2018 Packers Offseason Thread - No Progress on Rodgers Extension (pg 60)

[MickeyDavis]

Other thread about maxed out.

[Wisky4life]

No rumors going on with the Packers.

Should trade Cobb or make him take a pay cut.
I don't know what we offered Jordy but I'd give him 2 year $10 mil deal to end career here.

Free agents I hope we look at today.

S: Kenny Vacarro and CB/S: Tre Boston
LB: Zach Brown
G: Justin Pugh

Really hope we can sign at least 3/4 of these guys but it all depends on money.

[MickeyDavis]

Are the numbers on Graham out yet?

[wichmae]

Are the numbers on Graham out yet?

3/30 breakdown is 11, 11, 8

[Turk Nowitzki]

That is probably an overpay for the 31 year old current version of Jimmy Graham but that's the way it goes in early free agency with players in demand. As long as we use him intelligently he can still be a valuable weapon.

[humanrefutation]

Barnwell has his grades up on the Packers moves:
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22680603/2018-nfl-free-agency-grades-big-trades-signings-moves-offseason-bill-barnwell

TE Jimmy Graham, Packers
Grade: C

It was a strange run in Seattle for the former Saints star, who never quite lived up to the lofty heights of his peak years in New Orleans but did manage to overcome a serious knee injury to serve as an effective member of the offense. Graham oddly wasn't a red zone factor before the knee injury in 2015, catching just two touchdown passes, then retained his downfield ability immediately afterward in averaging better than 14 yards per reception in 2016. Last season, Graham was strictly a red zone weapon, as he averaged just 9.1 yards per catch but scored 10 touchdowns. All 10 came in the red zone, which was the most of any tight end in the league.

Even given a list which includes players like Rob Gronkowski and Randy Moss, nobody is that effective in the red zone from year-to-year. Eighteen other players have scored 10 or more touchdowns in the red zone since 2001, and not a single one of them made it back to double-digits the following year. Those guys scored an average of 4.8 red zone touchdowns the following season, so while the 6-foot-7 Graham obviously has the frame to make plays in the end zone, paying him like he's guaranteed to produce inside the 20 would be a mistake.

The Packers are giving Graham, 31, a three-year, $30 million deal with $22 million guaranteed over the first two years of the contract, so it's safe to say that they think they can either get guaranteed production in the red zone or think the guy who could run past linebackers or jump over safeties up the seam play after play will be back. It's certainly possible -- Aaron Rodgers has a way of making receivers look young again -- but Graham has the highest annual average of any tight end in football and the largest three-year number with this deal, identical figures to the contract he had previously signed in New Orleans. Is there anyone who has thought Graham is the league's top tight end or anything close to it over the ensuing four seasons?


DL Muhammad Wilkerson, Packers
Grade: B+

It's almost difficult to believe that a player as productive as Wilkerson could see things go south as quickly as they did in New York. The Temple product racked up 18 sacks and 49 quarterback knockdowns from 2014 to '15 ... only to generate just eight sacks and 18 knockdowns over the two subsequent campaigns. The New York media was lousy with reports of Wilkerson plodding through practices and games, and by the end of his run, he was being suspended for missing multiple team meetings.

The natural assumption is that Wilkerson got his big contract from the Jets before the 2016 season and suddenly stopped caring. Maybe he didn't get along with new coach Todd Bowles. Perhaps Wilkerson was a product of playing alongside Damon Harrison and a motivated Sheldon Richardson, although Wilkerson did get to spend the last two years with the wildly talented Leonard Williams. Under any circumstance, the Jets-Wilkerson relationship needed to end for the sake of both parties.

If you believe the Wilkerson-got-rich scenario, you should probably like the one-year, $8-million deal the Packers handed him on Tuesday, given that the 28-year-old would presumably be using his one-year deal as leverage for a multiyear contract to come. The Packers might not necessarily want to sign Wilkerson to a long-term pact, but for one year, he should be motivated to play his best football. An interested Wilkerson and a healthy Mike Daniels would be one of the best one-two punches in the league.

[M-C-G]

That is probably an overpay for the 31 year old current version of Jimmy Graham but that's the way it goes in early free agency with players in demand. As long as we use him intelligently he can still be a valuable weapon.

