You are basically trading Harvin and a 4th for Marshall, who is going to turn 31, causes problems wherever he goes, is coming off an injury plagued season and counts almost $10 mil against the cap. If you want to make a run for a wildcard spot the next year or two, make the trade. I personally hope Mac looks farther down the road than that.
So in your opinion, we shouldn't "make a run at a wildcard spot" in the next couple of years and that signing Marshall would hinder our future?
When he's 34, he'll bcount $10 mil against our cap. Who would want that just for a wildcard berth? If you're going to spend that kind of money, spend it on someone like Cobb or Maclin who are in their mid-20s and can help this team for the next 5 years, possibly beyond. I mean listen, if you get Brandon Marshall for a mid round pick, your team immediately improves, but for how long? We aren't exactly 1 or 2 guys away here. And the guys we need, we may not get this offseason. By the team we are ready to compete, Brandon Marshall may be the Pats version of Joey Galloway.
This is true if you are dealing with a wide receiver on the decline. Brandon Marshal has had a 1,000 yard season every year in this league except his rookie year and when he got hurt last year. Even with his injury, he picked up over 700 yards and had 8 TDs. If we signed Marshall, he would immediately make our wide receiver group 10x better and he would likely play at a high level for at least the next 4 years, in my opinion. The idea that coaches and executives aren't in a "win now" mindset, is ridiculous. Signing Marshall for a 4th Round pick is a steal. Amazing talent and would likely have more of an impact than any 4th Round pick we make. Sign Marshall and take a WR in the draft. Surround that rookie with guys like Decker and Marshall.
You guys don't seem to understand the difference between Marshall and Cobb. We have a very good slot receiver, Kerley. I'm all for Cobb, but if Marshall is available, I will take him over Cobb any day. Randall Cobb is listed at a height of 5'10 and weighs 190 pounds. Marshall is 6'4 and weighs 230 pounds. He's huge!! He's a red zone target that we desperately need and a BIG receiver to pair with Decker and Kerley.
Well if you truly believed the bolded statement, then we can stop the conversation. That's just not true and there is years upon years of evidence to support it. I don't disagree with anything you said after that though. I don't WANT to trade for Marshall, but if we did it would be an immediate upgrade.
Every coach is in a win now mode. Whether they plan for the future or not, is something entirely different, but to sit here and say that coaches don't make moves to win now, is ridiculous. We aren't leveraging our cap here. We aren't putting ourselves in cap hell by doing this. If that were the case, then I'd agree with you, but that's not the case now. We would be signing a big receiver with tremendous hands who can be a huge target in the red zone and likely play at a high level for 3-4 more years, all for a 4th Round pick.
You keep talking about "now now now" but after next season, when Marshall is 31 and counting $10 mil against the cap, where does the money come from to give Sheldon his elite-DL contract? Do you let him walk? Do you cut Brick or Mangold? Remember, we HAVE to spend a certain amount of money this year so we aren't going to be much under the salary cap next year. Once we spend this year, that's likely it in terms of free agency unless we make some moves. Any smart GM is looking at that.
Ok and you don't think Cobb will count near or over $10 million against the cap? You keep bringing up age, but what leads you to believe he can't play at a high level? Show me his decline. Yeah he's 31, but what makes you think he can't perform until he's 35? 36? 37? And let's say for arguments sake, he does slightly decline. Wouldn't you want his presence in the red zone, somewhere we have struggled immensely?
For the third time now, if you trade a midround pick for Brandon Marshall, your team gets better hands down. I PREFERABLY would rather be spending that money on a younger receiver that can play at an elite level 4-5 years from now. What WR is playing at an elite level at 33? https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/08/27/age-of-decline-wr/
Marshall via trade=guaranteed Cobb via free agency=not guaranteed That to me is the biggest difference.
So you point me to a link about how "fantasy relevant" wide receivers decline as they age? Let's look at Andre Johnson, considering he's the picture on the article. Age 30 - 1,200 yards 8 TD Age 31 - 1,500 yards 4 TD Age 32 - 1,400 yards 5 TD Age 33 - 936 yards 3 TD His receptions dropped significantly last season because of injury and a terrible QB situation. So you're telling me, Andre Johnson, above age 30, has become ineffective? At age 33 he had almost 1,000 yards. I forgot what that feels like, to have a WR on my team catch 1,000 yards
It's not about fantasy relevance... if that's what you gathered from the data in that article on age vs. production then you're just in denial. I didn't say anything about being ineffective... I asked who is playing at an elite level. Although $10 mil is not elite money, that's up there for receivers. I personally don't want to be worrying about a 33 year old receiver making that kind of money three years from now. And we're not even bringing up the fact that Marshall has been on three teams that all have looked to get rid of him. That says something. He's a nutjob, and I think that's pretty well-documented. We're going on FOUR times now, and I'll separate it from the pack for you so that it stands out more: If you trade a mid round pick for Brandon Marshall, the team immediately gets better. I preferably would rather spend that money (and keep a pick) elsewhere, like Maclin or Cobb. Now if we can trade that 6th pick and tack some 2nd/3rd rounders on to this year and next year's draft, the decision gets a little easier. I still wouldn't feel great about the money owed and his general mental state.
Oh, just realized this is not being reported anywhere else. Not to mention why would they wait till Tuesday?
