Rumor: DLaw looking for 100mils / 70 guaranteed

[Crown Royal]

Trouble is that you have to decide on tagging Lawrence before you know what might happen with Flowers.

Oh I wasn't clear - I keep Lawrence REGARDLESS of Flowers. He's priority one to re-sign, before ever tagging him.

Getting Flowers would be in addition to Lawrence to finish off the DL. I know that's a TON of cap money to the DL, but I'm happy diverting cap money to the DL.

 

[CPanther95]

And $14 million that he'll never make up. And he's a year older.

He was dumb.

And now? It's buyer beware from here on out too. His next team knows what Bell's biggest priority is, getting paid. And he'll be looking to make up that's lost revenue from them. And know that once veteran running backs get paid, they go in the tank, and don't care when they miss games anymore, or if the team just so happens to win.

Teams inevitably regret giving big contracts to aging running backs. Every single time

If you are right and nobody is willing to offer over $15 million guaranteed, than you are also right that he made a mistake.

I'm betting he gets it.

 

[Sydla]

And that can only be known if you know how long his career will be - or would have been if he played last year. Last year may have been the one effective year he had left in him... or 2017 could have been his last decent year.




Either way he's negotiating his next contract one year older. Now he's got 450ish fewer touches on his odometer.

After a year sitting out when he looked like a petulant child and will likely depress his value to teams worried that if after a few years into his new contract, he sits out again.

He handled the entire situation poorly and cost himself real $s.

 

[Stash]

If you are right and nobody is willing to offer over $15 million guaranteed, than you are also right that he made a mistake.

I'm betting he gets it.

"Guaranteed" on what? A multi-year contract? Or one year?

 

[Stash]

Oh I wasn't clear - I keep Lawrence REGARDLESS of Flowers. He's priority one to re-sign, before ever tagging him.

Getting Flowers would be in addition to Lawrence to finish off the DL. I know that's a TON of cap money to the DL, but I'm happy diverting cap money to the DL.

Yeah, I don't think that cost would be possible. Or at least not sustainable.

 

[charron]

It's all positioning. Lawrence's agents asks for the stars and settled for the moon.

 

[CPanther95]

"Guaranteed" on what? A multi-year contract? Or one year?

Guaranteed is guaranteed.

 

[Direwolf63]

Refute the point. Is it not a fact that he's now out $15MM?

Where is he making up the $15MM? If he played in 2018 and never got hurt, he's now up $15MM and then looking at a big contract to put on top of the $15MM he pocketed.

Now? He's just going to get paid his new contract and frankly, he probably cost himself money by sitting out because teams are going to be weary of signing him. So I suspect the market isn't going to be as strong as he thinks it will be for him.

It was a dumb move on his part. He got his bluff called and lost $15MM cash.

Agreed.

On top of this you have Todd Gurley, the highest paid RB in the league who disappeared the last 2 months of the year. Yet the Rams were tied in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl with Gurley being a virtual non-factor.

GM's pay attention to stuff like this when it comes time to pay huge dollars.

I don't believe Bell will get nearly the money he thinks he deserves.

 

[Sydla]

Come on now. If he played and tore an ACL near the end of the season, he's likely to miss the lion's share of the following season anyway. He most certainly would be heavily discounted.

There's a reason players want guaranteed money - a potential career ending injury is ever only one play away.

Someone could easily make a case that $30 million guaranteed over 3 years is better than $15 million for one year for an NFL RB and the risk that position carries.

The only case that can be made here is injury. That's it.

In Bell's case, if he had played in 2018 he would have made $15MM and likely be staring at another big pay day.

Which is better? Sitting out 2018 and signing a $3 year, $30MM deal in 2019 or playing under the tag for a year and then signing a 3 year, $20MM guaranteed contract in 2019?

 

[Crown Royal]

Yeah, I don't think that cost would be possible. Or at least not sustainable.

Definitely not sustainable. Making that move would basically be saying we think the next 2-3 years is a superbowl run, let's give it a go. Personally, I'm ready.

Another option is that if they keep Flowers, they'll likely lose Trent Brown (OT). I would gladly take him as well and move La'el inside (e.g., your thread on the OL situation).

 

[America's Cowboy]

“Worth” does not equal “value”... no player is “worth” that much money. The question is what is Law’s value against other players that play his position.

He is going to cash in here or somewhere else. If we groom and develop pro bowlers for other teams— we are undermining our own personnel philosophy.

We have been burned by bad contracts in the past— so the solution is to just let every pro bowler walk when their contracts come due? It is unsustainable. You do not have enough draft capital in play to let great players walk away

At some point— the FO has to commit to a core group of players and pay them what their market value is. Do you think D Law is a core player?

I absolutely do

Ask the Patriots if they would pay such a salary for any of their DEs? There answer would be a definite NO.

Are you saying D-Law is worth $100 mil w/$70 mil guaranteed?

