SteveSmithTD89

Now factor in the 15 million for the draft picks. Thats 20 million to sign 10 players one of which will have to be a veteran QB. Thats 2/mil a player or 1 mid level guy and a couple UDFAs to balance it out. 2024 things get interesting but then you have Brown, Chinn, Horn all coming up for extensions. We are far from set. The only hope of success for the franchise is that they hit on this draft like the Saints did in 2017 and more importantly they absolutely nail 1.01 and get a true franchise QB.

Skipped right over the fact Faulk was in the midst of a contract and demanded a trade and then held out until he received the largest contract in the history of the Rams (at the time obviously) We've seen disgruntled players shipped out for pennies on the dollar every time. Once that info goes public it tanks their value. You know that. Why do you think that trade looks so much smaller than the Erick Dickerson and Ricky Williams trades?

All this is under the assumption they don't further blow this thing up in the name of desperately trying to make this 3rd rate franchise look appealing. DJ could be traded, Burns could be traded, DJax could be traded. All moves would further cripple that 2023 number. Assuming all things stay the same and the team does something sensible and only moves Shaq - you're still adding another 13 million in dead cap to next years number. We can likely free up ~23 total from Moore and Moton. Hopefully Burns re-signs and we can lower the base salary of his 5th year option. Probably free up 10ish million after factoring in signing bonus and his new base? For simplicity lets just round it up to 35 million. Right off the bat 15 of that is gone for the rookie pool. Down to 20 or so million (maybe closer to 30 if we make some additional moves with guys like Elf, Ian Thomas, Hekker) with 42 players on the roster and the only Qbs being presumed 1.01 and MC. So like I said, enough to sign our rookies and dumpster dive or get maybe 1 mid level guy. But after seeing how this team treats its FA acquisitions (Perryman, Dan Arnold) and its superstars (Cam, CMC) you aren't getting any kind of discount. You'll have to overpay for even average guys so expect more Elflein and Irving signings rather than Woods and Corbett.

And Faulk was traded in the midst of a contract dispute. Not under team control for the rest of the season and an additional 3 years. Faulk didn't accelerate an 18 million dollar dead money hit onto his team's cap next season either. We can go back and forth. You love the trade. I don't. You're not going to convince me otherwise, I wont convince you. We can agree to disagree.

Lol thats 18 Million DEAD money next year. We are back in the negative for next season after this move. There is no "cap to spend" next season. We can make a few moved and restructures to get under and sign a bunch of dumpster dives or maybe 1 mid level players and our draft picks but thats it. 2024 the books open up but I'd imagine that evaporates quickly once Burns, Chinn, Horn, Luvu and others start inking deals. Unless of course we just trade them too.

Same franchise that gave up a 1st for Trent Richardson right?

Quick Question. When was the last time a RB like Christian McCaffery was traded away? He is an impossible mismatch, 26 years old and now is under a non guaranteed contract with an annual salary of 12 mil for the next 3 years and making pennies this year. We also nuked our own Cap and will carry an 18.3 Million dead cap hit for Christian to play on another team. Forget 2 dimes instead of a quarter, we took 4 pennies on the dollar.

Just like they did when we hired Matt Rhule?

I thought you could easily find a great running back in the late rounds of the draft? Oh you mean that's actually not true? Shocker.

Yay! We got one of each: YGM/TMJ Tremble/BC/Tremble/Corral Chuba/Troy Pride/Brandon Smith Roy/Kenny Robinson/Keith Taylor. I wouldn't trade CMC for every single one of those players and you're lying if you say you would. That entire "haul" is worth about 100 points less than the value of pick 31 using draft charts. fuging garbage. Absolute garbage. Gonna be honest, this may be the end of my "fandom" with the team and the NFL as a whole. I've sat through a lot over the last 18 years but I'm not giving any more of my time or money to this worthless franchise that continues to squander Hall of Fame talent. Who'd have thought the god damn Super Bowl loss 7 years ago was just the tip of the iceberg in how absolutely bad things would get. fug you Tepper. fug you Rhule. fug you Fitterer.

fuging kill me now.

