Sure. Moderators, please change the title of this thread to "Suggested Jets Offseasons Moves." Sorry, I was very late when I created it and posted, and didn't catch that. You're spot on with your suggestion. Thanks.
You can ask them to. I've seen it done before and the players agreed. Sometimes it was begrudgingly, other times it was willingly. The team holds the leverage/cards in that situation. If the player refuses, the team has the option of cutting them altogether or they can choose to pay the player, but it can sour relations between the team and the player. Brick knows his play is sucking balls compared with early in his career. He knows he's at the end of the road and really is fortunate to have not been cut already and has the opportunity to start this season. He's already made a ton of money (and been overpaid for his level of play). He's always been a good Jet, but if he refuses to take a pay cut, then I think the Jets should seriously consider cutting him if they think they can replace him.
Lol i've the same extact mock off-season in my notes in my phone for months now.. only a few things different.. I had us locking - Mo up 5 yr -60M with 38 guaranteed (lol i wish) - Fitz - 3 yr 30M with 18 guaranteed (screw your bradford for killing that beautiful cap friendly deal) -i let snacks walk and i brought back Henderson, AA, & Pace (Camp body and finish helping Mauldin out with his learning curve... gone by preseason) and not Douzable. we had the same cuts (they are pretty obvious ones anyway) same restuctrures but i had a few more .. i went as far as us getting Mangold, Marshall (since he claims he's been recruiting since the playoffs started), and Harris. we have the same free agents in Miller, Allen, and Benjamin. But i had us getting RG Chris Chester instead of Osemele (which recently says he wants to be highest paid guard : / )
I am somewhat skeptical of how this kind of leverage would work out in the real world, but agree with your final phrase completely. But before ending up there... How a discussion like this could go down is problematic. Both parties have to consider it being a negotiation where one party wants to spend less, the other see that party spend more. So as soon as it opens, presumably the FO opening it, then Ferguson and his agent have a choice in responding. Here I am thinking as much about their manner as what they say. Do they want to act offended? Smug? Low key? Helpful? You can't count on them taking a posture of "Well let's see what we can do here for the good of the Jets!" They might. But I doubt it. I do think the Jets have some leverage here. Ferguson really does not know what would happen if he had to go on the market, meaning how much some other team given a shot at him in what becomes an FA situation would be willing to pay. We all think it would be something less than the total value of his contract, me for sure included. But how much less? Let's take that nice round number of $5 million less. Will Ferguson think he is likely to get a number better than that from someone else? I think he will think that. Even if he's not right. It's a matter of psychology. If he thinks he can do better, then the relations between the parties will have been soured, and even if he ends up getting less than what the Jets offer, he will be a goner. Having said all that the Jets have no choice but to embark on this negotiation. I hope they handle it right, though. It is going to be difficult.
I didn't realize that Osemele said that. If so, then forget him. We could go with Alex Boone instead at RG. We disagree a little on the others. I think that Douzable is a key reserve and he has made a lot of plays. IMO he has to come back. I'll be surprised if AA doesn't come back. He would seem to fit that role that Bucannon played for the Cards. I think Mauldin has probably learned everything he can from Pace at this point. If we had plenty of cap space, sure, why not bring back Pace, but we don't. It's precious, and I wouldn't waste it on Pace. Like Brick he's already been paid a lot more than his level of play ever contributed to the Jets.
We can sign someone for half the cost it would take to keep him whose level of play would be better. He was one of the worst LTs in the NFL last year. He gave up 59 hurries. He was worse than Giacomini in that regard. He needs to take a pay cut or go.
