Jeff Samardzija

[Hostile]

I know we haven't had much luck drafting baseball players, but if this kid is unclaimed in the 6th or 7th round with us having 5 picks, I wouldn't mind rolling the dice.

 

[dozin_theknick]

How long would me have rights to him?

 

[Rack]

I know we haven't had much luck drafting baseball players, but if this kid is unclaimed in the 6th or 7th round with us having 5 picks, I wouldn't mind rolling the dice.

Funny I was talking about this with a friend. He said the exact same thing.


I agree, I'd take him in the 6th, no problem.

 

[theogt]

By all accounts, he's performing faily well this spring in baseball. He was sent to the Minor's but apparently that was (will be) a short stay.

 

[Hostile]

How long would me have rights to him?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think he's ours if we draft him. If he decides to come to football we'd have until the next Draft to get him signed or he goes back into that Draft and anyone can have him if they draft him.

 

[Ashwynn]

He has said hes playing baseball. he would not take the money if you offered it too him. In 4 years if he decides hes made a mistake, I say no way. I am tired of has been baseball wanna bes trying to become football wanna bes.

 

[Clove]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think he's ours if we draft him. If he decides to come to football we'd have until the next Draft to get him signed or he goes back into that Draft and anyone can have him if they draft him.

You're a smart man... Didn't even think of that.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Once again I wouldn't invest time in a guy who's first love isn't football... No thanks.

 

[bbgun]

Well, the "be patient" strategy has paid off for us in the past (Staubach, Walker, Hennings, etc.)

 

[jobberone]

Well we have a history of using baseball players. We'd have to have the notion of him playing both sports. He'd have to take a contract somewhere 3rd round or less instead of a probable first round pick in the next couple of drafts. I don't see anyone spending more than a third and I wouldn't spend more than a fifth. I'm guessing here. If he gets drafted someone likely won't wait outside the 3rd IMO.

But if there were anyway to get er done I'd be looking into it.

Can't teams negotiate with him now backdoor style?

 

[Spectre]

I know we haven't had much luck drafting baseball players, but if this kid is unclaimed in the 6th or 7th round with us having 5 picks, I wouldn't mind rolling the dice.

You think he'll hang around that long... even considering?

 

[Hostile]

You think he'll hang around that long... even considering?

I just did my first Cowboys Mock of the year in the Draft Zone. I looked at 3 sites for where they are slotting players to project that Mock. One site has him as a 6th round pick. The others have him as a 7th or UDFA.

I want Meacham in the 1st. Imagine if we rolled the dice and he decided to play football. That's 2 great WRs for Romo to grow with.

 

[FRDRCK]

as a cubs fan, i'd be pretty mad if we drafted him

 

[Big Dakota]

I'd spend a 7th on him because they are worth 5 points. As a big time baseball watcher and someone that spends as much time on NL baseball as i do NFC football, i wouldn't bet a plug nickle he plays a down of football in the next 5-6 years. 2 years in the minors and then his projection is a top of the rotation guy in a few years. He'll be 28 before he ever gives up on his MLB dream IMHO UNLESS, he throws is arm out. Then he could turn to footabll.


Jeff was projected by Baseball America as the 20th-best overall prospect (including high school players) heading into draft day but fell to the 5th round due to his dual commitments to baseball and football.




Here is an interesting read on his money situation.

Brady Quinn’s favorite target Jeff Samardzija will not be joining him in the NFL draft this spring. The Notre Dame wideout caught 78 passes for 1,017 yards last season, and was projected to be a first round pick. Instead, he has signed a 5 year $10 million deal to pitch for Chicago Cubs, with incentives that could make it 7 years and $16.5 million. The 21 year old had a 2.70 ERA in 7 starts at Class A last season, and his fastball clocked at 97mph.
There are many reasons to dislike Samardzija. He was rather overhyped, due to playing for Notre Dame, and for being somewhat of a “great white hope” at the Wide Receiver position. He also had a penchant for leaping in the air unnecessarily to add an extra flourish to a catch, only to have to reach down to his knees to grab the ball (at Michigan 2005). However, his personal decision making is not one of them.
He may have earned slightly more money ($3-4 million per season) in the NFL, but none of that will be guranteed. A fluke injury could have seen his career and his salary go up in smoke. Right now he gets his $2.5 million signing bonus and will at the very least get $10 million. If he actually does become even a decent starting pitcher, he would earn probably twice as much money ($10-12 million per season) as a top wide receiever in the NFL.
The decision also makes sense as far as lifestyle. The NFL is not a contact, but a collision sport. The body was not designed to take this kind of punishment on a regular basis. The result is often serious or debilitating injury and a body that starts to deteriorate physically far faster than normal. The Andre Waters incident has also shed light upon the possibility of unknown mental damage due to concussions in the NFL. The MLB season is no figurative walk in the park, but at least he would be able to walk at the end of it.
There is no gurantee that Jeff would have or will be as much of a success professionally as he was in both sports at Notre Dame. But, as of right now, the worst case scenario is that he flames out with $10 million in the bank. Since wideout is a less demanding position than QB, it is also conceivable that he could get back into shape and return to football a few years down the road. All in all, it is not such a bad position.

 

[50cent]

I know we haven't had much luck drafting baseball players, but if this kid is unclaimed in the 6th or 7th round with us having 5 picks, I wouldn't mind rolling the dice.

Like we did with Herschel Walker. I like the idea.

 

[t.o.boys81]

I'm a hardcore Cubs fan and Jeff told Cubs.com he will not play football no matter what. He's focused solely on baseball.

 

[Big Dakota]

I'm a hardcore Cubs fan and Jeff told Cubs.com he will not play football no matter what. He's focused solely on baseball.

Why would he NOT focuss on MLB? He's a top notch prospect in a sport were all star pitchers make 15+ million and in 5 years 20-25+ million(some already make 20). If he's a #1 or #2 in 5 years when he is 26, he could make 150-200 million between the ages of 26 and 36. On top of the 10-15 million he'll make in the next 4-5. With a fastball that could eventually top out at 100, he'd be crazy not to put 5 years minimum into pitching. He has other pitches as well, not just the FB. The kid has a bright future as a Cub.

 

[COWBOYSNUM1]

I'm a hardcore Cubs fan and Jeff told Cubs.com he will not play football no matter what. He's focused solely on baseball.

Of course he did. That doesn't mean we won't see him in the NFL in the next couple of years.

I wouldn't be mad if we took a chance on him in the 5th.

 

[Big Dakota]

Of course he did. That doesn't mean we won't see him in the NFL in the next couple of years.

I wouldn't be mad if we took a chance on him in the 5th.

Don't hold your breath my Leprechaun lovin friend.

 

[Future]

Well, the "be patient" strategy has paid off for us in the past (Staubach, Walker, Hennings, etc.)

yea, Henson and Hutchinson were absolutely dominant:laugh2: