2013 FA Thread (Updates on OP) New: Merling, Brace, Pashos, Trueblood, EJBig, Tapp, White, Williams, MATTHEWS; Re-up: Rex, Hall, Davis, Paulsen, DY, RJax, Lich, Sundberg, Baker, Sav, Golston, Kehl, Polumbus; Paycuts: Carriker, Moss, BMeri, J. Wilson

[jivelikenice]

48 receptions, 510 yards, 2 TDs
44 receptions, 633 yards, 4 TDs

Close enough for government work

Except for the fact that Garçon missed a chunk of the season...come on dude....production isn't close

[Hitman21ST]

Except for the fact that Garçon missed a chunk of the season...come on dude....production isn't close

Well, if he hadn't missed part of the season, his production would have been more.

And if RG3 hadn't been injured, we would have beaten the Seahawks.

[jly0784]

Well, if he hadn't missed part of the season, his production would have been more.

And if RG3 hadn't been injured, we would have beaten the Seahawks.

If you're comparing their production you're high....

[Skinsinparadise]

Except you save almost no cap this year by releasing Morgan.

According to some stuff I read including this article from 2 days ago you'd save 4 million

http://www.redskinshogheaven.com/

That's not an unfair statement regarding Morgan and Hank. However, you are that much stronger with Morgan and Hank. Do you think we can get someone else in here for any less than $4 mil to replace Morgan?

Depends on who the FO likes in both FA and the draft. There are a lot of moving parts and my overriding point is I'd consider Morgan for release and don't see him as untouchable. For example, lets say they think Chris Clemons or Corey Lynch can help solve their safety issues and can get them for around 4 million -- and Morgan helps them get that money, then I'd do it. The need for safety IMO outweighs WR depth. And the kicker IMO is what's going on in their heads about the draft. It's a deep draft for WR. There was one post in the draft thread for example that said that Marquise Goodwin in a radio interview said among the teams interviewing him three showed the most interest, one of those teams were the Redskins. If the Skins end up drafting a WR in rounds 2-4, aren't we almost at that point overloaded at that position numbers wise if we kept everyone from last season?

[skins2323]

According to some stuff I read including this article from 2 days ago you'd save 4 million

http://www.redskinshogheaven.com/



Depends on who the FO likes in both FA and the draft. There are a lot of moving parts and my overriding point is I'd consider Morgan for release and don't see him as untouchable. For example, lets say they think Chris Clemons or Corey Lynch can help solve their safety issues and can get them for around 4 million -- and Morgan helps them get that money, then I'd do it. The need for safety IMO outweighs WR depth. And the kicker IMO is what's going on in their heads about the draft. It's a deep draft for WR. There was one post in the draft thread for example that said that Marquise Goodwin in a radio interview said among the teams interviewing him three showed the most interest, one of those teams were the Redskins. If the Skins end up drafting a WR in rounds 2-4, aren't we almost at that point overloaded at that position numbers wise if we kept everyone from last season?

I thought Morgans contract had a ton of guarenteed cash in it? The mindset of the FO in the past was "release whoever we need to, so we can get under tHIS year" without thinking of future ramifications. I think the FO is diligent about not wanting to make a bad situation this offseason worse in future years. thats what happens when you start releasing guys like Morgan who have guarenteed money left in their contract.

[DC9]

DC9... Are you that much stronger with Morgan and Hank? I'm a believer in a guy needing reps to get in a flow and Hankerson seems like that type. They rode him in that game at Miami and he was on point. I think with consistent reps and looks, he can handle it. I just think Morgan is very average and isn't worth the contrat we gave him....maybe the injuries are to blame, but it is what it is.

I think you are. But I also think that you aren't going to get a comparable body in here for what we are paying Morgan. If we get a receiver we like in the draft then yeah Josh is on notice, but I would be very surprised if he's cut to get under the cap.