Trying to read between the lines, this somewhat makes me hopeful this is a sign that Big Mac, Rodgers and Philbin are going to play with a pedal to metal offense this year, with some kind of renewed urgency to end up being the number one offense in the league.

Could very well just be seeing what I want to see, but adding a premier red zone piece, looking at WR like Watkins and Ridley and probably more than anything Big Mac and his job on the line, lead me to believe there is going to be a change in attitude this year.

[Wisky4life]

Does anyone know how much cap space we have left? I'm thinking around $15 mil.

We still have Rodgers extension and all of our draft picks to sign. So we are basically done with FA right? That means Cobb or Clay money has to change if we want to sign any more guys.

[Kerb Hohl]

Does anyone know how much cap space we have left? I'm thinking around $15 mil.

We still have Rodgers extension and all of our draft picks to sign. So we are basically done with FA right? That means Cobb or Clay money has to change if we want to sign any more guys.

Cutting Nelson put us around $30
Adding Wilkerson is $5 (?) - Not sure how the performance bonuses work there.
Graham is $11

So that means about $15, yes, but the rookie pool soaks up $9 of that.

[M-C-G]

Does anyone know how much cap space we have left? I'm thinking around $15 mil.

We still have Rodgers extension and all of our draft picks to sign. So we are basically done with FA right? That means Cobb or Clay money has to change if we want to sign any more guys.

I think we had 3M in carry forward cap, 17M net salary cap when you take out the draft pick money according to spotrac. And Jordy and Jimmy were probably close to equaling out.

So I'd guess we have 12M or so after Mo yet before Rodgers extension.

[wichmae]

I’m actually surprised Bulaga wasn’t released. Him, Cobb, and Clay are eating way more cap $ than they’re worth


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[Balls2TheWalls]

We have just enough money to bump Aaron's contract if that is what he wants right now. I am certainly much higher on the Jimmy Graham move than the national media. He is the first dominant TE we have had since Jermichael Finley. It is clear we think we are going to get something out of him that the Seahawks couldn't.

[wichmae]

From the sounds of it only first two years are guaranteed for Jimmy. 22 million g’d in first two years.


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[Kerb Hohl]

I’m actually surprised Bulaga wasn’t released. Him, Cobb, and Clay are eating way more cap $ than they’re worth


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In all cases it's about need/reward, though.

Clay is not worth $11 million, but unless we clearly got a stud corner that we felt great about the contract of or maybe a stud WR that we felt that way about, what would you rather have? A still somewhat effective Clay Matthews at OLB or relying on...Biegel? A rookie? Sure, then we draft an edge rusher early but that takes up a pick that we might've taken a corner.

At a certain point you just take the overpaid option over thinking the grass is greener at every turn. I still wouldn't rule out cutting any of them (Cobb is first in line, IMO), but the right opportunities have to come along. I think Clay would be last on the list to cut for me even if he generates the most salary relief.

[Balls2TheWalls]

The problem is that after Robinson was taken off of the FA market, there was no bodies that immediately helped us at the position. Cobb might be overpaid, but he would get snapped up in an instant on the FA market, same with Clay. Clay is also the kind of guy that you have to think is going to be effective under Pettine. Pettine schemes a lot of pressure out of his front line, and the size and quality of that front line is going to keep teams off of Clay Matthews.

[Turk Nowitzki]

I forgot all about Morgan Burnett, he's probably gone for sure now.

[Flames24Rulz]

In the other thread, someone mentioned about Martavis Bryant as a possible target via trade. The Steelers weren't/aren't supposedly asking for a whole heck of a lot for him. I'd be all in on that too.

[MickeyDavis]

I thought Bulaga might be let go too. Evans won't be back unless we completely whiff and finding another journeyman OL. Guard will probably be addressed in the draft.

[Wisky4life]

Packers should trade Cobb and a pick for Joe Haden and Martavis Bryant.

[Kerb Hohl]

Packers should trade Cobb and a pick for Joe Haden and Martavis Bryant.

I'm assuming that the Steelers would not have a ton of interest in Cobb at his price tag. They'd probably rather just wait and see if the Pack cut him and then go after him there.