Grahamburn wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:46 pm
CannonFire wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:21 pm
What's it matter? Unless I say I'm going to force KC to give us Mahomes, you're going to poo poo any suggestion I make.
Just so we'd have some message board receipts. I didn't figure you'd plant a flag.
If Mayfield fails you'll say "I told you so," but without stating what you would have specifically done differently your stance doesn't have much credibility.
I wouldn't "poo poo" anything as long as it was realistic.
Don't give me that crap, I've made tons of alternative suggestions in the Mayfield thread, and you know it.
Here's another one. I mentioned in the Fields thread that the Bears would probably get a 5th for him,
maybe a 4th, and despite a few people (don't remember who honestly), saying someone would give up a 2nd or more, that's exactly what the Bears got. Here's a kicker, they're not even getting that pick this year. I'd have given up a 5th (this year), for him which is equivalent to a 4th next year. He has 3 years in, which means he can be extended.
Here's the deal I offer him: so I tell him... A 3 yr contract where the signing bonus brings him up to $10M this year (sound familiar?), then 2 more years where he makes $15M in base pay only, and his 5th year option in May is not picked up. Now, I'm still drafting a QB this year. I think Bo Nix (yeah, I don't care if you don't like him), at #26 and I'm letting him sit in 2024. If Fields stinks, it only cost me $10M and I'm out (and no dead cap number like I would with Mayfield), and I have 4 more years with Nix. If Fields is good enough get another year, it costs me just another $15M (at this point, he cost me HALF of what Mayfield does in these 2 seasons), and I can either trade him and get a better ROI than my 5th rounder from this year, or I extend him because I have a franchise QB and I trade Nix and get my 1st rounder back.
Why does Fields take that deal? Because it guarantees him $10M instead of $1.6M is he's going to make this year. It also gives him a chance to still earn the $25M (in the 2 years), that he could've made next year, that he currently has a 0% chance of making otherwise. He also has a chance to prove he's worth a long term deal... meaning, he has a chance to bet on himself. If he doesn't take the deal, he's going to have to bet against someone else, because I still draft Bo Nix and I name Nix the starter Day 1 and Fields rides the pine and will have to take a Baker Mayfield $5M semi-prove-it deal... and even if he does, he'll still need to sign ANOTHER prove-it deal (like Mayfield just did).
Now, you're going to say something like "why go through all of that when we already have that?" Well, it's because I'm guaranteed $25M of flexibility with no dead cap potential AND I know I still have a ceiling to be reached. The fact is, Mayfield is a bottom tier starter in the NFL.... that's what he is and all he'll ever be. He's the worst kind of QB because you need to pay him a lot of money to be below average and it reduces the teams ability to build around him. With a guy like Fields, there's still upside. If it doesn't pan out, I'm still ahead financially and still have a backup plan (a 1st rd QB), on the roster. Odds are, when we win 7 or 8 games this year (if we're lucky), we're stuck with Mayfield again next year (at the very least, a cap hit), and will be forced to look to the draft to upgrade.