Since week 2 of the season he has been a completely different player. Whatever finally clicked for him I'm so glad it did. Always loved Brown the person, glad Brown as a player is starting to come up to that same level. Future is bright for the kid. Hope he continues to grow and keep improving.

Hes 4th in the league in scrimmage yards this season behind Saquan, Chubb and Hill. Hes been the focal point all season long and still teams can't contain him. We threw what 3 passes past the LOS last week and he still couldn't be brought down for a loss. The production is most definitely there this season. Injury concerns are real but no more than any other player in the league.

Trading Robby accelerated roughly 10 mil of that to this season I believe. Our rollover is essentially gone but the move freed up 12 million next season.

His OC from last year is presently the Rams OC right now.

Honestly if Wilks gets the full time gig and we drop the interim from the job title it probably means that we won 9-10 of our remaining 12 games and potentially sneak into the playoffs. Not sure its likely at all but I would be beyond excited for Panthers football again and whatever staff Wilks chose to assemble. On paper there are some solid names there although I don't personally think it'll happen.

Depending where we end up in the draft that would fuel the Levis to Carolina talk. Was the OC for Levis and UK last year.

Didn't see a thread for it but coach is speaking now First things of note right off the bat. Said the decision to fire Snow was his call (seems those rumors are true) and he wanted to go a different direction. Said Holcomb will call the plays.

We pay the rest of this season. Essentially what this means is for next year and the years following - if we pay him 10 mil a year as his salary and his college contract pays him 6 million a year, we are only on the hook for the difference, or in that scenario 4 million a year. If he does not coach, well - we're paying him a cool 10 mil to play golf then.

I think its important for me to make sure its clear I'm not saying that you 100% cant find a RB in the late rounds who can be a top running back. You absolutely can for any position in the league. The GOAT QB od all time was a 6th round pick, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner was undrafted. The odds of that happening just decrease exponentially. Like I said in a previous post. 68 RBs drafted in the 4th-7th rounds since 2018. 3 of them are starters. Of those 3 not one of them is coming close to touching the production and impact on an offense that CMC does. Lets make no bones about it - you dont need a running back to win. Its a QB driven league. The chiefs won because of Mahommes, Kelce, Hill and Andy Reid. Further counter point would be that Damien Williams only filled in because Edwards-Helaire, another first round pick, got hurt week 13 and missed the playoffs. They didnt go the entire year with a UDFA leading their offense like how we do with CMC. The 9ers have spent 3 draft picks, 2 of them 3rds on RBs trying to flush out their stable and already cut one of their 3rd round picks, Trey Sermon, after one season. This after mortgaging their future with 3 firsts for Trey Lance. They already have limited capital and are still spending premium picks trying to figure it out just proving that just because you can hit on a pick like an Aaron Jones, Austin Ekler in the later rounds, even in the 3rd theres no guarantee you hit. I'm sure with our eye for talent I can almost guarantee we'd get another Jordan Scarlett rather than an Aaron Jones. Ravens were top 3 in rushing last year because Lamar had 800 yards and accounted for 40% of their running game while only playing in 12/17 games. Freeman played in 16 games and had 575 yards. They also struggled mightily last year and finished last in the division. They weren't signing guys off the street in a plug and play dominant ground control offense. They missed Dobbins and Hill last year. CMC is here, hes been his normal self and as long as he stays healthy I think he continues to be here unless a team blows us away with an offer we would be foolish to refuse (something similar to what Adams and Hill went for.) I am not defending the contract - or the pick where he was taken. As CRA pointed out. Even in his dominant season, we won 5 games with Kyle Allen. I'd never spend a 1st on anything other than Olinemen, Defensive ends or a QB unless they were a generational talent but that's just me. Just saw the comment about replacing him with a late round pick and this is where we've spiraled out to lol.

