Bills and WR John Brown agreed to a 3-year, $27M deal

[Raleigh PF]

It sure is exciting to see all of these high-dollar free agents signing with new teams (typically).

So, over the course of the last five years, which free agent signing(s) have been the turnaround their new teams needed to reach and go deep in the playoffs? 

Don't include trades or re-signing their own player. Who was the big free agent signing that really turned a mediocre team into a contender?

I'll wait.

[panthers55]

9 minutes ago, SazmoRanger said:

If you’re trying to justifiy our team by comparing the talent we have on hand now vs our 2015 team, I can’t help you. Our 2015 team was better in every position minus the WR group(MAYBE)... 

 

I’ve already said we’ll be competitive. Will we make the playoffs? I wouldn’t be surprised, but nothing past that. It’ll be a lot like 2017.... 

Our 2019 isn't put together yet. How can you say the 2015 was better when it is March? That is the point here. Save the complaining and bitching at least until the season starts. Otherwise as I said you are jumping the gun wildly.

[panthers55]

11 minutes ago, stbugs said:

Not only that. We are comparing our WR4’s contract to guys signed day 1 and day 2 of FA. There aren’t any worse comparisons to make. Torrey Smith doesn’t have a day 1 or day 2 market.

Torry Smith may not even make the team. His .money isn't guaranteed and he can be dropped anytime. Why are there 100 posts about how bad this was when it ready did little to change anything. Oh yeah that 5 million stopped us from signing any free agents like Paradis..........oh wait........  

We can sign who we want and can manipulate the cap however we want. The only reason we are keeping him for insurance is because we have a young receiver group and may have issues upgrading the receiver spot with other holes.

[SazmoRanger]

4 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

Our 2019 isn't put together yet. How can you say the 2015 was better when it is March? That is the point here. Save the complaining and bitching at least until the season starts. Otherwise as I said you are jumping the gun wildly.

The same way you can say we’re a playoff team before this team is put together. 

Look, I want nothing more than the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. Do you think I enjoy the mediocrity? We don’t have the cap space, nore the draft capaital to acquire the pieces we need to compare to the 2015 and/or win a Super Bowl. 

[panthers55]

1 minute ago, stbugs said:

SBs definitely expose the coach. Not saying a bad coach, but a better coach. You can tell the preparation and game planning (like Wade Philips). That said injuries can have a great impact as well. We didn’t have a healthy Stewart (or KB who would have really helped over Cotchery) and the Rams didn’t have a healthy Gurley. That said there’s a reason why a supposedly not as talented NE always shows up in th Super Bowl and playoffs. I’m not a huge NE fan, but I grew up in CT before the Panthers were around so I watched them a bunch and Belichick in the playoffs is unreal. All those great Colts teams and guys like Corey Dillon or LeGarrette Blount would just roll over them and Brady would be sort of an after thought. He attacks the weaknesses and goes after the opponents strengths. We on the other hand hope Remmers can handle Von Miller with no help. Wade Philips wasn’t the Broncos DC until 2015 and he exposed Shula. 

Can't argue that it was a perfect storm against us. Also include the headhunting that Cam took with overt shots to hurt him. I just don't think that team was so special. I think this version of the Panthers could be just as good. But that is a hope at this point nothing more.

[panthers55]

1 minute ago, SazmoRanger said:

The same way you can say we’re a playoff team before this team is put together. 

Look, I want nothing more than the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. Do you think I enjoy the mediocrity? We don’t have the cap space, nore the draft capaital to acquire the pieces we need to compare to the 2015 and/or win a Super Bowl. 

You are right lots of things are unknown. And my optimism could be misplaced. Time will tell. I just prefer to spend my off-season positive and hopeful. If we suck there will be plenty of time to complain in the Fall. I just don't like to be a gloom and doom guy all the time masquerading as reality.......

[Raleigh PF]

2 minutes ago, stbugs said:

Sore spot but Aqib Talib did pretty well in Denver. Alshon Jeffrey helped Philly. Do I have to dig further?

While both were solid signings, both were complementary pieces, not necessarily game changers. Not exactly a Brett Favre to Minnesota or Reggie White to Green Bay type of signing.

[SazmoRanger]

3 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

You are right lots of things are unknown. And my optimism could be misplaced. Time will tell. I just prefer to spend my off-season positive and hopeful. If we suck there will be plenty of time to complain in the Fall. I just don't like to be a gloom and doom guy all the time masquerading as reality.......

