Official Free Agency/Offseason/Non-Draft Thread

[Bretsky]

They reap similar results to be honest. Being good (very) will let you sneak into the owl once in awhile and keep the fans happy. Going for the gold fails often, but gets you a ring about the same % of the time, but results in you being shitty often. The only outlier in this equation is the Patriots. Look at the Rams desperation to get a ring after coming oh so close. When is their next draft pick? 2027 ??

When you say the "outlier" of this equation is the Patriots.....that outlier has won so many times and went outside the box to get there with so many moves I would say they provide evident to go for it. As does Tampa Bay. We were so so close last year. A single move could have tipped the scale. Tee Higgins instead of Jordan Love ? Not saying that would have done it...but Maybe

Hear Jordy Nelson's comment on Rodgers last week ? That reflect the thoughts of nearly everybody outside of GB

I agree with Tex; Go for it Gutebag

[run pMc]

They brought back everyone except Linsley and Jamaal; they are in cap hell next year. They are going for it.

TB already had a lot of the pieces in place -- they mostly benefitted from swapping out Jameis for Brady (that alone is like going from Mitch to A-Rod), drafting high enough to get a very good starting OT and a good safety (Wirfs & Winfield).

[RashanGary]

When you say the "outlier" of this equation is the Patriots.....that outlier has won so many times and went outside the box to get there with so many moves I would say they provide evident to go for it. As does Tampa Bay. We were so so close last year. A single move could have tipped the scale. Tee Higgins instead of Jordan Love ? Not saying that would have done it...but Maybe

Hear Jordy Nelson's comment on Rodgers last week ? That reflect the thoughts of nearly everybody outside of GB

I agree with Tex; Go for it Gutebag

NE always seemed to make a couple small signings to fill a gap or two but often times did well with their small signings.

[bobblehead]

When you say the "outlier" of this equation is the Patriots.....that outlier has won so many times and went outside the box to get there with so many moves I would say they provide evident to go for it. As does Tampa Bay. We were so so close last year. A single move could have tipped the scale. Tee Higgins instead of Jordan Love ? Not saying that would have done it...but Maybe

Hear Jordy Nelson's comment on Rodgers last week ? That reflect the thoughts of nearly everybody outside of GB

I agree with Tex; Go for it Gutebag

I would argue just the opposite. The only year the Patriots signed a flashy FA was the year they "almost" went undefeated. Otherwise they sign smart discounted players that fit their system. They trade guys away at max value. They trade back for future draft capital often. I would say that honestly they NEVER go for it other than one exception.

Edit: By outlier I meant they have done the consistently good thing, but instead of only winning one or two over the years they won 7. I didn't mean anything close to outlier as in they go for it all the time and win 7.

[sharpe1027]

The facts are being ignored.

[sharpe1027]

5-7. Teams that have "gone for it and won" recently are the Bucs and Denver. Both of them had the benefit of signing a good over the hill QB to complete a really good roster. Neither of them had a QB under a long contract causing them to draft at the back of every round.

That does not equate to a percentage. It's two teams out of how many over how many years?

[run pMc]

Ask NO how going for it has worked out for them.
Likewise with LAR.

I'm not sure if the Khalil Mack trade was Chicago's idea of going all-in, but they gave up a LOT of draft capital.
Hey what happened to Vince Young and the Dream Team?

Ten years ago you could ask Dan Snyder; seems like since then someone in the FO there has told him he's drunk and to go home.

Every year there's an offseason winner, they almost never make it to the NFCCG much less win a SB.

[RashanGary]

Ask NO how going for it has worked out for them.
Likewise with LAR.

I'm not sure if the Khalil Mack trade was Chicago's idea of going all-in, but they gave up a LOT of draft capital.
Hey what happened to Vince Young and the Dream Team?

Ten years ago you could ask Dan Snyder; seems like since then someone in the FO there has told him he's drunk and to go home.

Every year there's an offseason winner, they almost never make it to the NFCCG much less win a SB.

This year could be different. Different environment with the cap drop. Better deals. New England, with cam in his second year, and a nice free agent haul, should move to or toward the upper tier teams in the AFC.

The Giants got better in the NFC and have Danny dimes in his third year (second year same offense.) Plus Barkley is back. So they look much improved and brought in a upper tier corner plus Kenny Golladay.

I expect the Giants and Patriots to break trend and actually succeed with the free agent splurges even though most of those teams fail.

[run pMc]

RG - agree they'll be better. I'm not sure they're going "all-in" though. Is Cam more than a stopgap? He made some atrocious decisions, but maybe Year 2 in the NE offense will be better for him.

[bobblehead]

That does not equate to a percentage. It's two teams out of how many over how many years?

