A couple of thoughts. Firstly, ain't nobody taking on Kyler Murray's contract. Why would they? Way too much money for way to little success, and he doesn't seem to exactly be a coaches dream, does he? Second, it doesn't help to tank and draft early if you don't know how to spend that draft capital. Or, if you accidently pick a very good player but can't put a bunch of good players around them so they are successful.
New leadership there now, so I suppose I should allow that they are actually very good at what they do. Hope not though.
Because the Browns traded 3 first round picks to give Watson $230 million fully guaranteed, while the team taking on Kyler Murray only needs to give him $35 million guaranteed. I may not be the GM who would make that trade, but do I think that out of 32 GMs there's one who would be desperate enough to make a $35 million gamble on Kyler Murray? I do.
It is not going to be easy to trade Kyler in 2024 as he has a 35 million salary guaranteed his overall cap hit is an ungodly 51 million. To move him the Cards are most likely going to have to take at least 10 million of his salary back making him a 25 million dollar player. Even that may not be enough because Kyler is still going to cost his new team more approximately 40 million per year for in 2025 and 2026 if he play out the contract. Geno's contract look pretty good doesn't it.
I'm still so curious about the Texan's motivation in trading back up for Anderson. Do they actually think they'll be good enough this year that the future 1st will be outside the top ten?
Or has their own research shown Anderson and Stroud to be better choices than anyone they'd get in the top 5 in 2024?
I did really like Anderson, but I certainly didn't like him to the degree they seem like they'll pay.
In my opinion, because some wanted Stroud (or any QB) and others wanted Anderson, so this was their compromise. I would have not done what they did, but we'll see who was right.
I really liked the move by the Texans because both players fit huge needs and were talented and productive enough as prospects to merit the selections. I liked it even more because Demeco basically said "Hey Caserio, you're not gonna constantly undermine me and my staff to my team because I removed your incentive for us to suck". IMO the Texans have been treading water, tanking (poorly) and cynically using the "picks for ethnic minority hires" rules while letting those same coaches get covered with the stink of the teams planned poor performance since the Watson scandal just purely because the guys at the top dgaf about football and just want to get paid alot of money for being in charge.
In spite of that, I like the Texans to go over 6 wins this year because of just how bad TEN & IND look right now combined with a pretty good draft haul this year and a well-respected HC.
Also feel obliged to mention that projections don't always hold from summer to the following spring; alot of places had JSN as a locked-in top 3 player in this draft. QBs from Barkley to Maziel to Rattler have shit the bed so bad in a season that they lost all goodwill from NFL evaluators. I say all this to make the point that looking forward to the next draft while you're right at the very beginning of this draft, especially when you have the assets the Texans had this past April, is a fools errand; they did the right thing in grabbing standouts at 2 key positions, which were also positions of need, and didn't pay over the odds to do so.
I don't think the Washington Team of Football (WTF) will be that bad except for FO-dysfunctionality (such as Ron "I didn't know this guy I drafted was actually good" Rivera).
Their record last year was half a game worse than ours. They still have a great front 7, they do get a last place schedule, and all points to Howell being actually "unremarkable starter" quality — and that worked pretty well for the Niners.
So I don't see the WTF losing to the Cardinals that easily.
I don't think the Cardinals will beat anybody, I hope that was clear in this article. But can a team beat another team? Yes, it happens. I don't think I wrote that they would beat Washington easily?
It would be a bummer, but also kinda cool, if the Cards end up with the first and second overall picks. Maybe they can trade Murry to the Bucks and end up with the top three picks!
If we imagine a future where the Cardinals front office is somewhat capable, then our window for NFC west dominance may be opening now and closing in two or three seasons. The Rams are right behind them on the rebuild track too. Imagine if both Williams and Maye end up in the NFC west next year!
no, it's not you. that wasn't a serious comment. Murry's perceived value around the league has to be at an all time low right now. I think Mr. McFamous hit the nail on head with his comment below. Look out for the pro-Kyler talk to pick up steam as the season drags on. We know we can't trust his agent following that Netflix Jonny Football documentary.
I have kinda assumed Arizona's haul for Murray might be degraded if he doesn't play in 2023 but I suppose the back catalog is there and no matter how he might play, it's not going to erase the other "commitment to football" baggage Murray has.
He was the leading MVP candidate in first half of 2021. He can be a very exciting player and he's going to be 27 next year. I can't imagine that he has zero market, his contract is only bad for the Cardinals, not the team that trades for him. But is it possible he's untradeable? Yeah.
