plays faster than his 40 time" https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706628-mack-hollins-nfl-draft-2017-scouting-report-for-philadelphia-eagles-pick

Oh, isn't that a concept. But you do realize in this instance, the judge had basically nothing to do with it. The DA and the defendant's lawyers negotiated a plea deal which the defendant accepted. After he served the minimum time for parole, the MO Governor commuted his sentence. If you'd like the MO Governor to face some consequence, I'm all for it.

Oh, gee, I got to disagree with this one to some extent. It's a mixed bag. I know too many parents where they are great people and most of their kids are great people - but then there's that one kid. A colleague at work. A good friend is going through it right now. Has 3 kids, two of them are upstanding citizens - hard workers, good people, just a delight. Then there's the third, who just left his umpteenth stint of alcohol rehab and associated "sober living". She's a great person, his stepdad was a great person and dad, 2 of her 3 kids are great people. Maybe sometimes great parents just have troubled kids. Even the Reids - they have 5 kids, and 3 of them as far as is known have not had any trouble. I do believe that addiction is a disease and that medical progress in learning how to treat and manage it has been painfully slow, partly because of the duality where addiction is seen as both a disease, and as a moral failing that can be treated by faith. But in the case of the Reids, I do feel they have responsibilities they haven't filled as well as they could have as parents, because both their eldest kids struggled with addictions which started at about the same time Reid became a head coach. It seems clear that Andy Reid prioritized his head coaching career with its crazy hours and limited family life ahead of his two eldest sons' well-being. Britt Reid has reportedly been addicted to painkillers since age 14, about 2 years after Reid took over as head coach of the Eagles. When the sentencing judge described their home as a "drug emporium" I was like "That's Some Enabling". And frankly, if you're hiring your known-addicted kids as S&C coaches and positional coaches, that's quite likely not serving the best interests of your young players, either, many of whom are vulnerable in different ways. I said to a friend "Andy Reid sold his soul as a parent for those Superbowl rings", and I do believe that. I also don't believe it wasn't known in the Chiefs facility that Britt Reid was drinking and becoming drunk in the facility, then driving home. Interesting article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/sports/football/britt-reid-sentence-andy.html

Are you thinking the Bills starting safeties will be Taylor Rapp and Cam Lewis?

Same. I agree with her - her life would be over. Unless the DA is incredibly naive, she has to know that this guy got special treatment all along - in how long it took to bring charges, in what he was charged with (not as many or severe charges as could be), in what he was allowed to plea to, and Yes Virginia, if you agree to a plea deal you have to know he is eligible for parole after 1/3 of his sentence, and it can be commuted. I felt what the mom had to say about Britt hurting other people was poignant: She's right. Meanwhile there are other cases in MO where the perpetrator is arguably less of a public menace and could be released to earn $$ for their families and Governor Hee Haw (right name) doesn't care. That's...sarcasm, right?

When I heard about the signing, I thought "Special Teams guy" but he's really been more of a starter the last several years. 100% of the snaps in Chicago in 2022. With that, he does play ST though and it sounds as though he can play all the LB positions, so yeah Klein like in that regard. McDermott has been loud and clear on wanting vet leadership in all the rooms and Beane has been loud and clear on not liking to go into draft day needing to fill holes. With all regard, that might be a separate issue. When you're down to your 2nd or 3rd string at 2 different linebacker positions and have a guy playing in a brace, it's always going to be rough.

I saw this as soon as it was reported and I didn't post about it because I didn't want to "feel the rage". Don Parsons (Mo Gov who commuted the sentence) is a total Piece of Work. Syncophant, Cronyist, politically expedient. Tough on crime, tough on criminals, gonna sit back and let the wheels of justice take their due course - until and unless, of course, it's politically expedient for him

Our neighbor the animal professional has a bunch of hard-earned words of wisdom. One of them is "think species first, individual second" She means, you might have a tiger that you hand-raised from a cub and trained carefully and love and consider a friend, but you better never forget that at its base, it's not a kitty cat, it's a damned tiger and when something triggers it to remember that, Tigers gonna Tiger. They aren't species, but because of intense selective pressure from humans, I think you could say the same thing about different breeds of dog. Yes, pits and pit mixes can be carefully raised and trained to be loving and affectionate pets, but the owner had better well remember that at its base, it's a dog that was bred to fight other dogs and never give up, and when something triggers it to remember that, that's what you're gonna get.

Pretty sure that's when he got the infection (2018, as it healed) https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/news/buffalo-cam-lewis-bone-infection-injury-preseason-preview-rumor '22 article explaining he'd had a persistent bone infection 4 years at that time IIRC brace still there. Bone infections hurt. Tough mutha.

Close relative salty his bro got the axe while the Bills re-upped a safety who isn't fit to carry Po's jock when he was "All Pro Po". Alert the media. Extra salty when the reported contract was 3 year $14.5M. Now that we know it's basically 1 year, $3.7M with an option to keep him (which is less than half the contract guarantees Po got last year), "extra salt" should decline to "lightly salty". Poyer wanted to retire a Bill, but there's a point at which the GM just can't "keep the band together" and remain competitive.

I'll wait to see the actual detailed numbers before deciding on that.

Eh. When you look at the details of Rapp's 3 year, $10M contract - it's really a 1 year, $3.7 M contract with a $2.8M cap hit this year. That slots him in as the #42 paid safety or something like that. I'm not impressed with either guy as players, but as depth signings for guys who truly understand the system in a transition time, it doesn't put me in a flutter either way. Cam Lewis is one guy I do kinda wish would retire for his own good though. Agree on the tough as nails. As far as I know he's still playing with a brace on his right arm, due to a persistent bone infection of....6 years now? as part of the aftermath of breaking his arm at UB. It probably needs surgery to clean it out for his long-term health and well-being, but he understandably doesn't want to shut himself down while he can make bank.

I think they considered Nick Mullins higher on their depth chart than Josh Dobbs, and when Mullins got healthy he moved back ahead of Dobbs. JMO, neither Josh Dobbs nor Nick Mullins are a long term answer. The Vikings draft when? 11th? Who can they likely get at that point?

"Knox and the Bills have agreed to a restructured contract that lowers his scheduled $14.4 million cap hit for 2024, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports." We don't know yet what the restructured contract really means. Knox did have a roster bonus due, so the restructure could just involve taking his roster bonus and dividing it among the 3 remaining years of his contract. Or, it could involve a bit of a salary give-back. Don't know yet. Them Grapes, man. Them Grapes!

You don't use a 1st round pick on a TE3. You don't.

I can't keep up. Who do the Vikings have throwing the ball at the moment? His payday from Minnesota and now from the Falcons does not say "underrated".

Makes sense.

Yes

Announcements like this make it clear that "legal tampering period starts today at noon" is such baloney. Gabe didn't sign a 3 year deal just after noon today because his agent started negotiating at noon today. This has been in the works for weeks.

I see more than 2 in this thread, but who's counting You were speculating "wonder what one does to get fired from this rather low level position?" By asking this question, you yourself indicate that there is a difference, and you know it. Typically people who are fired have done something wrong. On the other hand, people who are not re-up'd at the end of a contract haven't necessarily done a thing wrong and may have done a decent job with everything that was asked of them - but either the organization wants new blood, or the org has decided they no longer need that position.