It's fine if you're skeptical, but it has happened numerous times in the NFL (real world). It's not something I just made up or pulled out of my ass. Who cares how Brick and his agents respond? The Jets have all the leverage. Brick has already been overpaid for his level of play during his career. His play this past season was abysmal. He was one of the lowest ranked LTs in the NFL (I think 3rd from the bottom). He gave up 59 hurries/hits, which is worse than Giacomini's 54. He's at the end of his career. If Idzik had been worth a damn, we'd already have had Brick's replacement on the roster and Brick would have already been cut. No one's going to give Brick good money. He's always been a bit of a liability in a rushing attack. Pass protection has been his forte, and that has gotten abysmal. He'd be lucky to get $5 million elsewhere, and maybe not even that. I don't think the Jets need to worry. They hold all the cards. Brick should want to retire a Jet and end his career in a good relationship with the team. One Brick retires, they don't need him for anything.
Well I certainly agree that the Jets will have to cut him if he will not renegotiate, and he may end coming back even if that happens. He realizes, or should, all that you mention as far as how much he's already gotten and what he would likely get elsewhere. I am just not so sure that some other team will not see him as a serviceable, dependable, healthy LT who might benefit from a change of scenery, and pay him more than some here think the Jets should offer him at most. I hope you are right.
Me too! LOL At his age, I don't think any team would think that "a change of scenery" would help him. He's played a lot of snaps for a lot of years. Age catches up with everyone. That's the only thing (his reliability) imo that has made him even remotely worth what he's been paid. With his numbers the last two seasons, I just can imagine anyone willing to pay him a ton of money, but hey, it's the NFL, and as we've seen with Jeffrey Lurie's contract for Bradford, there are a number of desperate morons out there with money who will pay. If so, good for Brick, I wish him well, but we aren't gonna be that stupid (I hope).
I can't see how he comes back. If the Jets cut him they will move quickly to get another LT. I don't see them cutting him and just sitting out there with no one who can play left tackle. He's going to have to fish (accept the jets lower salary) or cut bait (be cut).
The timing may be the factor you describe. But not necessarily so. One thing I don't think we have covered - when the Jets begin the negotiation, they need to have their Plan B at least conceptually in place.
I'd be extremely surprised, no, make that shocked if Mac didn't have at least one, if not several contingency plans in place. He is too smart and too professional not to. Only idiots like Tanny and Idzik didn't.
I hate to break it to you but your Free Agent signings are way too low and there is no way we sign any of those players for that amount. Maybe if we are lucky Dwayne Allen might come a little cheaper than the rest due to his injury history. Players like Lamar Miller will most likely get at least 6 million a year if we are lucky, while Osemele is going to get waaay more than 3.5 mill at least double, probably more. Alex Boone is still pretty young and will get more than that as well. Travis Benjamin is also most likely in line for a good pay day as it is a weak Wide Receiver FA class. I think you need to look at more second tier free agents and ignore the big names, because its not going to happen. This year is about keeping our own and building through the draft, unless we start releasing veterans left and right, and get Mo off the books.
I acknowledged that they might all be low. It was a 100% raise for almost every one of them. The NFL is insane. If it continues, I hope the league folds. It's just total insanity.
With Free Agency set up the way it is we are going to see a rapid increase in salary, and guaranteed money very soon. Basically you will have to over pay to get your guy and it will become much more risky to sign these guys to huge cap eating contracts.
You may be right, but it's insane! No one is worth what these guys are getting paid. Teams can't keep paying that kind of money.
Sure they could, look at baseball contracts where hundreds of millions of dollars are tossed around like nothing. In all honesty the cap could be a lot higher in pro football due to the amount of money the league makes. NFL players are actually much more valuable than what they are being paid.
D'brick counts as roughly 5 million in dead cap money, and a 9 million savings. Clearly he is a candidate to get cut if he doesn't take a pay cut. He knows he is getting up there in age and his play has declined, he wouldn't get much on the open market and hopefully wants to retire a Jet. I think the front office definitely holds the cards. For the sake of line continuity and because he has been a great Jet he deserves the opportunity to tear up the old contract and make a new one in the hopes of lowering his cap hit and eventually joining the Ring of Honor. Mangold is another candidate to get cut as it would save 8.6 million and nothing in dead cap. However do we really want to go about rebuilding the O-line with a complete overhaul? In some aspects a youth movement is in order but fielding a line with 2 or 3 new pieces is not ideal, and can back fire.
