DrDawkinstein

The best thing you'll watch all day. Apparently finished filming 3 years ago but has been in distribution purgatory. Absolutely ridiculous movie. Enjoy!

Not only that, but it was never "$8M/yr". The first year was a prove-it year where he only made a few mil because he was already over 30 years old. This year he is set to make $13M (as a 31 yr old RB), and Baltimore is now collectively the highest spending team at the RB position. So good teams do spend on RBs. And contracts in the teens are not out of norm. Dang, you guys are DEVIOUS! The best leverage he has is to show up and put up a season just like last year's. If he does, I fully believe Beane will get to his number. The only problem is, if he does put up another good season, his number probably goes up to closer to $17M next year. The tag is definitely in play at that point.

Part of that is on the players. But part of it (and one could argue an even bigger part of it) is that the top prospects go to the worst teams. Look at the difference a change in scenery and coaching made for Darnold. Lamar Jackson was lucky to go to a franchise like Baltimore instead of Cleveland or the Jets, or else he could be out of the league by now too. All those top picks the Browns and Jets have made, all turn into busts... at some point it becomes obvious the problem isnt with the QBs. Guys like Luck, Burrow, Newton were lucky enough to be picked by #1 spot team who happened to be on the upswing.

But all of those statements are true together or stated separately. We're only painting a moving target based on the arguments made every time we present a solution. Believe me it's annoying on this side as well that every time we show how doable it is, someone comes with a "yeah but..." that isnt even a problem, or that teams have already been solving for years. And no is saying you have to cut him after 2 years. You can always restructure and/or extend if things are going well. The entire "you can cut after 2 years" is just to placate the people that are convinced he will fall off a cliff in 2 years. We're showing that all the bases can be covered. Bottom line, regardless of the examples and details, is that in the modern NFL, a short-term $15M/yr avg contract is not a big deal or a franchise killer. Especially for your best skills player on a top offense. Regardless of how many snaps or downs he plays.

That's kinda our point. Everyone does this. It isnt rocket surgery. So there is no (far less) reason for fans to be up in arms with that $15M/yr avg number. All the agent and player really care about when it is all said and done is Guaranteed Money. The "average" and advertised contract number is just about bragging rights and "respect", and is secondary. We all can agree there are lots of ways to manipulate the contract payouts, that are already standard procedures, that mitigate the hits. Even your example of 3/$45M with lets say $30M guaranteed is essentially a 3/$30M contract for those worried about dead money. So why are people gnashing their teeth over a comment of "15 mil year"?

We can still extend everyone on the OL. The post you quoted is based entirely on the premise that we arent extending him right now and waiting until after the season. Cook >>> Taylor, and Taylor already has a higher price tag than Cook. That idea makes no sense.

Spotrac is jacked up on a bunch of their stuff right now. If you go to the general cap pages, like QB cap rankings for example, they have Josh listed twice in every category.

There's so much fan reaction to this situation that I just dont get. Besides the manufactured outrage over the innocuous social media posts, this idea that somehow a short-term $15M/yr avg contract will somehow cripple the team and put us in cap hell just doesnt add up. Especially when any of us amateurs can structure a reasonable and team-safe deal with minimal effort. I understand Beane's measured approach and pinching pennies on early extensions where he is gifting guys a good, guaranteed payday before their rookie deal ends. But that approach also (should) provide the wiggle room to go closer to market value if/when needed. That's why I think a deal will get done, but closer to Cook hitting FA. No point in negotiating with market value numbers now when Beane is only negotiating against himself. But we can (and hopefully will) bump up the offer when Cook earns it with another year of top production. I just hope by then it isnt too late because if he does produce, his number only goes up.

Glad you brought up guaranteed money. It really is the only/most important thing. So 4/$60M with $40M guaranteed means we could easily get out of it after 2 or 3 years without much of a hit. Very little dead cap risk. So what's everyone worried about? And yes, if he continues to play like last season, he is worth $13-15M/yr.

But that is the way people look at it, and the way to calculate the contract/player value. Right now, Cook is on a 1yr/$5M contract. If we extend him, that means we keep that 1/$5M and add to it. And it changes the length and average value. And lets be clear, average value is what everyone is caught up on. And average value is the unreal optics. I've seen it said Henry signed for "$8M/yr" because his contract was 2/$16M. But he's never made $8M. He made $4M last year, and this year he's set to make over $12M. So you're really helping us prove that "average value" is meaningless, and folks shouldnt get caught up on "$15M/yr" because there wont be a year he ever earns $15M. It will be some smaller figures up front, some larger number at the end, and probably a void year to mitigate it. If we're all being real, and knowing all the cap magic and tricks GMs have at their disposal, NO ONE should be getting so caught up on Cook's $15M/yr request.

