dave mcbride

Tell that to the 2018 Patriots and 2019 49ers.

He didn't have a great season (5 sacks), but he had 14 tackles for loss (a lot) and a pick six. He'd certainly be an upgrade. He also played WAY too many snaps last season -- well over 90 percent. That seems counterproductive to me.

Marcus Cannon is a great player, as is Hightower (obviously). And Patrick Chung is a vet who knows how to perform well in that scheme. They're big losses, personnel-wise. I'm not saying they would have made this year's team a playoff team, but they are good players. I do think the Bills are the team to beat in 2021 in the division, but I'm never going to underestimate Belichick. I'm just saying that they have a lot room to maneuver and have some good players coming back.

I think that clause is something every franchise qb securing that monster second contract is going to get.

The last person was actually Jalen Ramsey. It worked out for him. Fyi, here are the details: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30749365/deshaun-watson-no-trade-clause-puts-houston-texans-no-win-situation. FWIW, I fully expect that Allen will get a no-trade clause given that Mahomes, Watson, and Russell (the immediate predecessor models for his contract) all have one.

I am worried about the Pats, to be honest. They went 7-9 with a garbage roster, have 10 opt-outs coming back (including Dont'a Hightower, an awesome player), 10 draft picks, and over $60 million in cap space. In an interview mid-season, Matt Light said that Belichick felt all along that this was a joke of a season given Covid (I disagree about that), and that the solution was to load up to go all in in 2021. It is the case that he's the greatest coach ever. As for QB, there are enough decent options floating around out there that I fear they'll end up with someone who is at least pretty good.

Do you believe in any of these QBs beyond Lawrence? I don't. Someone may pan out, but it's a gamble. Watson is a proven franchise QB.

This makes sense, but the Jets have a ton of ammo too, and I personally prefer Darnold to Tua. But the Texans might feel otherwise.

Let me introduce everyone to Jalen Ramsey. If he can force a trade, Watson surely can.

Now I see -- the bonus number is small. Thanks. I was looking at the wrong column. https://www.forbes.com/sites/vincentfrank/2018/02/10/breaking-down-the-details-of-jimmy-garoppolos-record-deal/?sh=442efc3c785a

Enh. That's not realistic. He's going to get traded.

Exactly. Good to know. Didn't realize that. Thanks. That said, wouldn't the signing bonus accelerate from $24 million to $48 million on SF's balance sheet this year?

He can void a deal to Detroit because of his no-trade clause. I don't know why people get upset about this stuff. He's gone, and it's in the best interest for everyone if he's traded. The Texans need a new start, and they can get a boatload for him.

SF doesn't have enough: 12th, 44th, and 112th picks. They have no third rounder. I guess it depends on who you prefer Jimmy G, Darnold, or Tua. The problem with Garapolo is his big contract. The Texans have a bad cap situation. The other two are on rookie contracts, and personally I think Darnold has a fair bit more upside than Tua.

Re QBs going down, check out this quote from Ron Jaworski's book: 'As we watched, we were surprised to see Manning taking virtually all the reps in the session. Jon [Gruden] asked Tom [Moore, the Colts offensive coordinator,] why he wasn’t giving some snaps to Peyton’s backups…He looked at us both in the eye, paused for a moment, then said in that gravelly voice of his, “Fellas, if ‘18’ goes down, we’re f*cked. And we don’t practice f*cked.”'

The Jets have the draft ammo, a tradeable young QB who still has promise, and the cap space. They make too much sense.

That's not going to happen. He's gone, and he has the ability to force the trade. He has a ton of value, and the Texans can get a ton for him. Cutting off your nose to spite your face isn't a great strategy, especially in a not-for-long league with a new coach/GM who will be given a grace period because it's a new start.

These guys aren't as replaceable as you might think. Look around the league at all of the bad RB situations. Just look at the Rams last year and in the second half of 2018: Gurley gets hurt, and they have no answer. Cam Akers in the second was a great pick for them.

Yup. A sensible trade would be Darnold, the #2 overall pick, and the #34 pick. I still think Darnold has real potential and upside. They don't have picks in the first two rounds, and they have a bad cap situation. Rookie contracts are a quick solution to that problem. As for the Jets, they'd still have the 27th, 66th, 91st, 98th, 130th, and 138th picks. That's 6 picks in the first five rounds, and they have the ammo to move up if there's a player they really want. They also have a TON of cap space - over $60 million.

Of course. And as a DC, he sure as hell wasn't scouting Temple OTs and East Carolina wide receivers. Moss is a lot better than you're giving him credit for. He looked good for the most part. And he's just a rookie anyway.

Um ... he spent his first pick this year on a guy who turned out to be one of the two or three best skill position players in the league. Diggs ALWAYS has to be accounted for in any evaluation of Beane’s drafts.

Yeah, and the quicks are lacking too. That said, he does play a role, and he plays it well. He’s a complementary piece.

Ugh. The last team i want to play in week one is a fully healthy KC.

Good research. I’d argue that for a couple of seasons at least, Muhammed Wilkerson was a stud. I think he simply lost all passion for the game and checked out after getting paid, however. In 2015, though, he was one of the best DEs in the league and probably should have been first-team all pro.