As far as Hank goes, I'm still a fan of his. Typically year two and year three is when you see what you have in a receiver at the NFL level. So I'm optimistic there. And I agree with you on reps. But just because he is on the field doesn't mean he's getting the target. And I went to every game this year and yes, there were plenty of times that Hank was running wide open down the sideline and for whatever reason Rob looked at Garcon.

Particularly against the Ravens, Hank was wide open. I pointed out in another thread that on the Cousins play where he hit Garcon (and this wasn't the only play) Hank was wide open on his route and then wide open in the back of the end zone and he never even got a look. That kind of stuff will come with film study with LeFluer and Shanny when coaching up these QBs.

He'll be a weapon. But the drop off after Morgan is Briscoe and Aldrick. Briscoe was the model of inconsistency and really let most of us fans down. Aldrick is still a bit of a one trick pony at this point. He may be ready for next season.

[Skinsinparadise]

I thought Morgans contract had a ton of guarenteed cash in it? The mindset of the FO in the past was "release whoever we need to, so we can get under tHIS year" without thinking of future ramifications. I think the FO is diligent about not wanting to make a bad situation this offseason worse in future years. thats what happens when you start releasing guys like Morgan who have guarenteed money left in their contract.

Yeah we know about the mindset of the prior FO, I've talked about it a lot on this thread. To that point, yeah not sure how it goes down for Josh, but agree if the 4 million cap savings gets totally deferred to next season its not as attractive -- but it would be far from the outlandish Vinny moves like the Clinton Portis restructured contract. Teams defer some money into future years to save money under the cap all the time and plenty of teams including our division rivals, the Cowboys and Giants have been doing so in recent days. The difference with the Redskins of old is that we'd do it to the extreme and would do it with players past their prime creating lots of dead money.

Edit: and per my posts on the subject, am not per se advocating releasing Morgan. Just saying It wouldn't be off the table. it's purely about an apples to apples decision ala it comes down to do we have Josh Morgan or whomever like Chris Clemons. It's not about Josh Morgan in a vacuum. for that matter, I don't think any player release moves pertain 100% to that player alone -- it pertains to A versus B decisions.

[DC9]

The Florida Times-Union says even though there will be a quarterback competition in Jaguars camp, it will likely be Blaine Gabbert's "job to lose."
GM Dave Caldwell has called the competition "wide open," but the Times-Union gives Gabbert the leg up on Chad Henne due to his draft status. This is hard to believe with a new regime in Jacksonville, and letting draft status dictate who plays generally isn't a formula for success. Jaguars fans' best hope should be that Caldwell deems West Virginia's Geno Smith worthy of the No. 2 pick.

The Cowboys have approached DT Jay Ratliff about restructuring his contract.
Ratliff is owed a $5 million salary with a $7 million cap number. In the offseason of the restructure, he's one of many Cowboys approached about the matter.

The Cowboys plan to restructure Jason Witten's contract.
Witten is due a $5.5 million base salary with an $8 million cap charge. He'll be just one of "about a dozen" players the Cowboys approach about reworking their deals in an effort to become salary-cap compliant by March 12.

The Cowboys have asked LB Dan Connor to take a pay cut.
Mike Florio of Profootballtalk says if Connor declines, then he'll be released. The 27-year-old is set to count $4.35 million against the 2013 cap in the final year of a two-year pact. Connor registered 56 tackles last season, starting eight games.

NFL Network's Albert Breer confirms the Lions have held preliminary extension talks with Matthew Stafford.
According to Breer, there is "nothing pressing at this point." Stafford's 2013 cap number sits at $20.8 million. President Tom Lewand insists the extension wouldn't be for salary cap purposes, but rather to lock up a core player.

49ers signed WR Joe Hastings.
Hastings, 26 in May, appeared in one game with San Francisco in 2011, but we haven't heard from him since. He faces long odds to make the roster.