5 to 7 out of 32 is certainly a percentage if you passed 9th grade math. And I don't recall how many years I went back, something like 15 probably because the game and cap situation/manipulation changes about that often. So, 2 of 15 have truly "gone for it" and won. 7 were the patriots. That leaves 6 that won without "going for it". If 5-7 try each year the midpoint of 6 x 15 years would suggest about 90 teams Have failed using said strategy while handicapping themselves. I would put US in that category 2 years ago when we went on a spending spree which helped put us in the cap situation we are in now.

We can just go back and forth all day. How do you define "going for it". Every year I see teams mortgage their futures. Sign all kinds of guys to record breaking deals. Saints are the extreme example currently. Bottom line is this. Packers were in tough cap shape and kicked some forward already. They will be in pretty bad shape next year.

The league is designed for parity. To elevate bad teams and deflate successful teams. We, and everyone else, have trouble winning multiple Owls because the system is intentionally rigged. We had the best QB in the game, now top 5 still and we draft in the back of EVERY round EVERY year. Our FA dollars are competing with EVERY other team so we can't just magically sign anyone we want to improve the team.

Going back to 2000 only 5 teams have won multiple owls. NE, Pitt, and Balt are known to NOT get into cap hell (yet PITT is currently trying its best to get into it). TB was 18 years apart. The Giants were just the luckiest team ever twice and didn't really sell out either time. That leaves 6 farts in the wind. If we had a competent head coach for the last 15 years I have no doubt our name would be on that list having done it the slow and steady way. Since we sold out under Gutes we have 2 "almosts". I'm ok with his approach overall, but next year will be a year of reckoning. They will either have to extend Rodgers, Trade Rodgers, or keep him with a much inferior roster to the one we have right now. There is no other approach next season.

[bobblehead]

This year could be different. Different environment with the cap drop. Better deals. New England, with cam in his second year, and a nice free agent haul, should move to or toward the upper tier teams in the AFC.

The Giants got better in the NFC and have Danny dimes in his third year (second year same offense.) Plus Barkley is back. So they look much improved and brought in a upper tier corner plus Kenny Golladay.

I expect the Giants and Patriots to break trend and actually succeed with the free agent splurges even though most of those teams fail.

Neither of those teams are in cap hell though even after the spending. They had a mountain of cap space. I think the Bengals do as well but didn't spend quite the same way. Plus NE is getting 4 opt out defenders back. Yea, they will be really good. Cam was pretty good before covid and losing edelman.

[wist43]

I don't know why you guys think Gute is going "all in" or selling out to FA.

His first year he signed 3 guys to pretty big contracts in FA, but he had to do that b/c of the organizations failures in the draft. Also, the first couple of years he actually filled holes in the roster through the draft.

Last year he ignored holes and literally threw away 1st, 3rd, and 4th rd picks. I expect more of the same this year. The outlier years for the organization were his first couple of years where he actually tried to fill out the roster.

Our cap problems are not born out of "going all in", they exist b/c of "signing our own", and having one of the highest paid QB's in the league.

In short, the organization has literally wasted the majority of the careers of 2 HOF QB's.

[Upnorth]

I don't know why you guys think Gute is going "all in" or selling out to FA.

His first year he signed 3 guys to pretty big contracts in FA, but he had to do that b/c of the organizations failures in the draft. Also, the first couple of years he actually filled holes in the roster through the draft.

Last year he ignored holes and literally threw away 1st, 3rd, and 4th rd picks. I expect more of the same this year. The outlier years for the organization were his first couple of years where he actually tried to fill out the roster.

Our cap problems are not born out of "going all in", they exist b/c of "signing our own", and having one of the highest paid QB's in the league.

In short, the organization has literally wasted the majority of the careers of 2 HOF QB's.

2011 2014 and 2020 were all teams that should have went to the Superbowl. 13 and 17 arod went down. 09 was basically our most complete team, except maybe 2020, that should not have lost in ari. 7 of the last 12 years can absolutely not be defined as wasted unless a Superbowl is your only measure of success. Yes I wish we had more. And now that I see Lafluer I really think coaching was substantially more respinsible for any defined lack on success than the roster.

[RashanGary]

Neither of those teams are in cap hell though even after the spending. They had a mountain of cap space. I think the Bengals do as well but didn't spend quite the same way. Plus NE is getting 4 opt out defenders back. Yea, they will be really good. Cam was pretty good before covid and losing edelman.

Patriots at +4000 is my small darling bet of the offseason. I made three others, including the Giants, predicting some nice free agent activity and chemistry at QB.

[wist43]

2011 2014 and 2020 were all teams that should have went to the Superbowl. 13 and 17 arod went down. 09 was basically our most complete team, except maybe 2020, that should not have lost in ari. 7 of the last 12 years can absolutely not be defined as wasted unless a Superbowl is your only measure of success. Yes I wish we had more. And now that I see Lafluer I really think coaching was substantially more respinsible for any defined lack on success than the roster.

I grew up during the Lombardi era... yes, championships are my standard.

Who lost the NFC Championship Game in 1975, '83, 06, etc... all anyone remembers or commemorates is Championships.

We've won 4 since 1967, that's the only stat that matters.