2024 Top FA Signing

[HuskieBear]

Assume that whichever position you pick will be getting a top of market deal, let's call it ~top 5 in the league. Also, I know they won't all hit the market (Ridley, Allen, Burns, etc)

[Bigbear72]

Center is at the top of the list for me for multiple reasons. The main being is that it will probably be the cheapest to fill while being one of our greatest need. The other positions I would rather draft young blue chip players to fill. Gives us better upside and control while allowing us the most flexibility.

[StLunatic88]

It’s Center. It has to be a Center at all costs

It completely changes our offense if we even have a solid/reliable Center, but if we can get a great player there, we have the rest of the talent to have a potentially Dominant OL

Edited December 12, 2023 by StLunatic88

[JibjeResearch]

We have the money to sign two...

I would get the WR and OC.  If JF1 can't win with a complete Offense, then he isn't the one!

[beardown3231]

Matt Hennessy could be an option at center for Poles. He's only 26 and will likely be cheaper than Biadasz or Williams.

I'd prefer Williams, but with his knee injury last night, it's just something to keep an eye on. Hennessy, Epenesa, and Madubuike would be pretty sweet.

Edited December 12, 2023 by beardown3231

[CBears019]

Center was my vote, but man the idea of adding Burns alongside Sweat is so tempting.  If the draft wasn’t so stacked with WRs I’d be more inclined to sign one of these guys.  

[Madmike90]

Still a ton of variables that need to be answered before a proper answer can be given for this one...

But let's say we keep Flus & Fields...

Go get Christian Wilkins...Gervon has been getting better and better but Wilkins is the 3T this defence has never had and from a leadership perspective he would be a game changer up front...rotate Gervon in...play Gervon at LE for some of the T-E stunts we now run or hope he can be a lesser version of Chris Jones...lots of way to be creative with talented DL...

Use a trade down to target WR in the draft where there is great talent & depth...then use the pick you get in that trade down along with our own first to target DE/C/S...we have so much money still available you could even sign guys at these spots so you don't need to be locked into anything.

[Epyon]

I go DE > Center in FA.  I don't much like this crop of pass rushers, but the talent from receiver this year could give us an incredibly dangerous offense, especially with time learning under DJ Moore (who already has the #1 spot locked down).......  Center on the list simply because I'm not sure our draft positions work out right to grab Van Pran or Frazier AND get our QB the weapons they need.

 

If we keep Fields right now I'm trading down and getting MHJ-WR, then Nabers-WR (Bowers-TE backup) and giving JF1 the most ludicrously stacked WR room in the nation.

If we pick Caleb at 1.1 (still my preference), I'm aiming for Nabers-wr (again Bowers backup) then looking at one of Legette-WR, Franklin-WR, Jatavion Sanders-TE, Egbuka-WR, or Wilson-WR    It's harder to nail down the 2nd pick here because it depends what value we get for Fields in trade and/or either trading a future 1st, or trading down with our current second first round pick.

If I had to handicap it, keeping Fields probably makes the most sense in this scenario.... and would give us absurd talent at WR and be way safer going forward, since we already know Field's floor, and having that much receiving talent would help Bagent when he inevitably has to play 4+ games a year. It also potentially gets Fields unlocked since  I don't see how any team covers all 3 of Moore, Harrison JR, and Nabers on any given play, let alone with Kmet also running around out there and Fields doesn't like throwing to anyone not wide open. Finally, it'd also likely recoup our 2nd this year and give us a 2nd first next year, which could set us up for a future QB if Fields can't ascend.

The Caleb choice is by far riskier, but also higher reward. Not just because of CW either.... the receiving talent would be much more "boom/bust" and/or potentially cost additional draft capital to attain, instead of generating draft capital from trade downs.   The big benefits here are the rookie QB contract allowing more FA spending and frankly skepticism on Fields ever becoming enough of a thrower to be truly competitive.  There's a very real chance Caleb is ALREADY a better passer than Fields at the NFL level.

[AZBearsFan]

I voted center. Williams tearing his ACL is a killer though. A 9 month recovery would be fast but that’s how far opening day is from now, so signing him would probably mean also signing a stopgap. Biadasz (which I always read as “badass”) is at the top of my list. I like a few of the rookie centers quite a bit, but they’re rookies and that’s going to add more variables.

