Biggest mistake was Franchising Spencer

[ChooChoo73]

I agree it was a mistake and for the reasons some have outlined. 10.6 is much better utilized to grow the depth of talent on the team with multiple players. The reliance and exaggerated skill and production of a player (Spencer, Ware, Austin) here and there is what dooms this team along with sucky GMing overall. Overpay average to above average talent, get in cap hell and then cry about injuries all year and in the offseason. Rinse, repeat.

 

[texbumthelife]

It's impossible to gauge the worst mistake this franchise had made financially. Clearly they have a history and habit of holding on to aging vets far past their prime--signing Spencer long term would have only served to further compound that thought process. The continued reliance on restructuring deals and back loading with guaranteed money is what has hung this franchise and the only way out of that hell is to nut it out and let the contracts clear or cut the dead weight and feel the pain for a couple years. One is less painful but takes longer. The other will brutally and dramatically effect this teams ability to win, or even field a competitive team, but gets us out of hell much faster.

 

[coult44]

$17M guaranteed for a guy who may never play again is an awful contract. It was bad enough franchising him and paying him $10M. At least we are done with him now and not paying for that mistake for the next two or three years.

I think extending Ratliff was a bigger mistake than franchising Spencer. Both were major blunders and hurt the defense bad, real bad, especially seeing how the market tanked for DL in FA last year. I knew something was really wrong when Spencer didn't complain about the tag and signed it the first day he could. I think Spencer knew all along his knee was shot and gladly took the money and his agent may have even given him some good inside info that the DL market ain't all that.

Ratliff, Spencer and Ware accounted for roughly $25-28M of the cap and produced jack squat. That stung bad. Throw in Carr's pedestrian performance and Claibornes's putrid performance and it is pretty easy to see why this was the worst defense in the league.

Both make JJ look like a great GM. Chokkkkkeeeeeee

 

[lane]

biggest mistake was drafting him in the first place.

 

[Nirvana]

Bad decisions:
1. Firing Rob Ryan
2. Switching to 4-3
3. Franchising Spencer instead of letting him walk
4. Counting on Jay Ratliff
5. Not drafting DL in last draft

Good decisions:
1. Restructuring Free with pay cut
2. Trading down and drafting Frederick and Williams

 

[ShiningStar]

Bad decisions:
1. Firing Rob Ryan
2. Switching to 4-3
3. Franchising Spencer instead of letting him walk
4. Counting on Jay Ratliff
5. Not drafting DL in last draft

Good decisions:
1. Restructuring Free with pay cut
2. Trading down and drafting Frederick and Williams

I like the rest...t Williams not really winning me over

 

[Nightman]

$17M guaranteed for a guy who may never play again is an awful contract. It was bad enough franchising him and paying him $10M. At least we are done with him now and not paying for that mistake for the next two or three years.

I think extending Ratliff was a bigger mistake than franchising Spencer. Both were major blunders and hurt the defense bad, real bad, especially seeing how the market tanked for DL in FA last year. I knew something was really wrong when Spencer didn't complain about the tag and signed it the first day he could. I think Spencer knew all along his knee was shot and gladly took the money and his agent may have even given him some good inside info that the DL market ain't all that.

Ratliff, Spencer and Ware accounted for roughly $25-28M of the cap and produced jack squat. That stung bad. Throw in Carr's pedestrian performance and Claibornes's putrid performance and it is pretty easy to see why this was the worst defense in the league.

Your logic is that it would have been better to guarantee 17M instead of 10.6M to a player that might never play again? That does not make sense at this point.

Franchising Hatcher is not a great idea. It would prevent them from having any opportunities to get other free agents.

I'm not talking about BEFORE he was injured. They would've never tagged him if they thought he was injured. But even after the injury, the 17m would've been better because they could spread out the hit and still have him under contract if he proves he can come back. Plus they could've purchased injury insurance for the future guarantees.

And the Ratliff extension was nowhere near as bad as it was portrayed. Ratliff had seriously outplayed his contract and was given a 5 year extension, adding to the 2 years he had left on the first deal. The 18m in guarantees included the 8m he was already scheduled to earn under his original deal. The extra 10m in form of a signing bonus could then be spread over the original two years of his deal and the new 5 years of his extension. They got a Pro Bowl DT under contract for 5 extra years for only 6m more in cap money. It actually was a very team friendly deal.