Again.... it’s not Doom and Gloom. As a person of non-bias or even as a fan, you can see this organization has made really stupid decisions via contracts, protecting our quarterback, and not replacing key position players. As John Fox would say, “It is what it is.”

[Raleigh PF]

1 minute ago, stbugs said:

Are they any different than all the guys we are talking about this FA? You are moving the goal posts. I’d say any FA signed for a top contract at their position is what we are talking about. How many HOFers are available in FA? You said no trades so Peyton Manning was out. I can’t think of anyone else at that level. Randy Moss was a trade as well.

There are plenty of top FA signings that helped their team win a SB. You could argue in both of my examples that without those big signings those teams don’t win their SB.

That's fair.

My point is, all of those teams throwing money at free agents aren't necessarily guaranteeing their success the next year. I'm not upset that the Panthers aren't on the talking heads list of teams going down that route to fill out the roster. The value is in primarily in the secondary signings that don't break the salary cap.

[panthers55]

51 minutes ago, stbugs said:

That’s all nice, doesn’t mean I think he isn’t worth $5m and that I’d rather spend it. That said, I’d rather have it for next year because I had no idea Funchess would sign for that so I and good finishing at Paradis (before the period after the draft where you can sign anyone and not affect comp picks). TD gives us 3 lost and 1 net gain. Williams should sign for $10+ so we could get TE thirds.

Since Hurney signed my #1 FA choice, all he has to do to make me love him is dump Kalil and not waste $7.25m on a guy that isn’t truly even a just in case. Just in case guys don’t get Cam hurt. He’s garbage and isn’t worth breaking in case of fire. I can deal with Smith but I’d rather rollover his money and if we didn’t exercise him he could help in the comp pick discussion (since we’d have to release him). That’s why I didn’t care for the CJ Anderson release. He helps the comp pick net losses if we keep him 3 weeks or the Rams, if desperate like they were, throw a pick our way. 

Won't know about comp picks until free agency is said and done. It isn't bad to keep track of those things but given what I have heard is a complex formula for figuring comp picks out it seems a waste of time for me at least at this time 

[panthers55]

32 minutes ago, stbugs said:

The 2015 Panthers were better than the Broncos but I agree that they weren’t so amazing that we’ll never be as good again. Turnovers and OL health are huge. We saw that with Atlanta the next year. They didn’t have a single injury on a good OL and went to the SB. We had a couple dings but for the most part our 2015 OL was our best ever for a single season and health was a huge key. Have a solid healthy OL and have a +20 turnover margin and you will win a lot of games with a great QB, period.

The thing is that the goal obviously is to.make the playoffs. After that good things can happen. It takes luck, good health and to peaking at the right time in order to win the Superbowl. Could we go back this year? Certainly possible. But we have to make the playoffs first. Then see what happens from there.

[Lumps]

2 hours ago, SetfreexX said:

Name those playoff teams making splash moves...

NE - Lost Flowers

BAL - Lost four of it's best defenders (Weddle, Smith, Mosely, and Suggs)

LAR - Signed a 36 year old LB

HOU - Lost Mathieu

IND - Has all the cap in the world after TWO BAD seasons and fat trimming during that time

LAR - Signed an old Safety in Weddle, but also has a QB on a rookie deal (similar to how PHI spent season before last, and some last off-season)

NO - Latavius Murray but lost Ingrahm 

DAL - Lost Beasley no moves

CHI - Has been fairly quiet and lost Amos, and Bellamy (QB on rookie deal)

KC - has had to Trade Ford, and released Houston

So I don't know what playoff team you are referring to or narrative you're trying to push, the active teams in FA 9/10 times are teams with bad records from the prior year, and they generally do not have a 100+M QB on the roster. We had the roster of a playoff team until Cam was injured. 

CLE, NYJ, GB, DET, OAK -- All teams out of the playoffs with CAP space so....there ya go. 

 

If you excuse any signing because of ‘this or that’, it’s pointless to argue.

[Moo Daeng]

That's absurd.

[panthers55]

1 hour ago, SazmoRanger said:

Again.... it’s not Doom and Gloom. As a person of non-bias or even as a fan, you can see this organization has made really stupid decisions via contracts, protecting our quarterback, and not replacing key position players. As John Fox would say, “It is what it is.”

It is doom and gloom at this point. No other way to look at it.  And again to say that we haven't replaced key position players when it is the first official day of free agency is ridiculous.