But but but... I'd much rather sign a stud OL that doesn't exist or the top-tier pass rusher that will never even make it to the open market! There's no way we can sign Bell PLUS them!
What they don't tell you is how much money we need to spend to fill out a roster of legit NFL players.
Our current best WR was resigned with a cap hit of less than $5 mil. The "we have a ton of free agents" boogey man is just that. Severely overblown, especially when you look at the guys we would be letting walk if we didn't resign them. Oh no... take my eyes but please not Darryl Roberts...
Until ... he didn't. I don't believe in epiphanies. Changing uniforms won't change who he is. If they sign him I'll still cheer for the Jets. My log-in should give you an idea how long I've been doing that. And I made it through all those years with ARod in pinstripes, a most unpalatable term indeed, so I'm pretty sure I'd make it through Mr Bell in green & white.
The only reason he “stopped doing his job“ is because his employer was under valuing him and he was in a position to do whatever was necessary to preserve his value. It’s not like he decided he didn’t feel like putting in the work or going to practice or running the plays that were called or handle criticism. He has a job that can end in a split second. He made the [correct] choice to make sure he only risks his career if he’s being valued properly. Like I said earlier, you can’t equate holding out for the money he was worth with being a bad teammate.
That's the wrong way to think of it though. I certainly hope the Jets aren't thinking that way. That's pre-analytics, dark ages way of thinking. That's how Bryce Harper gets $330 million. with that kind of thinking When signing a free agent, the contract offer you extend should ONLY be something derived out of how you value the player, period. Your cap space should not even be something you think about really. Maybe that's not the right way to word it but basically what I am saying is, if you think Le'Veon Bell is a $15 million a year running back, you extend him the offer, if you don't think he is worth that, you don't. Simple as that. You don't talk yourself into anything by looking at your large cap space. That's emotional, not logical. ---- Think of your wife at the mall. She sees a dress, "Oh I really like that" then she sees the price tag $100. "Wow that's too much...." logically it doesn't make sense to buy the $100 dress when she can buy the $25 one and it doesn't make much difference really. But she wants the $100 one. So inevitably comes the emotional kicker "well we can afford it, we just got $2,000 tax refund. A measly $100 is nothing out of that large check"... And you end up stuck with buying the $100 dress of course... and at the end of the day, you are stuck with a $100 dress in the closet that even your wife knows isn't worth it.
The money isn't really the issue. In fact, I don't think anyone has said, "I don't want Bell because he wants too much money." In a vacuum, I want Bell all day everyday for that amount of money.
The entire front office and coaching staff should be fired if they actively choose to target second-tier running backs without giving a top 3 RB a competitive offer.
I agree with your point, they should at least inquire, but I really think Bell and Brown damaged their rep around the league. Would you want someone in your platoon that lays down their weapon? I feel like this is how teams are looking at these guys.
Or they decided that Bell, his baggage, and his price tag were not worth the time and money. If they learned at or before the combine that they have a very small chance then it makes sense to focus on the guys you could get. It could also be a big smoke screen. Don't read too much into any "news" from the start of the combine until the end of the draft. Its a shit storm of misinformation right now.
we need to look past this year. We are not a Lev away. In 3 years when Lev is chewing our cap and we have contracts to pay and are much closer to going over the top and can't make the needed move bc we have a declining RB making $15M against the cap, you will all be crying whining and screaming about how the Jets shouldn't have signed Bell. I personally think if we can get a combo of Ingram/Coleman, for less than 1 bell we will be just fine. Take the rest of the money, fill out the roster, throw some money at pass rushers, and carry cap over to next season.
not at the RB position. Name me a team paying a RB $15M per year that has sniffed a SB? Also, Ingram and Coleman for example, and very talented. Stop pretending they are bad players because they aren't. You'll get near the same production from them as you will Bell with a good O line.
2nd tier RBs are good enough to win I would consider Marlon Mack a 2nd tier RB (maybe even 3rd tier) and he magically produced like a beast last season.
