Why Are The Panthers Not Actively Seeking Out Free Safeties? Well, Simply Because The Rest Of The NFL Isn't.

[Saca312]

Well, when you look at our glaring FS hole, you may wonder why Hurney isn't doing anything about it. After all, literally any safety on the market currently will be an upgrade and instant impact player. Some may attribute it to waiting for Derek Anderson to find a new team, or Hurney looking to fill that position via the draft.

However, looking around the NFL, the issue appears to not be localized. Perhaps there's a deeper issue to us not grabbing a free safety yet.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/safeties-arent-getting-paid-this-offseason-and-eric-reid-could-be-a-big-reason-why/

Things look a lot more like Major League Baseball in terms of the way the [safety] market has unfolded, or, frankly, failed to unfold. This offseason in MLB was about a slow, patience-testing waiting game between teams and free agents, with long-term deals difficult to come by, with the market far softer than we had seen in recent years and with elite players going far into spring training without a new team. Words like collusionwere tossed around here and there, and the MLBPA and agent community believed something fishy might be going on.

And some of that same sort of chatter is going around in football circles, but on a far more position-specific basis. Agents for quality safeties -- guys who have been productive and healthy for the most part and who aren't at the end of their careers -- are getting beyond frustrated at the stagnant market, with salaries in a holding pattern at best. Several have reached out to the NFLPA to vent, I'm told, and are casting a jaundiced eye at NFL teams who seem to have strikingly similar financial evaluations on their players.

...

"We're barely even getting phone calls, and we're not the only ones," said one agent who is involved in the safety market. "You can't even get (BS) offers. We're literally getting nothing. I'm not even talking one year, $3 million. Nothing. And it's not just us."

...

Only two safeties got over $5 million per year thus far at a time when receivers like Donte Moncrief are getting double that.

There are a few mitigating circumstances. Reid is a former first-round pick who has played well enough to warrant a contract, whether back with the 49ers or elsewhere, but as one of the more prominent players to have joined Colin Kaepernick in his peaceful pre-game demonstrations in San Francisco, this was always going to be a tricky market for him. Trust me, Kaepernick's legal team is watching Reid's situation very closely as it may possibly pertain to their ongoing collusion grievance against the NFL, and if Reid, too, is systematically ignored by needy teams, it will certainly raise more probing questions as to how much of this is really about football. Reid reportedly told ESPN that he does not plan to protest during the national anthem in 2018.

Agents for other safeties believe that teams may be ignoring much of the entire position group -- and other younger safeties overall -- as a means of not just singling Reid out, himself.

...

 But it's pretty clear that an abundance of options remains at this one particular position group long after most others have been thoroughly picked through and cleaned out. All eyes will remain on Reid, and whether he meets the same free-agent reality that has befallen Kaepernick, and the conversations between these young safeties will continue as they wait and wonder if and when they'll get paid anything close to their originally expected market value.

[CarolinaSamurai]

I was also wanting to post this article. It's really interesting how this dynamic has happened. With a safety needy team like ours you'd think we'd be chopping at the bit to sign someone. I wonder how long this lasts. Till after the draft maybe? 

Also let's all laugh at the saints for jumping the gun and signing a Kurt before the market was established. 

[jumpman910]

It'd be awful for teams to punish everyone for them wanting to stick it to Reid. In reality Reid didn't do much and isn't the media distraction that they claim Colin is. It's actually  downright sickening if that's what's going on, I would much rather HOPE  that the class wants too much money as free agents and teams are opting for cheaper options in the draft.

It'll be hard for teams to do this for much longer, especially the closer it gets to June. If he isn't signed by June then he' bbeing blackballed. He made the probowl as a rookie and just had the best season of his career but might not be signed........... That's really reasonable haha 

[Moo Daeng]

It's interesting that nobody is valuing the available safeties but that doesn't explain why we aren't.

[TheSpecialJuan]

this is scandal 

[t96]

None of the safeties available are a cost-effective upgrade on Adams or the recently signed Searcy, so we shouldn’t be active in that area right now. It’s clear as day we’re targeting safety early in the draft. If we strike out there which would suck then maybe we look at FA safety again but until then we’re in solid shape at the position assuming a day 1 or 2 rookie prospect is brought in.

[Jangler]

3 hours ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

this is scandal 

waiting for the next FA period is scandalous

[Cyberjag]

The market will be set after the next couple of signings and then they will all get in line.  

[Ricky Spanish]

They'll all get signed after the draft. 

Deep class at safety, you can get a good young guy on a cheap contract for 4+ years, and none of the available safeties are that much better than the next guy available so there's no real rush to sign any of them until after the draft. 

[SCMunnerlyn1]

I read that as nobody is getting BS offers so let's throw out some BS offers to see who's desperate?

[imminent rogaine]

7 hours ago, Moo Daeng said:

It's interesting that nobody is valuing the available safeties but that doesn't explain why we aren't.

Yea, seems like a perfect opportunity to get the best available for pennies on the dollar. Of course, this seems like perfect Hurney logic - Only target players that are heavily targeted. After all, that's the best way to get rid of that pesky salary cap.

I'm glad I don't have this guy managing any of my investments.

[heel31ok]

3 minutes ago, imminent rogaine said:

Yea, seems like a perfect opportunity to get the best available for pennies on the dollar. Of course, this seems like perfect Hurney logic - Only target players that are heavily targeted. After all, that's the best way to get rid of that pesky salary cap.

I'm glad I don't have this guy managing any of my investments.

I didnt realize Searcy was heavily targeted...draft a S and we good...

[hepcat]

57 minutes ago, Cracka McNasty said:

They'll all get signed after the draft. 

Deep class at safety, you can get a good young guy on a cheap contract for 4+ years, and none of the available safeties are that much better than the next guy available so there's no real rush to sign any of them until after the draft. 

This

[RumHam]

24 minutes ago, heel31ok said:

I didnt realize Searcy was heavily targeted...draft a S and we good...

Searcy is garbage. Probably won't make the team.