We’re going to have the opportunity to add a really talented FA WR without getting the “top” guy, or to draft one. The top of the draft has a bunch of really strong prospects, and FA is stacked with legit starting WR talent. Some of those FA WRs are going to get significantly less than they would in other years just based on lack of scarcity. Related - I’m convinced that Darnell Mooney is going to be a great signing in Kansas City next year. He still has top tier speed, has pretty good hands, has a history of legit production as a complementary guy, the OC knows him really well, and he won’t be getting near top of market money. That seems like exactly what they’re going to be looking for.

BTW, I feel like the whole “1 top of market FA” scenario is pretty realistic for us, especially if we keep Fields. We’ve got a crap ton of cap space, but also have to do something expensive with JJ, and I think Jenkins is gonna get PAID this offseason too. He’s been awesome. If we trade JF that opens up the money more, but also means we’ll have one less premium asset with which to address the non-QB positions. 

[HuskieBear]

19 hours ago, CBears019 said:

Center was my vote, but man the idea of adding Burns alongside Sweat is so tempting.  If the draft wasn’t so stacked with WRs I’d be more inclined to sign one of these guys.  

part of me thinks that young/hunter are going to be more affordable than we think, and pairing them, especially hunter, with sweat would be pretty good. (young less so but would likely come in cheaper)

[HuskieBear]

3 hours ago, AZBearsFan said:

BTW, I feel like the whole “1 top of market FA” scenario is pretty realistic for us, especially if we keep Fields. We’ve got a crap ton of cap space, but also have to do something expensive with JJ, and I think Jenkins is gonna get PAID this offseason too. He’s been awesome. If we trade JF that opens up the money more, but also means we’ll have one less premium asset with which to address the non-QB positions. 

that's why i phrased it like this - we have cap space, but after JJ getting the tag or extension, we dont HAVE to spend all the money, and should save some for future extensions (Jenkins, maybe fields, maybe jones, gordon). Getting 1 stud at a position of need (Top of my list is a C, DE, or DT), then supplementing like the Bengals have done with guys that can play but aren't top top of market. 

If we keep Fields, give me Madubuike at DT (gig em baby), Huff as the next tier down DE, maybe Kenny Moore at NB (move Gordon to FS?), and a C on a 1-2 year deal. Draft MHJ top 3, Bowers if our pick is high enough, then Zach Frazier in round 3. 

[topwop1]

Our top FA signing should be re-signing JJ and I expect that to take up a good portion of our available cap space

I don't expect Poles to spend more significant money in FA on the D-line after just signing Sweat to that mega deal

That being said I can see them drafting a DE with one of the two firsts they'll have 

I'll echo what others have said here. I would focus on adding a difference maker at C in FA because expecting any rookie to come in and be better than what we currently have with Patrick is not what I expect.  Long term upside sure but they need to have a better plan than that going in to 2024. This center class is also nothing special

Other than that I think they should look to sign an upgrade at FS over Jackson.

I'm looking at Winfield Jr or maybe Buddha Baker if his club option isn't picked up 

[beardown3231]

1 hour ago, topwop1 said:

Our top FA signing should be re-signing JJ and I expect that to take up a good portion of our available cap space

I don't expect Poles to spend more significant money in FA on the D-line after just signing Sweat to that mega deal

That being said I can see them drafting a DE with one of the two firsts they'll have 

I'll echo what others have said here. I would focus on adding a difference maker at C in FA because expecting any rookie to come in and be better than what we currently have with Patrick is not what I expect.  Long term upside sure but they need to have a better plan than that going in to 2024. This center class is also nothing special

Other than that I think they should look to sign an upgrade at FS over Jackson.

I'm looking at Winfield Jr or maybe Buddha Baker if his club option isn't picked up 

Extending Johnson will be 18-20M. They're going to have like 90M.

Winfield would be pretty sweet.

[MonserinNC]

I voted DE.....I think with the 2 firsts we go MHJ and then BPA. I dont like getting a vet OC just because we can go young and his 2 OG's next to him will be very good anyway. I would rather just draft a very good young guy who can grow to be the leader. 

Im surprised nobody has said FS. My second choice was going to be Winfield. Jackson/Brisker is a good tandem when healthy but Jackson is old and Brisker has had legit like 4 concussions. That position is less stable than people think, and really Jacksons replacement should come sooner rather than later

 

Edit: the last 2 guys just said it haha, I didnt refresh the page

Edited December 13, 2023 by MonserinNC

[AZBearsFan]

2 hours ago, beardown3231 said:

Extending Johnson will be 18-20M. They're going to have like 90M.

Winfield would be pretty sweet.

Winfield essentially replacing Jackson would greatly reduce the immediate cost given the salary offset for a corresponding cut of Jackson. We’d have a ton of competition for him though.