A free year in 2014? He'd have a cap hit of 6 mill. If he didn't come back 100% and we needed to cut him, we'd repeat that 6 mill cap hit in 2015.

The free year comes from the 5.6m saved against the cap in 2013 that went unspent. They could've rolled that over to 2014 and his cap hit of 6m would be offset by that 5.6m, leaving a net cap hit of 400k. Even if they had to cut him as June 1st after 2014, the total cap hit would still be 13m over 3 years(17 over 4) compared to the 10.6 for one. Obviously the injuries to Spencer and Ratliff derailed the plan, but the thought process was smart on Ratliff and dumb on Spencer.

 

[Nightman]

The best decision would've been to sign him after 2012, truly amazing how ahmad brooks is appreciate among 49ers fans compared to spencer here.

That is what I was trying to say. After franchising him in 2012 and getting a Pro Bowl caliber year out him, they should've given him a new deal. Waiting until the deadline and franchising him again in 2013 was the big mistake. I think the team was surprised when he signed the tag so quickly and then they couldn't work out an extension. Add in the injury and it was the worst case scenario.

 

[birdwells1]

[te="bkight13, post: 5434384, member: 10250"]That is what I was trying to say. After franchising him in 2012 and getting a Pro Bowl caliber year out him, they should've given him a new deal. Waiting until the deadline and franchising him again in 2013 was the big mistake. I think the team was surprised when he signed the tag so quickly and then they couldn't work out an extension. Add in the injury and it was the worst case scenario.[/quote]

Thats because the Cowboys operated out of fear, they didnt have a plan B and they overvalued the market. Seattle waited and let the market set itselfa and were thrilled to find 2 DEs for 1.

 

[mmillman]

The best decision would've been to sign him after 2012, truly amazing how ahmad brooks is appreciate among 49ers fans compared to spencer here.

Said it at the time. For about the same money seattle signed Avril and Bennett

 

[jobberone]

Not sure. But all these injured players are killing the team.

 

[Alexander]

Said it at the time. For about the same money seattle signed Avril and Bennett

But that is not as easy as just keeping what you know.

 

[NJ22]

Jerry doesnt make many good moves but not signing spencer to a long term deal is looking like a great move since players coming off microfracture struggle to say the least.

 

[bsheeern]

I like the rest...t Williams not really winning me over

Seriously??

 

[xwalker]

I'm not talking about BEFORE he was injured. They would've never tagged him if they thought he was injured. But even after the injury, the 17m would've been better because they could spread out the hit and still have him under contract if he proves he can come back. Plus they could've purchased injury insurance for the future guarantees.

Paying out 17M vs 10.6M for a player that might never play again is not good any way you slice it. You're wishing that they had paid an extra 6.4M for the opportunity to spread out the cap hit. That's not good logic.

Injury insurance is a non-issue in salary cap discussions. The cap hit is the same with or without insurance.

 

[Doomsay]

But that is not as easy as just keeping what you know.

Seems applicable to some staff members as well.

 

[conner01]

the worst mistakes are those that cost you for years. spencer cost us money for those two years. whether or not he should or should'nt have been tagged is not the point. the point is he is no longer costing us anything at all. the worst mistakes are missing on high draft picks, signing guys to longer term deals that don't work out, trading high draft picks.
the spencer deal is so far down on the list of mistakes it's not even in the same ballpark

 

[Nightman]

Paying out 17M vs 10.6M for a player that might never play again is not good any way you slice it. You're wishing that they had paid an extra 6.4M for the opportunity to spread out the cap hit. That's not good logic.

Injury insurance is a non-issue in salary cap discussions. The cap hit is the same with or without insurance.

You keep focusing on the injury. That is not changing. I'm talking big picture about franchising vs extending vs letting him walk. Franchising him 2 years in a row was the worst case scenario. And you are wrong about insurance. jterrell educated me last week in a discussion about Navarro Bowmann that insurance is credited back to team against the cap. They consider it a refund and doesn't count against the cap. The contract and insurance has to be approved and the cost of the premium counts, but that's it.

 

[Primetime42]

Well, since you guys can tell the future and clearly knew Spencer was going to need microfracture surgery before he was franchised, maybe you can get Jerry on the horn and tell him who to sign and who not to sign this offseason.

Hell, you can tell us all how the draft is gonna play out while you're at it.

 

[RS12]

Biggest mistake was Franchising Spencer

Not even in the same zip code as some of Jerry's biggest mistakes.