The Ravens are expected to allow free agent CB Cary Williams to hit the open market.
This has been the thinking since the season ended. Williams wants a ton of money, and his agent expects him to "very much be wanted by many teams." Baltimore has plenty of capable in-house replacements. Williams has a knack for giving up the big play, and some team may overvalue him in free agency.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 08:38 AM ----------

I thought Morgans contract had a ton of guarenteed cash in it? The mindset of the FO in the past was "release whoever we need to, so we can get under tHIS year" without thinking of future ramifications. I think the FO is diligent about not wanting to make a bad situation this offseason worse in future years. thats what happens when you start releasing guys like Morgan who have guarenteed money left in their contract.

I don't remember how much, but I know it was essentially a two year deal, with an option for a third year. However, it was worded so that the garunteed money could be spread into that third year. I also believe that it was contingent on him making the roster. I'll have to go back and check sometime today.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 08:40 AM ----------

I don't remember how much, but I know it was essentially a two year deal, with an option for a third year. However, it was worded so that the garunteed money could be spread into that third year. I also believe that it was contingent on him making the roster. I'll have to go back and check sometime today.

Josh Morgan, WR, (per ESPN 980 facebook) - 5 years (voidable after 2) 12 million, 7 mil garunteed

I got this from the free agency thread we did from last year: http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...uts-trades-etc.)

I will see if I can pull it up somewhere within the thread.

[DC9]

The Sacramento Bee suggests the 49ers as a possible landing spot for free agent QB Josh Johnson.
Johnson spent last offseason with the Niners before getting dumped at final cuts. Now that Alex Smith is gone and Colin Kaepernick is the starter, they could be looking for an athletic backup and cheap upgrade on Scott Tolzien. Johnson would fit the bill.

The player rep for Brandon Lloyd has not had any communication with the Patriots this offseason.
Lloyd's $3 million option bonus isn't due until the end of March, so the Patriots have plenty of time. CSN New England reported Wednesady that they're expected to cut ties with the only receiver on their roster with legit NFL experience, leaving behind Matthew Slater, Kamar Aiken, Jeremy Ebert and Andre Holmes. It's a horrible sign for Lloyd that his biggest supporter, Josh McDaniels, can't save him despite a meager $1.9 million 2013 base salary.

Scott Tolzien is currently penciled in as Colin Kaepernick's backup.
Tolzien, a 2011 undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, has never thrown a regular-season pass. He's also a strict pocket quarterback, which could prove problematic for the scheme if the mobile Kaepernick goes down. It's certainly possible that the Niners use one of their 15 draft picks on an athletic signal-caller or find one in free agency to compete with Tolzien.

Coach Mike Munchak suggested that Chris Johnson will have his short-yardage carries reduced in 2013.
The Titans have been open about their desire to add a big back to complement Johnson via the draft or free agency. It's a concern for the projected touchdown total of a player that has run for just 10 scores over his last 32 games anyway. Munchak said he believes Johnson will get his usual 300-plus touches in 2013, but expects more to come via the passing game. We'll get a better read on the situation when we see exactly who the Titans bring in to replace free agent backup Javon Ringer.

The Kansas City Star says it's "likely" the Chiefs will retain free agent WR Dwayne Bowe.
Alex Smith's limitations would be accentuated if the Chiefs don't give him a receiver that can do special things after the catch. Their top-three wideouts under contract right now are Jon Baldwin, Terrance Copper and Dexter McCluster. The Star suggests that the Chiefs could use the franchise tag on Bowe for the second straight season, thus paying him over $11 million on a one-year deal.

Chiefs GM John Dorsey said drafting Texas A&M LT Luke Joeckel would not prevent him from re-signing free agent Branden Albert.
Albert's natural position is left tackle as well, but Dorsey seems to be suggesting a position change. "Who's to say both of those guys are locked in to playing left tackle? Maybe one plays left guard, center, right guard, right tackle. You put your best five offensive linemen out there," he said. As one of the few teams significantly under the salary cap, the Chiefs can certainly afford to bring back Albert. The status of his back injury will be a pivotal factor.

