Or how about a ball-hawk safety that has a major knack for where the ball will be along with 1 above average CB and an average CB? We haven't had many turnovers as of late, and take into account spread offenses that run 4 receiver sets - it makes the safety position that much more valuable ... imagine this defensive line with a great free safety? We would be generating turnovers like crazy. I agree, you have to take into context on how the defense is built.
It's a dangerous game, but you make a valid point. However, Mo gets 20 sacks, and Leonard Williams doesn't perform well - who has the leverage then?
The Jets needed to replenish their talent base, not placate Mo. He is already part of the crap talent base they had last year. They did the right thing. Mo has to put on his big boy pants and go out and get some sacks this season. He will not get his money if he does 5 or 6 again. And if they franchise him, he comes out ahead of the game, worth-wise.
Spot on. I don't know if you were referring to anyone in particular but if Devin McCourty had hit the open market I would have heavily considered signing him instead of Revis.
You just made my point. In that scenario, Mo will get his huge long-term payday. That's exactly why you don't do anything now.
Saying slap the franchise tag on him is absurd. That's is around $17 million. He isn't worth that. That is not an option. Like the other poster, I'm glad you're not our GM.
I know this clown above me acts like he took a noble stance by putting me on ignore but he's once again wrong as the franchise tag for defensive ends is around $14 million or a couple hundred thousand over. No defensive player in the NFL even makes $17 million a year except for Suh.
One of the worst problems for the Jets in the last decade+ has been overpaying shitty players and trying to nickel and dime good players. Their refusal to offer Wilkerson a fair deal is par or the course and has a tangible effect on other players. If the Jets were smart they would lock Wilkerson up and ensure that their defensive line will be one of the most dominant in the NFL for the next 5+ years.
You can't just blindly assume you know what he's been offered versus what he's asking for. Our GM doesn't seem to be cheap and also had $60 million in cap space this offseason. Something tells me the contract demands were a lot over what Wilkerson has worth and it was very indicative when they took Williams at 6. I don't think he'll see an extension at all, I just hope we get something for him but that doesn't look likely either. Just have to hope that Wilkerson either comes down to earth for a contract in the $50 to $60 million range or he's going to walk. Perhaps Mac wants to see who finishes with more sacks between Richardson and Wilk before deciding who he's going to pay because with Revis here, Harris resigned for 2 years, and Coples option picked up, we can't keep both.
Sure doesn't sound like the recipe for success for the Jets, but more so for Mo. We should be looking to extend him now. This is when our leverage is at the strongest point.
I don't think the suggestion I made about trading him on or before draft day sounds as crazy now as it did back then.
I'm not sure how I ended up reading this article, but it ended up on my screen linked from somewhere around here. Very relevant to the Mo' discussion even though the author skirts around the obvious Mo'-Lenny parallel when mentioning all other positions where young and cheap could replace older and expensive. http://www.ganggreennation.com/2015/5/31/8691845/anatomy-of-a-winner-green-bay-packers
I'd love to see anybody show an example of the Packers dealing away a player that is top five at his position coming off his rookie contract and just entering his prime. The Packers just aren't dumb enough to do that.
Those arguing that players should be looked at as assets seem to be missing your point that yes, they are in part assets. But there remains a people part to this business, and in certain situations that needs to be taken into account. Just to take an obvious case, while in general what players do off the field is not relevant to on field performance, it can be in specific cases, such as when off field behavior leads to them being arrested or suspended by the league. But your point also has merit - I am uncomfortable with the notion that loyalty means nothing. It to be sur doesn't mean everything, but neither does it mean nothing.
Extend him or trade him, since leverage is highest on both counts. Obviously. The Jets can't just say "We have to sign him now!" since he may be asking for/demanding too much money.
One of the things Mac has done with the money in the players brought in, with the exception of Revis, is give the Jets a ton of cap flexibility moving into the future. They'll be able to evaluate the entire team top to bottom through personal experience over the next year, rather than on what they have to go on coming in fresh now. Not extending Mo yet is another piece to that puzzle. The franchise tag IS an option for Mo. It gives the Jets flexibility to not have to rush to give him a new deal, and potentially trade him if they wish. It lets them evaluate how he ranks vs Sheldon AND L. Williams. It lets them evaluate whether having that group together is devastating enough to put all that money into the position. So long as the Jets wait, they have the flexibility to do whatever they feel is in the best interest of the team next year. The only potential benefit of locking Mo up now is making him and the fans happier. But that's not the Jets priority. The Jets are doing what's right by the team. It would be a different scenario if Mo was a foundational player for the Jets. I could definitely argue he's not far from it, but I wouldn't consider him on that level. He's not a franchise QB. He's not as valuable as Revis is even. I know he's young and popular, but I believe the approach the Jets are taking right now is shrewd.
exactly. he is low-informed or something. The Jets can play hardball this year and franchise tag him for next year and then face the decision to extend or let him walk after 2016. No need to rush at all. By then who knows what could happen.. he could look like the 3rd best DL on the team for all we know! What they absolutely 100% shouldn't do is agree to a shorter, patchwork extension. If they gave him a patchwork restructure like 3 years-42 mil, year 1 (12m) year 2 (14m) year 3 (16m) they can all but kiss Wilkersons ass goodbye long term because they'd be taking the franchise tag off the table after year 3 because you'd have to pay him 19m! also they might not even make it to year 3 with that contract at 16m. The Jets are in a great spot right now. You have a player at a contract way under his value, who sometimes struggles with motivation, and a wealth at the position. You ride that shit out! franchise him if you have to, and keep the phone lines open in case someone does offer a silly trade IMO
It's a money grab on his part. The Suh contract pushed up the market for defensive linemen and he wants to push up his deal. He seems like a guy who would take the highest offer even if in an unattractive market. Mac is probably just trying not to overpay this guy so much. And there were ?s about his hustle on the field. He is not as good as Suh. I imagine his agent wants something like 12 mil and up.
In most cases you are correct. In this situation a patchwork extension actually makes sense although that's not what players want. Sign him until Richardson will need a new deal then let him walk. You can't keep both at the numbers they want but you can try to keep them both as long as Richardson is on his rookie deal.
