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Rampage2K-
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dzrams
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Rampage2K-
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dzrams
I don't see $2M being the difference between affording our young stars and not affording them. My suggestion is they make up that relatively small amount by letting an average vet - i.e. not a young star - walk in free agency.
It's not that simple usually.... there is 53 players to try to fit the puzzle.
What if on the other hand we get out bid on a player like Suh or Cooks by $2M?
The less money we can get away with paying all of our stars the better off the
team will be.
You also have to remember, AD would be getting his contract a full year ahead of where Von Miller got his.... AD has to take that into account.
It would only be a full year ahead if they agree this year. That's not a certainty.
I'm not exactly sure what you're asking regarding the Suh or Cooks bidding but my general philosophy is to pay the elite players and fill in the rest later. I'm wiling to lose players that are considered "good" but aren't far above average or elite.
In the past, we've overpaid mere average to slightly above average players. TA, Ogletree, Barron come to mind. I disagree with a philosophy that says overpay on those types but make certain you don't overpay on elites like AD, Suh, or Cooks.
The concept of getting away with paying great players less is not really a workable strategy. At best they get lucky with the rare player who is willing to leave some money on the table but they really shouldn't count on that. The usual result when you try to pay a great player less than they deserve like they tried to do with JJ is they will lose the player.
Keeping the average and letting the great walk is dumb IMO.
Highly doubt they simply let AD walk....
TA coming off 10 TD season wasn't overpaid at $10M year considering what WR's were getting these days....Allen Hurns signed an almost identical contract that offseason.
In hindsight it was an overpay after the complete disappearance, but at the time it wasn't outrageous. Same with Olgetree and Barron. (14th and 20th highest paid LB's currently)
I agree they won't let AD walk. I'm on record as saying, if they tag him, the most likely result is they trade him.
I'll grant you that TA wasn't exactly overpaid. I've argued in the past that he wasn't so I have to remain consistent. At the time he signed, that amount was fairly reasonable.
However, both AO and Barron were significantly overpaid. It's not very accurate to look at the overall LB market like you did. They are both ILB's so you have to compare their salaries to other ILB/MLB's which are typically paid much less than OLBs.
In 2017, AO and Barron were the 3rd and 5th highest paid respectively ILB/MLB's in the entire league (1st and 2nd respectively in the 3-4 scheme). Were either close to the 3rd or 5th best LB? I don't think so. Not even within sniffing distance.
But beyond being overpaid, I had a larger point. I think the team would have been fine if they didn't retain any of TA, AO, and Barron and filled their positions with young, cheap talent. Together they were a $30M+ expense on pretty average talent.
IMO, to date, the Rams have had a policy of extending the average players.
My point is, if you want to pinch pennies, target those guys. They're replaceable. The ultra elite talents? Not so replaceable.
IF, if you have to get wild and overspend, do it on one of the best players in the game. Take the money from the mid-tier, average vets and use it on the elite.