Throw in the other key players that are going to demand new contracts:

Dak
Zeke
Amari Cooper
Jaylon Smith
Randy Gregory

Plus...

Unrestricted free agents
WR Tavon Austin
WR Cole Beasley
OT Cameron Fleming
DL David Irving
DE Datone Jones
LS L.P. Ladouceur
DE DeMarcus Lawrence
LB Justin March-Lillard
OG Marcus Martin
FB Jamize Olawale
DT Caraun Reid
RB Rod Smith
TE Geoff Swaim
LB Damien Wilson

Exclusive rights
DT Daniel Ross

Restricted
S Darian Thompson

As you can see, if you go paying a handful of key players such huge contracts, there is no way you will be able to keep a playoff compatible team together. If that happens, fans like yourself will soon be complaining every day, 365 days/year, for years to come.

 

[Stash]

Guaranteed is guaranteed.

You're getting beaten like a piñata here.

 

[Stash]

Definitely not sustainable. Making that move would basically be saying we think the next 2-3 years is a superbowl run, let's give it a go. Personally, I'm ready.

Another option is that if they keep Flowers, they'll likely lose Trent Brown (OT). I would gladly take him as well and move La'el inside (e.g., your thread on the OL situation).

I'm bettting they find a way to keep both.

 

[Crown Royal]

I'm bettting they find a way to keep both.

Why can't you let me dream and be happy?

 

[Stash]

Agreed.

On top of this you have Todd Gurley, the highest paid RB in the league who disappeared the last 2 months of the year. Yet the Rams were tied in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl with Gurley being a virtual non-factor.

GM's pay attention to stuff like this when it comes time to pay huge dollars.

I don't believe Bell will get nearly the money he thinks he deserves.

Exactly. And the Gurley situation should be a cautionary tale for the Cowboys, and fans who want to quickly pay Zeke early. Buyer beware.

 

[Stash]

Why can't you let me dream and be happy?

Sorry! Carry on! Forget I said anything!

 

[Hawkeye19]

Ask the Patriots if they would pay such a salary for any of their DEs? There answer would be a definite NO.

Are you saying D-Law is worth $100 mil w/$70 mil guaranteed?

Throw in the other key players that are going to demand new contracts:

Dak
Zeke
Amari Cooper
Jaylon Smith
Randy Gregory

Plus...

Unrestricted free agents
WR Tavon Austin
WR Cole Beasley
OT Cameron Fleming
DL David Irving
DE Datone Jones
LS L.P. Ladouceur
DE DeMarcus Lawrence
LB Justin March-Lillard
OG Marcus Martin
FB Jamize Olawale
DT Caraun Reid
RB Rod Smith
TE Geoff Swaim
LB Damien Wilson

Exclusive rights
DT Daniel Ross

Restricted
S Darian Thompson

As you can see, if you go paying a handful of key players such huge contracts, there is no way you will be able to keep a playoff compatible team together. If that happens, fans like yourself will soon be complaining every day, 365 days/year, for years to come.

New England is an outlier organization. Do we have Belichik? No. Do we have Brady willing to play for 15 million a year? No. Do we have an owner that stays consistent with his personnel philosophy and lets his staff do their jobs? No.

Of course you can't pay everyone that kind of money and you have to pick and choose who you let walk away. I am not advocating irresponsible contracts. The question is whether or not D Law is a core player. If he is a core player-- which I believe he is-- pay him his market value. If you stiff him-- you lose credibility with the rest of the players in the locker room and with the fan base.

You commit to solid, reliable, productive players. D Law has stepped up and been a soldier-- pay the man.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Well, it's been nice. I'd probably look to trade him or just plain go elsewhere. He's not worth that kind of money. The guys who are getting that kind of money are not worth it.

 

[Bowdown27]

Dallas needs to pay the man his market value for three reasons:

1. D Law balled out while injured this year and was a good soldier while playing under the tag. He is a top 3 DE right now in the NFL— pay him what he deserves

2. The philosophy the FO has established and communicated is that they want to build through the draft, develop their players, and sign their guys longterm that produce. If they let D Law walk— they lose credibility with players and the result could easily be a loss of trust that the FO will give their productive core players long term security in a very violent sport.

3. They lose further credibility with the fan base. You can’t tell us you will stay out of FA bc you want the cap to sign your best players— and then you let a guy like D Law walk. Fans will question their commitment to winning (more than they already do) and moves like this cement the narrative that the Jones family are only in this for money.

Bottom line: sign D Law for what he is worth. Honor your players when they produce and they will run through a brick wall for you.

Couldn’t have said it any better.

 

[CPanther95]

The only case that can be made here is injury. That's it.

That's the only case needed.

That's pretty much the entire reason for guaranteed money. Only an idiotic team would be offering guaranteed money to assure the player that he'll get paid even if he decides to kick back and mail in his performance.