Saturday, March 06, 2010

Some Curious Free Agent Moves

The Detroit Lions seem to think a lot of Nate Burleson, seeing as they gave him $11 million guaranteed.  That's a lot of cash, is it not?  MJD of Shutdown Corner thinks so, and I have to agree.  Burleson is a nifty route-runner, but he does tend to get banged up and I don't know if the Lions can expect 16 games out of him in any given year.

Everyone is talking about the Bears making a splash in the free agent market, and they certainly have, but is Chester Taylor really a guy who should be getting a four-year deal?  Of course, it is the NFL, and contracts don't actually mean anything, unless the money is specifically designated as guaranteed.  And he was kind of a bargain, averaging only a little $3 million over 4 years.  That's not bad for a running back who will contend for the starting job.  But he's 30 years old.  He isn't a four year solution, lack of mileage on his feet notwithstanding.  It screams how unhappy the Bears are with Matt Forte, but as even the most casual observer knows--the Chicago Bears offensive line sucks, and their defense is old (and doesn't get much younger with Peppers), and maybe Chester Taylor doesn't change those factors.  I'm dumbfounded that no one has offered a similar deal to Pierre Thomas, at least in the interest in making the Saints actually invest in their best running back.  He's what?  5 years younger?  Isn't that worth a 2nd round pick to someone out there?  Why not make the Saints match a deal, rather than giving them Thomas' services for under $1.5 million?

Not curious, but just badass--The Ravens getting Anquan Boldin, who 2 seasons ago, got his face broken in half, came back 3 weeks ahead of schedule, and kicked ass.  He's fucking badass, and he's a great fit for the Ravens, who needed  a great receiver to fit with their aspirations to be a great throwing team (which hurt them at times this past season).  Getting Boldin means that a good, but aging quickly defense can be the focus of the draft.  Between Flacco, Rice and Boldin, the Ravens have their top 3 skill position players locked in.  No one is going to be too excited to play them come next year. 

3 comments:

Muumuuman said...

Nice work Lions, pass on Boldin who is guarenteed 10 million over 4 yrs, for Burelson, because your problem has been a lack of WR depth.

TheBlackFreighter said...

Love the Boldin trade... the Cards missed out on not dealing him last offseason when they could have maximized the return.

Even with Peppers and Chester Taylor, the Bears have so many holes to still fill. This whole Mike Martz thing is going to screw over their best receiving option - TE Olsen - and I question whether Cutler will grow into a top 10 QB.

Burleson to Lions... sounds similar to the Kansas City Royals overpaying on mediocre talent because that's the only way they can bring somebody in.

Great take on Pierre Thomas. He is so undervalued.

Andrew Wice said...

A 4 year deal for Taylor isn't as bad as it sounds, and they'll be able to restructure his deal in 2 years. Which they'll have to do, because these free-agent splashes by the Bears won't make them contenders.

The Ravens offense is moving in the right direction, but the D is getting old and they've lost a lot of good players over the last two years.

The Vikes, I think, are poised to grab Brian Westbrook, which would be a very wise move. If he doesn't have to account for 80% of the offense like he did in Philly, Westbrook will be deadly for the Vikes.