Extending Greg Hardy now would be a big mistake.

[JawnyBlaze]

It's a calculated risk.  Either you bet on him by signing him this year or you bet against him by waiting.  I'm betting on him.

[JawnyBlaze]

Plus, we resigned CJ after one good year.  And we paid out the ass for it because he was a FA.  Waiting til Hardy is a FA will drive up the price just based on the competition.  If we can say "look at what Avril and those guys got" and say those were guys with a year or two more production, lets take 5% off of that I don't see how Hardy's agent can balk.  That would be a STEAL for him for the long term.  If I had to guess I wouldn't think the market will go any further down next year than it was this year.  It was pretty low.  Definitely a buyers market.  Better to get it done now than wait til next year when A: the market will more likely go up than down and B: we have to compete for him.

[The Huddler]

Dont be retarded. Sign this dude now

[MasterAwesome]

Anyone who watched Panthers games last year can see that Hardy is no fluke....the guy is a straight up beast.  Dominant in the run game, dominant in the pass game, relentless motor, hard hitter...everything you could ask for on the field.  Even the year before with his 4-sack season, I remember thinking that guy was something special.  And he has an attitude we need on our team, you can tell he takes pride in our team and what he does on the field.  So barring any injuries, I don't think there's any chance he won't have many dominant seasons to come.  I don't care if we extend him now or after the season...but I NEED that man on my team!

[Taro ∆]

Tough situation.

We can sign him now for less than he'll want next season, or we can use the money to patch some holes, or we can save up for free agency next season.

Its all up to Gettles and I trust him to make the right decision like he's done consistently.

[KendrickPanther]

You don't give the most volatile player on the team a big contract. Hardy could become a multiyear pro bowler or spend his signing bonus on 50 strippers and run off to Mexico. You put a carrot on a stick for guys like that.

[Zod]

The guy has a legitimate topic and opinion and you all attack him right away. This is why neg rep went away.

 

 

Stop being dicks.

[jtm]

No need to lock him up now. He has another year and we should let his contract play out. If we re-sign him now at a so-called bargain price and he has a huge year or several big years, he won't be happy and we could have a hold out situation. What I'm saying is we need to pay him market value, whatever that is.

[jarhead]

I am sure Gettlemen has his finger on the pulse of this debate.No doubt Hardy had a great year but I am not sure if it is the wisest move to make to sign him now or wait......I am not wasting what few brain cells I have pondering this one.

[MadHatter]

I think you start having conversations with his agent.  See what it would take to lock him up for a long term deal.

 

If his expectations are too high....roll the dice and let him test FA after next year.  If they are reasonable, make the deal.

 

If there is anything that Gettleman knows it is DLine.  I will trust that he will not over-pay Hardy like CJ was overpaid.

[MHS831]

You were a huge mistake.

What the hell is this, Troll?  Take this middle-school wit and go dazzle some zit-faced cyber nerds with your intellect.  Punk.

[Montie_0123]

I'm okay with either decision, I trust Gettleman to make the right choice on what the team should do with Hardy.

[MHS831]

Hardy is 24 and was once considered to be a first round pick.  His productivity has steadily increased each year, and last season, he came into his own as an intimidating force on the D.  At 290 he can stop the run and get after the passer.  He can rush from the three technique and get after it around the end.   He is athletic, versatile, and has a high motor. 

 

He has only 1 solid year.  His rookie year, when he was 21, he flashed occasionally.  He gradually got better.  But take a look at last year...He was a force all season, a season when many might have quit.  He was pumping his fists, talking smack, and getting after it when his team was 2-8.  I want to see him on a winner.  He was producing numbers when he was playing a large number of snaps, some from DT, some from DE.  He was playing when the DTs were not good enough to get double teamed (one reason Dwan's numbers were so good).  He was always around the passer.

 

I have seen enough.  We are investors.  You do your homework, make calculated predictions, and make money based on the wisdom of those decisions.   Buy low, not high.

 

Here is the rub:  If he gets 18 sacks and makes 50 tackles, can we afford to pay him?  How much money are we going to spend on DEs?  In 2 more years, Alexander will want a second deal.  All three will be in their 20s .   Since CJ's deal is so big, we must find ways to have quality at the position without spending top dollar.  The only way that happens is to sign Hardy now and hope that he continues to develop into a force.

[Thorrez]

I do not get the logic of locking up Hardy now for a long term deal. Yes he had a breakout year last year but im very much against extending a player that has only had one good year. I keep hearing "well if we wait until next season, he will cost more because he will match or exceed last year's perfrmance." Sure, its a possiblity. But its also a possibility he under performs and we can sign him for a reasonable amount.

Not only that but even if he does outperform, im still not sure I would want to pay him big money. With Dwan, Short, Star and CJ, its not hard to have just a average player at DE come in and look like a force. If Frank Alexander has a solid performance I say it might be worth it to let Hardy walk and continue on with big Frank.

 

It has nothing to do with how Hardy plays this year. His price goes up because he hit the FA market. 

 

He is on a 6th round rookie deal right now. I think that is like $500.000 for the upcoming season. If he gets hurt this year and never plays football again he will never get his big pay day.

 

So it makes sense for us to use that leverage and offer him something like a 4 year $20M deal with a $10M signing bonus. 

 

It is a lot less than Hardy will make if he plays out his rookie deal, plays like last year (or close enough) and does not get hurt. 

 

Still, if he signs he will have $10M in his back account the next day. And that is A LOT of money. 

 

One down side is of course if he starts being a baby and sits out after 2 years of the new contract because he thinks he should get more. But lets assume he honor what he signs.