Jermichael Finley said he is not willing to take a pay cut in order to stay with the Packers.
Finley is entering the second year of a two-year, $14 million deal. As it stands now, his total compensation in 2013 is $8.25 million. "I'd have to walk for sure, meaning I couldn't take a pay cut," he said. "Maybe I'd restructure if it's a deal that I like and it makes sense, but I'm not the guy that's just going to sign anything and let anything pass. I'm not that guy." Finley said he's "barely" talked to the Packers since the season ended and has no idea what their plans are for him. The tight end's $3 million roster bonus isn't due until March 27.

[Alcoholic Zebra]

According to some stuff I read including this article from 2 days ago you'd save 4 million

http://www.redskinshogheaven.com/

That doesn't save us any money. It's a June cut which does not help us for the March 12th deadline. If we release him before March 12th, we only save something like 230,000.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 10:47 AM ----------

48 receptions, 510 yards, 2 TDs
44 receptions, 633 yards, 4 TDs

Close enough for government work

You're simplifying this way too much.

Garcon's YPC - 14.4
Morgan's YPC - 10.6

Garcon's average YAC - 6.77
Morgan's average YAC - 4.88

Garcon in the playoffs - 4 catches for 50 yards
Morgan in the playoffs - 1 catch for 0 yards

Garcon's defensive pass interference drawn - 2 times for 39 yards
Morgan's defensive pass interference drawn - 0 times

Garcon's fumbles - 0
Morgan's fumbles - 1

Garcon's game killing penalties for chucking the ball at Finnegan - 0
Morgan's game killing penalties for chucking the ball at Finnegan - 1

Garcon's Defensive adjusted value over average (Football Outsiders) - positive 7.9%
Morgan's Defensive adjusted value over average (Football Outsiders) - negative 7.3%

Both of them are probably about equal in terms of run blocking.

Both of them have about the same catch rate.

[TheLongshot]

I think the only thing you have to look at is the difference when Garcon was in the game than when he wasn't. The passing game was much better with Garcon than without. Morgan is a solid player who makes tough catches over the middle, but he's not much more than that. He doesn't really threaten defenses. It is a role that Hankerson could grow into, with the added benefit that he does have more upside. Tho, whether he can get there is another question.

[DC9]

I think the only thing you have to look at is the difference when Garcon was in the game than when he wasn't. The passing game was much better with Garcon than without. Morgan is a solid player who makes tough catches over the middle, but he's not much more than that. He doesn't really threaten defenses. It is a role that Hankerson could grow into, with the added benefit that he does have more upside. Tho, whether he can get there is another question.

Those are fair points. Part of me thinks we brought in Morgan because Hank was coming off the injury. That would make a little more sense to get rid of Josh to help create room if Hank is fully healthy. I can live without Morgan but I feel we are a better team with him. Especially since he just got the anklet taken off.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:26 AM ----------

The Steelers have completed a restructuring of Ben Roethlisberger's contract, clearing $3 million in cap space.
Details aren't available yet, but two sides were working to reduce Roethlisberger's $19.595 million cap number without extending the length of his deal. Expect some of his base salary to be converted into a bonus, which can be prorated over the next three years. The eight-year, $102 million deal Big Ben signed in March of 2008 exires after the 2015 season.

A source tells ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the 49ers are "not inclined" to pursue Darrelle Revis at this time.
If Revis were healthy, it would seem like a no-brainer for the Niners to break off some of their 15 draft picks and hand them to the rebuilding Jets. But no one knows just how effective he will be following his ACL tear, making a long-term deal a major risk. And without that new contract, Revis would essentially be a very expensive one-year rental. Additionally, this 49ers' regime has set a precedent of not paying big money to other teams' free agents. We'll see if they change their tune once April's draft gets closer.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano called free agent P Pat McAfee a "major priority."
"Obviously, we've reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed," Pagano said. "We saw what he did for us last year. He's a great weapon." McAfee set career-highs by landing 26 punts inside the 20-yard line and 11 inside the 10-yard line last season. He also ranked fifth in the league in gross punting average.

