DrDawkinstein

Across the entire NFL, it's just bad and lazy technique. Guys trying to show they can knock a guy over with barely trying. "I'm so strong I can just throw a shoulder into him and put him down". What they are really doing is being lazy and frankly playing scared of injuring their shoulder. But if they used proper technique, no one would get hurt and the hits would still look big (likely even bigger).

More ammo to raise Cook's number to $17M/yr next offseason. Henry is 31. Cook will be going into his prime. Yes. The poster you quoted said his "asking price" just went up. It almost certainly did. The market was just set again. And fans can devalue and trash Cook all they want, it doesnt change the numbers game. Cook's agent now has a floor of $15M/yr, with likely a bigger asking price and starting point. And some team will pay whether it's the Bills or not.

Yes, plenty of us were calling for Rapp to be replaced when he was killing us with friendly fire a couple seasons ago. He seems to have gotten it under control after the 2023 Chargers game where he took out 2 of our own players. The fans of other teams are free to complain about him as well. I'd say MOST Safeties play a bit dirty. It's inherent in the position where you are the last line of defense and either you make a hit or the guy goes all the way, plus they usually have the most runway for a full head of steam.

He sealed his fate with the cheap shot on Keon Coleman. Let alone doing it as a Dolphin. I do appreciate him letting Cook blow by him on his way to a long TD run.

Oh my god no. The only contract he should sign is a ceremonial, 1-day contract to retire as a Bill. Nothing that actually counts against the cap. Might as well just flush that money down the toilet otherwise.

Good. Sucks for their fans.

Cool stories, Jordan. Get lost.

Looks like it will be TWO days off that week!

Obvious choice is future Hall of Famer Ryan Fitzpatrick. Definitely the #1 pick. Tyrod makes sense there too. I do wonder what EJ could do in that role, and not having to be "the guy".

You're an annal historian, got it. Hey, whatever floats your boat bro. No one is judging. Everyone needs a hobby.

The constant misuse of "apart" is my new loose/lose pet peeve. It's all over the internet.

uhh huh huh huh... "annals"...

Blows my mind that the Bengals have done contracts like that all the way up to Burrow. Explains a lot.

Hard disagree. All that matters is Cap Hit and Dead Cap. The fact they can be so easily manipulated and maneuvered is a GOOD thing, and why so many of us are saying the $15M "average" isnt worth getting so upset about. That's been our whole point. Of course all the dollars will be accounted for sooner or later, but Beane has plenty of levers to pull to decide how much and when. And can easily do so on a short term, $15M avg contract with little issue and without hampering the team.

CAP FIGURES ARE ALL THAT MATTER No one cares about how much is actually hitting the player's bank account and when. ALL that matters is how it affects the team's cap space and ability to sign other players. Right? Or is this that personal for you? Why would you care about anything else but cap numbers? I thought that's the whole point of not paying him too much was because we need to be able to spend elsewhere? Make it make sense We know. We're saying for a 2nd round talent like Cook, the Tag is essentially like having a 5th year option. I've been pretty anti-tag, but I think it's smart to apply it like that.

Just because you have beef with Cook does not make this true. Every year the cap goes up. Every year contracts go up. Numbers go up. That is a fact. It's why there were a number of "lesser" QBs making more than Josh over the past few years. Barkley reset the RB market with a $20M+ contract. Whether you believe he is close to Barkley or not does not matter. No one is saying he should be paid as much as Barkley. BUT, if Cook does have another year like last year, then he will be known as an integral part of the best Offense in football. If he hits the market, other teams will not care whether he is a 2-down back. With 2 seasons in a row like that, he will absolutely get $15-17M on the open market next offseason. His tag number will be $13-14M, and if that's the case, Beane will tag him. Heck, he might tag him anyways since it's essentially a 5th year option.

It was a prove it year. He signed a 2/$16M contract. The first year his cap hit was only $5M. It was a $5M prove it year, because this year not only does his number go up to $13M, but they could cut him for less than $5M in dead cap, and save $8M if he was washed. I bolded the part of what you pasted that shows what I am saying.

The best thing you'll watch all day. Apparently finished filming 3 years ago but has been in distribution purgatory. Absolutely ridiculous movie. Enjoy!

Not only that, but it was never "$8M/yr". The first year was a prove-it year where he only made a few mil because he was already over 30 years old. This year he is set to make $13M (as a 31 yr old RB), and Baltimore is now collectively the highest spending team at the RB position. So good teams do spend on RBs. And contracts in the teens are not out of norm. Dang, you guys are DEVIOUS! The best leverage he has is to show up and put up a season just like last year's. If he does, I fully believe Beane will get to his number. The only problem is, if he does put up another good season, his number probably goes up to closer to $17M next year. The tag is definitely in play at that point.

Part of that is on the players. But part of it (and one could argue an even bigger part of it) is that the top prospects go to the worst teams. Look at the difference a change in scenery and coaching made for Darnold. Lamar Jackson was lucky to go to a franchise like Baltimore instead of Cleveland or the Jets, or else he could be out of the league by now too. All those top picks the Browns and Jets have made, all turn into busts... at some point it becomes obvious the problem isnt with the QBs. Guys like Luck, Burrow, Newton were lucky enough to be picked by #1 spot team who happened to be on the upswing.

But all of those statements are true together or stated separately. We're only painting a moving target based on the arguments made every time we present a solution. Believe me it's annoying on this side as well that every time we show how doable it is, someone comes with a "yeah but..." that isnt even a problem, or that teams have already been solving for years. And no is saying you have to cut him after 2 years. You can always restructure and/or extend if things are going well. The entire "you can cut after 2 years" is just to placate the people that are convinced he will fall off a cliff in 2 years. We're showing that all the bases can be covered. Bottom line, regardless of the examples and details, is that in the modern NFL, a short-term $15M/yr avg contract is not a big deal or a franchise killer. Especially for your best skills player on a top offense. Regardless of how many snaps or downs he plays.

That's kinda our point. Everyone does this. It isnt rocket surgery. So there is no (far less) reason for fans to be up in arms with that $15M/yr avg number. All the agent and player really care about when it is all said and done is Guaranteed Money. The "average" and advertised contract number is just about bragging rights and "respect", and is secondary. We all can agree there are lots of ways to manipulate the contract payouts, that are already standard procedures, that mitigate the hits. Even your example of 3/$45M with lets say $30M guaranteed is essentially a 3/$30M contract for those worried about dead money. So why are people gnashing their teeth over a comment of "15 mil year"?

We can still extend everyone on the OL. The post you quoted is based entirely on the premise that we arent extending him right now and waiting until after the season. Cook >>> Taylor, and Taylor already has a higher price tag than Cook. That idea makes no sense.

Spotrac is jacked up on a bunch of their stuff right now. If you go to the general cap pages, like QB cap rankings for example, they have Josh listed twice in every category.

There's so much fan reaction to this situation that I just dont get. Besides the manufactured outrage over the innocuous social media posts, this idea that somehow a short-term $15M/yr avg contract will somehow cripple the team and put us in cap hell just doesnt add up. Especially when any of us amateurs can structure a reasonable and team-safe deal with minimal effort. I understand Beane's measured approach and pinching pennies on early extensions where he is gifting guys a good, guaranteed payday before their rookie deal ends. But that approach also (should) provide the wiggle room to go closer to market value if/when needed. That's why I think a deal will get done, but closer to Cook hitting FA. No point in negotiating with market value numbers now when Beane is only negotiating against himself. But we can (and hopefully will) bump up the offer when Cook earns it with another year of top production. I just hope by then it isnt too late because if he does produce, his number only goes up.