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Nick Barnett: Three Key Questions
March 22, 2007
Written by C.D. Angeli - PackerChatters Staff
As the free agent frenzy has died down, the mob that is the fan base of the Green Bay Packers are looking at the $20 million dollars still available in salary cap space, the now-real possibility that Randy Moss's salary will not be taking up half that amount, and wondering: when are we going to get Nick Barnett back in the fold?
Barnett, 25, has manned the middle of the linebacking corps since his rookie season, and is now entering his unrestricted free agent contract year. Now, there are always a slough of criticisms to be brought up at times like this.
For one, people haven
Good LB/Barnett article..
Moderators: paulpressey25, MickeyDavis, humanrefutation
Good LB/Barnett article..
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JHSFIVE
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El Duderino
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Barnett is a good,not great player,but if we don't aquire Moss or Turner,they may as well just pay Barnett to a frontloaded contract.Cap space isn't like cell phone minutes,you can't just roll it over from year to year.If the season starts and the team is still 12-15 million under the cap,Thompson either extends somebody or that cap flexibility was wasted for this season.
That's my biggest beef up to this point with how Thompson has handled free agency.Having boatloads of cap space is nice and dandy,but pretty worthless if it's not spent.Last offseason Thompson signed Woodson late to a very big frontloaded contract to use up a chunk of the cap space,there is no Woodson left out there.In years past teams could use cap space on those June 1st cuts that teams made to get under the cap,but few teams are in the cap trouble as back then.
I understand the desire of not wanting to "overpay" players,but if you're always hoping to just get guys to only accept below-market or exact-market deals,you could end up with lots of guys saying no and you are left with a vault full of cap space/money and nobody of worth taking it.
That's my biggest beef up to this point with how Thompson has handled free agency.Having boatloads of cap space is nice and dandy,but pretty worthless if it's not spent.Last offseason Thompson signed Woodson late to a very big frontloaded contract to use up a chunk of the cap space,there is no Woodson left out there.In years past teams could use cap space on those June 1st cuts that teams made to get under the cap,but few teams are in the cap trouble as back then.
I understand the desire of not wanting to "overpay" players,but if you're always hoping to just get guys to only accept below-market or exact-market deals,you could end up with lots of guys saying no and you are left with a vault full of cap space/money and nobody of worth taking it.
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Neusch23
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I personally don't think that Nick wants to be here.
I feel that for him to stay, we will have to OVER pay to keep him. I wouldn't mind seeing what shape Hodge comes into the mini camps, and see what kind of summer he has before I decide what to do with Nick.
I manage a grocery store, and several of my vendors also delivered to his club, and he made no bones that he feels unwanted, and segragated in GB. He personally told a close friend of mine that he has close friends in Miami and that his agent was already looking into seeing what kind of interest they have in him should things not work in GB. That was last fall.
I feel that for him to stay, we will have to OVER pay to keep him. I wouldn't mind seeing what shape Hodge comes into the mini camps, and see what kind of summer he has before I decide what to do with Nick.
I manage a grocery store, and several of my vendors also delivered to his club, and he made no bones that he feels unwanted, and segragated in GB. He personally told a close friend of mine that he has close friends in Miami and that his agent was already looking into seeing what kind of interest they have in him should things not work in GB. That was last fall.
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eagle13
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Question #3 Abdul Hodge is the answer to questions #1&2. If Hodge is healthy and impressive in camp - it is a no brainer what TT will do. Barnett will be gone. However, IF Hodge is hurt or sucks then TT will put franchise tag on Barnett next year and Barnett will freak out and hold out and we will have another disaster.
At this point IF we do not get Moss then I say spend this year's cap dollars on front-loading Nick. Definitely no value in not spending it. Take the hit now and cruise easier salary-wise in future years. He may not be great but he's solid. We cannot keep replacing players. We need to keep players and add to them if we want to get better and have depth. AND if Nick's getting the $ he wants he'd probably be willing to slide to Sam if Hodge proves to be better at Mike than Popp is at Sam.
At this point IF we do not get Moss then I say spend this year's cap dollars on front-loading Nick. Definitely no value in not spending it. Take the hit now and cruise easier salary-wise in future years. He may not be great but he's solid. We cannot keep replacing players. We need to keep players and add to them if we want to get better and have depth. AND if Nick's getting the $ he wants he'd probably be willing to slide to Sam if Hodge proves to be better at Mike than Popp is at Sam.