The Cincinnati Enquirer does not expect free agent WR/KR Brandon Tate to re-sign with the Bengals.
If the Bengals bring back free agent Adam "Pacman" Jones, they can easily fill the return specialist spot with him and a a draft pick. Tate managed just 8.9 yards per punt return and 24.8 yards per kick return last season anyway.

[SemperFi Skins]

Bengals | Might not bring Brandon Tate back
Impending free-agent WR Brandon Tate (Bengals) might not be re-signed, as he was too inconsistent as a return man and he struggled as a receiver in 2012. If the team re-signs impending free-agent CB Adam Jones, he'll likely be used as the return man, making Tate's re-signing even less likely.

Bengals | Richard Quinn not likely to be back
Impending free-agent TE Richard Quinn (Bengals) is unlikely to be back with the Cincinnati Bengals, unless they want to bring him back for competition during training camp. He was on the roster for 15 weeks in 2012, and never got into a game.

On December 13, 2011, Richard Quinn was signed to the Washington Redskins' 53-man active roster.[1] Quinn played only one game with the Redskins in Week 15 against the New York Giants of the 2011 season.

He was released by the Redskins on August 31, 2012 for final cuts before the start of the 2012 season

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:34 AM ----------

Quinn was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round (64th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:34 AM ----------

Lions | Reggie Bush might come with high price tag
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:44:14 -0800

Updating a previous report, while the Detroit Lions are interested in free-agent RB Reggie Bush (Dolphins), it might take $5 million or so to land the speedy back.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:38 AM ----------

Packers | Johnny Jolly reinstated
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:52:19 -0800

Green Bay Packers DL Johnny Jolly was reinstated by the NFL Monday, Fab. 27.


Read more: http://kffl.com/hotw/NFL?page=3#ixzz2MDEatqfR

This is something to watch for... He was a mammoth plug for the Packers before his cocaine addiction. Hasn't played a snap in 3 years and the Packers need help on the DLine at his position. I like him as a player but have to wonder what kind of shape he is in.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:39 AM ----------

Texans | Tag still option for Glover Quin
The Houston Texans could place the franchise tag on impending free-agent FS Glover Quin if they can't sign him to a long-term deal but would have to restructure a deal or two to fit him under the salary cap. The team is currently $5.768 million under the cap and the franchise tag tender for safeties is about $7 million.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 11:40 AM ----------

Pat McAfee - P - Colts Colts coach Chuck Pagano called free agent P Pat McAfee a "major priority."
"Obviously, we've reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed," Pagano said. "We saw what he did for us last year. He's a great weapon." McAfee set career-highs by landing 26 punts inside the 20-yard line and 11 inside the 10-yard line last season. He also ranked fifth in the league in gross punting average.
Source: ESPN.com Feb 28 - 10:30 AM

Roy Miller - DL - Buccaneers Contract talks between the Bucs and free agent DT Roy Miller have "broken off."
Per the Tampa Bay Times, the two sides are "seemingly far apart." There's likely a gap between perceived value here as the Bucs ranked No. 1 in run defense last year, but Miller graded out well below average. "Roy is excited to see what's out there for him in free agency," said agent Mike McCartney. As a two-down interior tackle that only fits in a 4-3, Miller may find a softer market than he anticipates.
Source: Tampa Bay Times Feb 28 - 11:23 AM

[darrelgreenie]

I think people forget that Garcon's absence from the line-up happened in conjunction with Davis absence.

[KDawg]

I think people forget that Garcon's absence from the line-up happened in conjunction with Davis absence.

I don't think people forget that.

I also think it's fairly obvious that when Garcon returned, sans Davis, the passing game thrived.