Is the league really slammed full of them? Of the top 10 rushing leaders at RB 2 of them weren't drafted in the first 2 rounds - Aaron Jones (who also signed a big contract) and Khalil Herbert who is a backup getting run because Montgomery is hurt. This notion that we can find a late round RB in the 3rd/4th or later is an absurd fallacy that more often than not gets you a Chuba Hubbard rather than Aaron Jones. Since 2018 there have been 68 RBs drafted in the 4th round or later. Of those 68, three, Chase Edmonds (2018), Elijah Mitchell (2021), Dameon Pierce (2022) entered this season as a starter for their clubs. My initial comment wasn't advocating for or against the notion of not paying RBs big money and drafting a replacement only that taking a loss on CMC and selling for pennies on the dollar with the belief we can just replace him with a late draft pick is an indisputable absurdity. You're right though. CMC and Deebo aren't the same players. CMC isnt nearly as powerful as Deebo -but he is far quicker. They have similar builds and he 100% could run the same route tree, probably better if we're being honest, and we know what he can do as a runner now. His contract based on AAV for a WR would slot right in between guys like Allen Robinson, Hunter Renfrow and Adam Thielin. If the new coach decides that CMC just cant do it as a runner and we need a stop gap like Foreman to take the bulk of the carrier I am extremely comfortable slotting CMC into the slot and letting him take the same role of 10-15 targets and 7-10 carries a game.

So we could get another RB like Chuba? Hard pass. I'd move CMC to WR and let him take on the Debo (at which his contract becomes a bargain comparatively) before I'd ever ship him out for mid round picks AND eat the contract.

That finger is GNARLY - didn't see that live. The entire special teams operation was a cluster fug too but still, QB snaps the ball, they were going hurry up. That's on him to make sure his team is set before they snap it. I'd also disagree on the targeting call and think it was right as a no call since Levis ducked into the contact but we could go on and on about targeting at the college level in general. My concerns aren't limited to one game though. Look at any game against a team that is UL Monroe, Youngstown St, Richmond or a similar quality of opponent and the tape just leaves me thinking "That's it?" That's not to say he didn't flash - the TD pass across the middle in the tight window in stride to a TE was a pro level throw all day. I just don't see the consistency I'd like to see for a 24 year old top 5 pick at the most important position in the game. Finally gonna have to hard disagree with you on the "mid level talent" UKs line and RBs are nasty. Have been for years - a number of if not the majority of them are going to be playing on Sundays. Out wide they may be green but for a team that flat out did not throw the ball 2 years ago idk how much I really expect from them.

Man I want NOTHING to do with Will Levis. I understand the intrigue - prop typical size, plus arm strength, plays in the SEC, "pro stlye" offense.... but every time I watch him play against even a decent opponent he shrinks and he is careless with the football. Honestly. I see all the same red flags we saw with Darnold coming out. Last weekend against Ole Miss, 2 fumbles in the red zone after snapping the ball too early and negating a TD that would have won them the game. Against Florida in a big win for the program - he completed 50% of his passes for 200 yards 1 TD and a pick. Then the kid is already 23 years old and only in his second full season as a starter. His numbers last year dont move the needle for me. If he were a freshman sure and I could understand how a coach could see the potential and think they could mold him into a franchise QB (a la Darnold) but for someone who will be 24 (a year younger than Darnold is now) I dont know how much more potential there is to uncover. To me, he is way more Mac Jones, Kenny Pickett than Joe Burrow (although arm talent alone he is much closer to Burrow). I would much prefer take Will Anderson to pair with Burns and see what Corral has than go with Levis.

After either the Rams/Bucs game - one of (likely both) of those are going to be an embarrassing laugher that will likely be the last straw. Normally the team would make the move before the bye week but there's no way I see Rhule lasting till December, let alone November.