OT: NFL legal tampering window opens today at noon
If we can table our discussions on Jett (crashing vs stars) & OSU's manliness for a bit let's turn our attention to NFL free agency. The legal tampering period opens today at noon and if history is any judge, there will be a flurry of activity almost immediately. And while the players cannot sign anything until Wednesday, March 15th, most of the big names will have handshake agreements completed today.
So who do you want your team to sign? Although I was raised as a Lions fan (parents were season ticket holders from 68-83) I've been a Browns fan since 2009. And I'm hoping my beloved Brownies pick up a DT (Javon Hargrave target #1), a free safety (CJ JGarder-Johnson or Jessie Bates if not too expensive), some LB help and a WR. Maybe even OBJ comes back now that Baker is gone. FYI the Browns restructured Watson's contract today giving them approximately 22MM of cap room as we speak and are expected to restructure both Garrett's & Bitonio's too before Wednesday to give them even more cap space.
So who's your preferred team & target?
March 13th, 2023 at 11:45 AM ^
i want the NFL to stop tampering with harbaugh so i can collect my $1 from you.
other than that, i want the lions to shore up their defense, almost everywhere.
and i'd like a shubbery. not too tall.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:55 AM ^
Ahhhh yes, the bet. I will freely admit that to the untrained eye it would appear you have won. I mean on one hand you have: every NFL opening being fillled, Harbaugh himself saying he will coach at Michigan as long as they'll have him, spring practice underway and the overall glow of a program coming off of back-to-back beatdowns of OSU & B1G Championships.
On the other hand, Warde.
So for my money the jury is still out on this one.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:13 PM ^
100% agreement re: the jury is still out. and just like our basketball team could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, so could warde with the harbaugh deal. or no deal. i may be conceptually 10 points up with 2 minutes left, but as we know, there is no assurance of victory.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:52 AM ^
If we can table our discussions on Jett
yes plz
I hope the lions sign Thielen as a big body receiver to augment St Brown, Chark, Reynolds and Williams. Would also like to see a LB (Lavonte David) and DE (Yannick Ngakoue) rental for a few years if possible. Also wouldn’t mind some secondary help.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
Theilen has fallen off. His YPC is down 2-4 yards per catch the past two seasons from the rest of his career. The Lions don't need an older receiver who will be likely under 10 YPC in 2023. They can probably get the same results (maybe better) from Josh Reynolds. But they do need another WR.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
he’s fallen off but that’ll happen with Jefferson and Hockenson on the roster. he’s still an above average receiver.
he doesn’t need to come and be a deep threat, and take away targets from St Brown but cumong he had 70 receptions last year. veteran presence and still has the game to be effective for 2-3 years.
Adam Thielen is an arrogant ass. Don't think he fits the Campbell mold.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:57 AM ^
My team is the Lions and I hope they can find an every down LB that won't be a liability in coverage. I heard Tremaine Edwards on at least one bloggers wish list and I would be good with that. If we can get one solid starter in the back seven and fill in with depth, I'll be happy.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:05 PM ^
FWIW I really, really liked what the Lions are doing right now. That team has definitely taken on the identity of it's HC and they're terribly fun to watch. I expect them to take a BIG leap next year record-wise and make the playoffs although I will admit I dont follow them closely enough to know what their specific needs are.
I was at the Thanksgiving game in 69 against the Vikings X posted about the other day, the 71 Bears game when Chuck Hughes died, the 80 Thanksgiving game where they managed to blow a 17-3 lead with under 4 minutes to go AND the ball and the season finale in 81 when they lost their only home game of the season to Tampa Bay and missed the playoffs by one game. I've seen a lot of hearbreak in both Tiger stadium & the Silverdome.
Restore the roar.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
Specific needs:
Starting LB - may be addressed with 1st round picks
Starting CB- may be addressed with 1st round picks
Defensive End - May be addressed with first round picks.
Sign/resign/draft 1-2 RBs. This may include Jamaal Williams, another FA signing or day 2 picks
Wide Receiver depth - may be day 2 picks
QB Depth - maybe.
March 13th, 2023 at 11:58 AM ^
My question is: if a 3rd round pick is all that was needed for Jalen Ramsey, why didn't the Lions try to get him? Seems like he was gotten for cheap and the Lions need a cornerback or three badly
March 13th, 2023 at 12:04 PM ^
All sources say the Lions were interested. We don't know what phone calls were made or what was discussed in said phone calls, but I'd be willing to bet a large sum the Lions did try to get him.
That being said, he wouldn't have come cheap. He has a huge contract, and Miami will be paying it guaranteed for the next two seasons. He would have eaten nearly all of the cap the Lions have this off-season. Is it really worth dedicating nearly $20 million per year for a 30-year-old cornerback on the back side of his career who has already shown some regression? I'm not so sure it is.