Definitely won't be zero market but the question of is he back to 2020/21 speed and agility or is he never going to be that fast again due to this injury should weigh significantly on his value, no? If he doesn't play in 2023, how will anyone know.
I agree with your analysis, for sure. If they are that bad, then maybe they could try a 2010 Pete-style house cleaning and replace everyone. They need the right coach, staff, and culture from the top-down for it to work, though, I think. Idk if they have the ownership to do all that.
BTW, definitely look for them to be talking up how Kyler is now better at studying the playbook, better in the locker room, and has come back "in the best shape of his career" to try an fluff up his value.
In order to get something significant for Murray I think he will have to come back for at least two games, and look good doing it--possibly jeopardizing AZ's draft position in the process.
While Russ may have made it possible for a guy like Kyler to get drafted as high as he did, Kyler has also made GM's cautious about QBs like him. What team would trade a bunch of draft picks for a guy who really has not had a lot of success in the league to go along with a significant injury? Ok, besides the Niners?
In Arizona, it is the ownership that is the problem. We should thank the stars that Paul Allen bought the Seahawks and Jody has been carrying on his legacy with aplomb. They recruited and retained a great HC/GM tandem and THAT has been the recipe for success in Seattle.
Thinking about all the cutdowns today and all the NFL dreams that will be put on hold:
The Hard Knocks Cardinals was fascinating just to see the meddling owner Michael Bidwell come across as such a tool. He would give speeches essentially threatening players if they didn't give it their all in practice, etc. I swear you could see the cringe on JJ Watt's face when he did. I found Kliff Kingsbury more likeable than I expected to, loved JJ, and it confirmed my priors about Kyler Murray. These shows are funny like that. I kind of hate that I actually find Aaron Rodgers quite likeable in this season.
Beat me to it...the Bidwells have a history of being cheap and that tradition has passed from father to sons. Being a cheap owner doesn't necessarily mean the team will never succeed but it very likely won't improve the team's chances of getting to the Super Bowl.
A couple of thoughts. Firstly, ain't nobody taking on Kyler Murray's contract. Why would they? Way too much money for way to little success, and he doesn't seem to exactly be a coaches dream, does he? Second, it doesn't help to tank and draft early if you don't know how to spend that draft capital. Or, if you accidently pick a very good player but can't put a bunch of good players around them so they are successful.
New leadership there now, so I suppose I should allow that they are actually very good at what they do. Hope not though.
Because the Browns traded 3 first round picks to give Watson $230 million fully guaranteed, while the team taking on Kyler Murray only needs to give him $35 million guaranteed. I may not be the GM who would make that trade, but do I think that out of 32 GMs there's one who would be desperate enough to make a $35 million gamble on Kyler Murray? I do.
Perhaps. The Watson deal was shocking to me. Not because he hadn’t shown talent, just everything else.
That last line was dirty 🤣
It is not going to be easy to trade Kyler in 2024 as he has a 35 million salary guaranteed his overall cap hit is an ungodly 51 million. To move him the Cards are most likely going to have to take at least 10 million of his salary back making him a 25 million dollar player. Even that may not be enough because Kyler is still going to cost his new team more approximately 40 million per year for in 2025 and 2026 if he play out the contract. Geno's contract look pretty good doesn't it.
I'm still so curious about the Texan's motivation in trading back up for Anderson. Do they actually think they'll be good enough this year that the future 1st will be outside the top ten?
Or has their own research shown Anderson and Stroud to be better choices than anyone they'd get in the top 5 in 2024?
I did really like Anderson, but I certainly didn't like him to the degree they seem like they'll pay.
In my opinion, because some wanted Stroud (or any QB) and others wanted Anderson, so this was their compromise. I would have not done what they did, but we'll see who was right.
I really liked the move by the Texans because both players fit huge needs and were talented and productive enough as prospects to merit the selections. I liked it even more because Demeco basically said "Hey Caserio, you're not gonna constantly undermine me and my staff to my team because I removed your incentive for us to suck". IMO the Texans have been treading water, tanking (poorly) and cynically using the "picks for ethnic minority hires" rules while letting those same coaches get covered with the stink of the teams planned poor performance since the Watson scandal just purely because the guys at the top dgaf about football and just want to get paid alot of money for being in charge.
In spite of that, I like the Texans to go over 6 wins this year because of just how bad TEN & IND look right now combined with a pretty good draft haul this year and a well-respected HC.