Yes, I agree. At 31 yrs old.

I dont fully disagree, I'm not against using the tag on Cook if it gets to that point. But I think the logic is there is a good chance the price continues to go up on what would be an integral part of our Offense. I think Beane agrees it's better to get deals done sooner rather than later. It's why they were even in talks in the first place. I dont think there is a ton of stressful urgency from the pro-Cook camp, rather a "just get it done so it goes away" thing, which I think most of us already feel in ways on either side. 👍

I trust Beane over any of us and our message board logic. Even my own. And there are plenty of fast guys over 27 in the league. Is anyone worried that Lamar will not be able to run well this year? He's 28 going on 29. Has Tyreek Hill not been a threat the last few years? Even with all his dings and injuries. Derrick Henry is 31, takes a lot of contact, and can still take it to the house and outrun the defense. Speed doesnt always disappear. And a lot of athletes will tell you 27 is just entering their physical prime.

Was it last year or the year before that the Dolphins wore those dumb tshirts with the 🤔 emoji, and Josh not only spanked them as usual, but hit that same pose after his TDs. He hears and sees this stuff and uses it no matter how innocent and respectful it seems. He is the #1 trash talker in the league, and he will use whatever they give him to fuel his game.

Might have the same genetics, but dont have the same careers. Through Dalvin's best (younger) years he had: 250 carries 312 carries 249 carries 264 carries As he approached his drop off. For what it's worth, Thurman also had seasons of 288, 315, and 355 carries as he hit his drop off. So far, James peaked last year at 237 carries and only 207 carries last season. He also is able to run away from contact more than his brother. Lot less wear and tear so far. It's why being a "2-down back" is a good thing. 😎 Just sayin.

We'll see. Beane knows what Cook is after and has already mentioned a few times that they can still get a deal done during the season/before next offseason. I have some previous posts where I stated being against using the Tag because it usually makes the relationship even worse. However, in the meantime, someone somewhere made a good point that changed my perspective a bit and especially in this case. That point being, for a talent like Cook who ended up being a 2nd rounder, the tag can be used to essentially recreate the "5th year option" we would have got by picking him in the 1st. If it can be leveraged that way, and as long as it doesnt completely burn the bridge, then I'm on board tagging him in a worst case scenario. Of course, the funniest part there is the RB tag number will be around $14M+, so we might as well just get him on a real deal.

Says you building your team.

McD was wrong. Again. That doesnt reflect well on McD.

Josh is very supportive and a bit hyperbolic in his praise of his team mates. And Johnson is likely our best 3rd down back. But it doesnt matter when Cook keeps us out of 3rd downs. Another botch-job by the coaches. Sounds like they should have used Cook so Josh didnt break his hand. Doesnt matter.

Here are our last 3 drives. It's clear the coaches had our best player on the bench. It's also clear it doesnt matter that Cook is a "2-down back" since when he does get the ball on early downs, we never get to 3rd down... Drive 1: Good comparison for everyone who still talks about Cook's old fumbles and drops and thinks Davis is going to step right in to replace him... Drive 2. Another good comparison for everyone who thinks Johnson is such a better 3rd down/receiving threat. Drive 3. Last drive of the game, Bills get the ball with 4minutes left. Coaches panic and meltdown in KC, AGAIN. Forcing passing plays when the run game was working. And we just needed a FG to stay in it.

I've mentioned it numerous times in this thread and others. That is strictly on the coaches making yet another bad decision in KC. Why wasnt Cook on the field? You think he held himself out? Cook was their best personnel. He had the best game out of anyone on Offense. Him not being out there was a clear mistake made by coaches. He should have been out there in crunch time. Take it up with McD. Or better yet, pay him so it forces McD out of making these same dumb mistakes. Spotrac market value is like Zillow market value for homes, and they clearly state they have a +/- of 30% (which is a huge swing!).

I mean, we all pay for it one way or another. At least this is more transparent and direct.

This entire 2-down/3-down back argument is the fanbase grasping at straws to try to devalue him after being offended by some innocuous posts on social media Doesnt make any sense for anyone who has watched him play, saw his performance last year, and still wants to comment on what he brings. Like I pointed out up-thread, he was still the most productive/used player outside of Josh. No one else comes close to his number of touches. Regardless of what downs they came on.

Yall talk like Cook went on some rant and aggressively attacked the team and called out Beane, or publicly asked for a trade, or called out he was denied a meeting with the owner... He posted a COMMENT deep, deep on someone else's post that was already talking about players getting paid of simply "15 mil year". That's it! Not even 3 full words! After that, he posted 3 emoji reactions to the news of Barkley's new contract. That's it. He also posted "Love you Buffalo" (sincerely) Most recently he posted a pic of him and Josh together. Petulant child?

Wonder how much dead money Bill is on the hook for...