Yeah, we weren't willing to do what Miami did contractually
(1) They got him for a 3rd round pick and a backup TE no one has heard of
(2) He's 28. 1 year older than Amani Oruwariye and a HELL of a lot better (although Amani has been very good, doesn't compare to Ramsey).
(3) Regression? LOL
Agreed on all your points. Also, it is a 2 year contract that we would be paying not 5. To get his talent in a secondary with very little talent for 2 years and then use our two first round picks on the LBs or DL sounds like a great move to me. After 2 years you can negotiate something new or move on. Seems like a low risk high reward move to me. That said, I'll withhold full judgement till after the FA period and the draft. I'm hopeful we have a coherent plan to address the issues with the defense/secondary.
I thought the only people who call Amani very good write for Pride of Detroit.
Despite the love for MCDC, Miami is still a better free agent destination in most sports. It's possible that Jalen did not want to come here. That being said, in the last hour, the Lions picked up a cheaper, but still high quality FA option in Cam Sutton. I really hope they have more money in the piggybank to keep addressing the back seven.
TWOS is that Miami was Ramsey preferred destination. That plus his large contract and yes, he is approaching 30 were reasons that Detroit did not want to pay too much for him.
With 5 picks in the top 58, I would almost bet anything that:
A) CB is the top pick (Gonzalez or Witherspoon)
B) A trade down; either the 6th or 18th pick to get another pick or two, which leads to...
C) At least 4 of the first 6 picks focus on defense (CB, LB, IDL, another CB?/ ODL) as the most likely positions...
So it is being reported the Lions have a deal set with Cam Sutton from Pittsburgh (3 years, $33M, $22M guaranteed). Holmes and Campbell are still shopping in the economy section of FA (which I believe is very smart). Not yet in position to swing big to acquire a big name with a big contract to put them over the top for a SB ring....
If only Brad Holmes had a connection to LA's front office.
No income tax in FL - guy wanted to be there. Restructured the contract to make it fully guaranteed. Don't see the Lions winning the SB in the 2 year window of his contract. They have 21M of cap space and he would have taken almost all of it.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
I'm a Washington fan and they did what I wanted already and that was to resign Payne. Now I just wait for the sale of team and rejoice
March 13th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
Is that actually going to happen? Snyder seems like a Logan Roy type of guy in that he would rather burn the world to the ground and sacrifice his children to the gods if it meant he still retained control of his company.
It's going to happen, the question is who will be the buyer
Any hopes that you'll make a play for Lamar? Seems like a good fit.
I don't think so. Too much up in the air with everything right now.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
Lions fan here in NW Ohio, so when I'm not watching the Lions at 1pm on Fox, (west coast or the rare prime time game) I enjoy watching the other lovable losers we're so fortunate to have in our viewing area, the Browns. They have officially lost me. I didn't watch them last year and I have no interest in watching them this year. I hope Watson poops the bed all season. How many millions have they given this guy now before he's even played a productive game of football? You can't call that crap he played last year productive football. Is it up to 100-150mil? Unreal.
Moved to CO from OH and the best part about it other than seeing mountains outside of my window is not having to watch the effing Browns crap the bed every Sunday
March 13th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
Although I was raised as a Lions fan (parents were season ticket holders from 68-83) I've been a Browns fan since 2009.
Are you still a Lions fan, just with dual loyalties now? If not, how does someone just switch their long-standing fandom from one team to another?
(Not criticizing, just seriously wondering).
March 13th, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^
That's a good question and one I've wondered myself somewhat. I guess for me it started back in 89 when I moved to northern Ohio so I got fed a steady diet of Browns football. I still mostly pulled for the Lions though and definitely rooted for them when the teams played head-to-head. Fast forward 20 years to 2009 and I'm marrying a lady who has Browns season tickets. I havent been to a Lions game since 1983 and now I'm going to Browns games weekly and have been watching them on TV for the past 20 years. I guess it just sort of evolved.
Still have a huge soft spot in my heart for the team of my youth and root like hell for them every game unless they're playing Cleveland.
At least the Browns play their home games outside in the elements the way it's supposed to be played. The record of dome teams on the road in the playoffs in cold weather is lousy.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Lions to Browns is the worst fandom swap I could possibly imagine
March 13th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
No lie. I tell everyone when it comes to supporting god-awful NFL teams both financially and emotionally I believe I have no equal. Someday I'm going to take the time to figure out exactly how many games I've physically attended that the team I was supporting lost. Because the W/L record of the Lions from 68-83 was just about as bad as the Browns was from 2009 through 2022.
I feel like I deserve honorable mention for being a Lions and Jets fan, especially since the latter's Super Bowl win was before I was born.
Lions have to be the worst run franchise in last 6 decades.