Also feel obliged to mention that projections don't always hold from summer to the following spring; alot of places had JSN as a locked-in top 3 player in this draft. QBs from Barkley to Maziel to Rattler have shit the bed so bad in a season that they lost all goodwill from NFL evaluators. I say all this to make the point that looking forward to the next draft while you're right at the very beginning of this draft, especially when you have the assets the Texans had this past April, is a fools errand; they did the right thing in grabbing standouts at 2 key positions, which were also positions of need, and didn't pay over the odds to do so.
I am curious through all of this how much cap space has Arizona jettisoned?
I don't think the Washington Team of Football (WTF) will be that bad except for FO-dysfunctionality (such as Ron "I didn't know this guy I drafted was actually good" Rivera).
Their record last year was half a game worse than ours. They still have a great front 7, they do get a last place schedule, and all points to Howell being actually "unremarkable starter" quality — and that worked pretty well for the Niners.
So I don't see the WTF losing to the Cardinals that easily.
I don't think the Cardinals will beat anybody, I hope that was clear in this article. But can a team beat another team? Yes, it happens. I don't think I wrote that they would beat Washington easily?
It would be a bummer, but also kinda cool, if the Cards end up with the first and second overall picks. Maybe they can trade Murry to the Bucks and end up with the top three picks!
If we imagine a future where the Cardinals front office is somewhat capable, then our window for NFC west dominance may be opening now and closing in two or three seasons. The Rams are right behind them on the rebuild track too. Imagine if both Williams and Maye end up in the NFC west next year!
Let's get after it while the gettin's good!
Maybe it's my fandom blinding me, but wow I don't see Kyler Murray anywhere near worth the #3 overall.
no, it's not you. that wasn't a serious comment. Murry's perceived value around the league has to be at an all time low right now. I think Mr. McFamous hit the nail on head with his comment below. Look out for the pro-Kyler talk to pick up steam as the season drags on. We know we can't trust his agent following that Netflix Jonny Football documentary.
Whew! I wasn’t sure if I was way off or you were. Fortunately I simply missed obvious sarcasm!
Colt McCoy is a seahawk killer and we need to thank our lucky stars he’s gone
Maybe we can pick him up just so he can teach us his ways
I have kinda assumed Arizona's haul for Murray might be degraded if he doesn't play in 2023 but I suppose the back catalog is there and no matter how he might play, it's not going to erase the other "commitment to football" baggage Murray has.
He was the leading MVP candidate in first half of 2021. He can be a very exciting player and he's going to be 27 next year. I can't imagine that he has zero market, his contract is only bad for the Cardinals, not the team that trades for him. But is it possible he's untradeable? Yeah.
Definitely won't be zero market but the question of is he back to 2020/21 speed and agility or is he never going to be that fast again due to this injury should weigh significantly on his value, no? If he doesn't play in 2023, how will anyone know.
I agree with your analysis, for sure. If they are that bad, then maybe they could try a 2010 Pete-style house cleaning and replace everyone. They need the right coach, staff, and culture from the top-down for it to work, though, I think. Idk if they have the ownership to do all that.
BTW, definitely look for them to be talking up how Kyler is now better at studying the playbook, better in the locker room, and has come back "in the best shape of his career" to try an fluff up his value.
In order to get something significant for Murray I think he will have to come back for at least two games, and look good doing it--possibly jeopardizing AZ's draft position in the process.
While Russ may have made it possible for a guy like Kyler to get drafted as high as he did, Kyler has also made GM's cautious about QBs like him. What team would trade a bunch of draft picks for a guy who really has not had a lot of success in the league to go along with a significant injury? Ok, besides the Niners?
I don't know. If Watson struggles this season I think Cleveland's GM could figure out a way to pay both him and Murray.
In Arizona, it is the ownership that is the problem. We should thank the stars that Paul Allen bought the Seahawks and Jody has been carrying on his legacy with aplomb. They recruited and retained a great HC/GM tandem and THAT has been the recipe for success in Seattle.
Thinking about all the cutdowns today and all the NFL dreams that will be put on hold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc
The Hard Knocks Cardinals was fascinating just to see the meddling owner Michael Bidwell come across as such a tool. He would give speeches essentially threatening players if they didn't give it their all in practice, etc. I swear you could see the cringe on JJ Watt's face when he did. I found Kliff Kingsbury more likeable than I expected to, loved JJ, and it confirmed my priors about Kyler Murray. These shows are funny like that. I kind of hate that I actually find Aaron Rodgers quite likeable in this season.
Beat me to it...the Bidwells have a history of being cheap and that tradition has passed from father to sons. Being a cheap owner doesn't necessarily mean the team will never succeed but it very likely won't improve the team's chances of getting to the Super Bowl.
*Always compete :D