MichiganCardinal

If only those kids from high school could see me now.....

It’ll be close. I have no doubt that Jacksonville overpaid though.

Kirk’s deal probably does throw a bit of a wrench into the WR market. Robinson likely will want more than him now, and will probably ultimately be told “go ask Jacksonville then”

Jacksonville is overpaying because they're Jacksonville. Wonder where that has failed before.

Holmes was complimentary of Benson earlier this offseason and claimed that they anticipated Benson to be a project player who wasn't ready in 2021. Granted, he has to say that because he traded for him and Benson was not ready in 2021. I would expect Benson to compete for WR5/6. If he is eventually released, it will definitely go down as a clunker of a trade. At the same time though, had we just drafted him in the 5th round last year and then released him in the second year of his rookie deal, I don't think many would bat an eye.

They’re bringing people back but they’re not really paying them. Walker is the only one who’s received starting money, and $8M yearly isn’t going to break the bank for a starter. I’d have preferred a two eyear deal for Walker but I’m not bent out of shape over bringing him back.

I'm not opposed to spending money on pieces on the defense (including Williams), but in building a team I think you need to have an eye on what wins in the NFL, both now and moving forward. That is the offense. When you look at the top teams in the NFL (Rams, Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, etc.), the name of the game is offense over defense. With guys like Mahomes, Burrow, and Allen in their mid-20s, that shows no sign of slowing down soon. Despite the ineptitude of the Lions defense last year, I think only 2, 3 tops, of the first five picks we have should go to addressing the defense. Get someone who can rush the passer, get someone who can help neutralize an opponent's playmaker, and then weaponize your offense. Get yourself playmakers on offense and just plain outscore your opponents. If you're scoring 30+ points every game, you don't need your defense to move mountains. They just need to hold their own and limit mistakes. The same goes for free agency. If you have $X to spend, don't spend it all on the defense and expect them to hold opponents to single digits. No matter how good those pieces are, that's just not practical in 2022 NFL.

Anzalone only made $1.75M last year and I can't imagine he would get much of a raise. JRM's cap hit was even less. I think those are the guys they don't mind bringing back for depth and to maybe compete for a starting role, but I don't think they would prohibit a free agent signing, if that's the direction the team decides to go.

Likely true. Like I said, I think it's more indicative of a trend than anything definitive. If they were already determined on taking Willis at #2, they wouldn't have offered Boyle in the first place.

Another very good linebacker is hitting the open market.

Even a million dollars is a lot for a 3rd string QB. You can get a 3rd string QB off any given practice squad for half of that.

Re-signing Boyle probably doesn't completely rule out taking a QB early, but it could be an indication that they are trending that direction. You don't pay $2.5M to a 3rd string QB.

Lol

Michigan travels everywhere. Certainly more than Colorado State does. I would expect Tennessee to bring plenty up north for those games as well.

With that game being in Indy, I have to imagine a lot of Michigan fans will travel. Very favorable landing for a mediocre basketball team.

Michigan to play Colorado State in a 6-11 matchup, no play-in game.

Michigan State to play Davidson in a 7-10 matchup. Lot of people already looking towards Duke-MSU in the second round, but I could easily see Davidson going to the Sweet 16. No word yet on Michigan, but two quadrants yet to be revealed.

On the bright side we haven’t given up 9+ goals. Yet.

If they spent three minutes and decided not to, I’m pretty okay with that. As long as they spent those three minutes. 😆

This is where I stand as the offer I would make. DET receives: Deshaun Watson, HOU 5th HOU receives: Jared Goff, $15MM towards Goff’s 2022 salary, Jeff Okudah, DET 1st, LAR 1st, DET 4th, 2023 LAR 1st I would be somewhat flexible with the second player, but don’t touch my offensive line. I wouldn’t be opposed to that player being Swift either, though I’m sure some fans wouldn’t like that… I would also be somewhat flexible in the secondary picks, if they wanted to give a 4th for a 3rd or something…. I would not give up a 4th 1st Round pick. Hard line there.

I don't think it's that simple. None of the teams that would have interest in Watson are powerhouses (because, they don't have a QB). Other than the Lions (who have not gained national traction as a suitor), the teams I have seen involved in the Watson talks are the Panthers, Colts, Vikings, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Steelers, Seahawks, and Buccaneers. I don't think any of those teams are in some perfect situation. They would all be markedly improved by the addition of a top QB, but they wouldn't become the perfect squad overnight. The Bucs might become Super Bowl favorites, but they're an aging team due for a rebuild soon. If a deal was reached between the Lions and Texans, I think Watson would strongly consider waiving the clause.

Sigh of relief with this. The initial report of 2/12 would have indicated they thought more of Reynolds than they should have. This is WR4 money.

I agree. If it turns into a bidding war, I'm not willing to entirely sacrifice the next two to three draft classes and set back the team any number of years. It would just turn us into what the Texans were before Watson left, and by the time the team was ready to compete, Watson's contract would be expiring and he would leave, practically bringing us right back to where we are now. That said, I am fully willing to sacrifice the going price for a franchise QB. If we are picking #10-15 next year, I'm fully prepared to trade away three 1sts (our 1st, Rams 1st, and our 2024 1st) and change to whoever is at #1 or #2 to move up for Stroud or Young. If I'm willing to do that for someone who hasn't taken an NFL snap yet, it would be hypocritical of me to not do it for a proven NFL talent. I think Holmes and company need to evaluate where we are, assess how far away we truly are, and make a fair judgement at the maximum we can give away to maintain the rebuild process moving in a positive direction (even if it slows slightly with the loss of a few 1sts). Don't engage if the price continues to climb beyond what you're comfortable losing. Houston holds a lot of chips, but let's bare in mind this is also someone who practically quit on his team (though I think his reasons make sense) and it's someone who has been away from any organized structured team workouts and activities for over a year. Selling away the future for him would not be wise.

I don't think it's at all likely, I was just posing that as a reasonable reason why we would need even more cap space despite having a ton as it stands.