That said Browns not far behind and seeing your team relocate to another city and THEN win the Super Bowl has to be insulting as heck lol.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Ravens fan here, very conflicted about what’s going on with Lamar (which is obviously the #1 free agency concern). I love him as a player but I’m starting to get more comfortable with cutting him loose to shore up depth around the team (OL, CB, WR, RB). I get the sense that the front office may see defense as the path to the Super Bowl rather than trying to compete in the offensive arms race of the AFC.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
I don't follow it closely enough, but is Lamar a good enough pure passer to still be a great to elite QB once he starts to lose athleticism? I feel like that was a huge part of Russell Wilson's regression. As his athleticism started slipping, his overall game went with it. And thus the risk of making a huge investment on a QB like Lamar for whom athleticism is such a big part of his game. Be it age (I get he's only 26), or injury, eventually he's going to lose a step or two, and that will take have a bigger impact than it did on QBs like Peyton or Brady who weren't particularly athletic to begin with (and thus whos games were dependent on that)...
Its hard to envision giving Lamar a fully guaranteed contract when you can't realistically rely on him to be available for you by Week 16 or 17. I know the guy must give it his all, but the fact of the matter is he just gets hurt too often for me to want to give him the kind of megadeal he's asking for.
If that's what he wants and he won't budge on it, I'm with you in that I'd just tell him best of luck on the open market. When you go that route with him, you're hitching your wagons to a guy who that you can reasonably expect will miss 3-4 games in any given year because his style of play lends to him getting hurt more. And with all of that, you crippled your ability to build the rest of your team.
The only owner desperate enough to give out a $250M guaranteed contract already did so last year.
(Snyder is technically desperate enough, but he's also too cheap.)
The Ravens will match any realistic offer.
Well in the time since I posted my original comment the Ravens have let Ben Powers sign with the Broncos and have released Calais Campbell, so it looks like they’ll make a real run at Lamar. Lamar’s terms so far have been ridiculous - there’s no way he gets a Deshaun Watson deal out of Eric De Costa. To the above comments, I’m in the camp that he is underrated as a passer, but that he hasn’t played in a scheme or with the personnel that would really make that passing shine. He’s only really had Mark Andrews as a reliable “go get the ball” target and could benefit massively from a reliable #1 WR.
March 13th, 2023 at 12:55 PM ^
After spending 3-4 hours watching Michigan play on Saturdays I rarely have any time to watch NFL. My wife and kids demand attention. How do you guys find the time to pay attention to the NFL? I played fantasy football for 20+ years, but had to quit a few years ago because I didn't know who any of the players were anymore.
(I watch Lions and the Bills when they are in the playoffs.)
March 13th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
sounds like you need to get your wife and kids on the “football is awesome” train. my wife watches football all weekend, from noon Saturday till 10pm Sunday. Only took 20 years to get her interested but she’s hooked now
You've got to get your kids to watch. My oldest will sit with me and watch game after game on the weekends. Hell, we even watch MACtion together. He gets to pick his team and I'll put a few bucks on them to win (or cover depending on the spread) so we have a rooting interest.
I don't really root for the Bucs the way I used to when I was growing up in Tampa, but I guess they're still my team if I have to say I have an NFL team. I've lived in Atlanta since 2015, and I ain't hitching my wagons to the 28-3 stank that still permeates through every corner of this city.
Honestly, this team doesn't even have any money to spend so I'm not sure who I could realistically ask that they bring in anyway. This season will involve cutting a lot of guys loose, maybe even saying good-bye to some beloved vets in Lavonte David, Devin White or Mike Evans, bringing in "just guys" kind of players to work their way back under the cap, and just preparing for a very lean 2023 season. Sounds like they might bring in Baker, let him compete with Kyle Trask for the job next season and just see how it all goes. AKA, they'll be playing for a top-5 pick and the right to draft Caleb Williams in 2024. I don't think either of those guys are the long-term answer.
Still, all worth it for that ring that Brady brought them.
As a veteran Browns fan, allow me to save you some time. They will have to overpay for any decent talent. Talent will either underperform or get injured during training camp.
Damn. 49ers get DT Javon Hargrave for $80M ($40M guaranteed). The rich get richer.
Still won't mean much if they can't have a healthy QB in time for the postseason.
...and the NFL just gave them 7 compensatory picks including 3 extra in the 3rd round.
Yes I saw that and immediately went to look at the salary cap sites as their defense is loaded plus paying TE big money. They only have $5M to spare so some peeps will be punted out. That said not paying a QB $40M+ helps.
That's the exact reason right there, why they can field an elite top-to-bottom defense and pay top dollar for one of the best tight ends and running backs in the league. They don't have to pay $40 million/year to a QB.
Garrapolo is probably on his way out, and then they have two guys who are essentially rookies vying for the starting job. I'm sure Lance is a not-small salary cap hit as he was a top-3 pick, but Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant so they're (by NFL standards) paying him next to nothing. .
Lions sign ex-Steeler CB Cam Sutton (3/$33M), a solid second-tier corner.
Buggs re-signed. 2 years up to $6 million
And resigned Buggs. Hope they focus on Williams and Cominksy next. Also need a top FA LB if they let Anzalone walk.