Free Agency 2024 Thread!!

[plan9misfit]

1 hour ago, TheStarStillShines said:

The staff might be planning to select a RB or two in the draft, which is a fine strategy in today's NFL. Sure this draft doesn't have a standout prospect at the position, but, as many teams, including the Chiefs, have shown, finding a productive RB later in the draft is probable. If the Boys can trade back a couple of times to land some more picks, grabbing Estime in the 2nd round, Lloyd in the 3rd/4th round, and/or Bailey in the mid-rounds would be fine.   

The challenge, old friend, is that it’s a weak RB class, we don’t have a 4th round pick, and have glaring holes at OT, C, LB, RB, and WR. It’s literally impossible to run an effective draft when you have to target specific positions rather than focusing on the best overall talent. This proves, yet again, how sh!tty Jerry is as a “GM”. He has no idea how to run an organization. There is no organizational strategy at all. It’s basically a toddler playing with toys and then getting confused as to where they went when they get lost.

[plan9misfit]

47 minutes ago, Northland said:

We all held out varying degrees of hope that Jerry really meant something when he said we were all in.  Then reality hits.  Don't feel bad. I think one has to take all the talk/coverage/hype that comes out of Dallas with a big grain of salt.

I did not have hope. I made fun of him, knowing that he was full of it and wasn’t going to do a damned thing.

[plan9misfit]

9 minutes ago, elevators_rule said:

there's no doubt in my mind Dak is going to get a ~47-50m a year contract after the initial free agency rush

He wants $60+M. That’s why you bite the cap bullet and let him walk. He’s not even worth $40M, let alone $60M. Mentally melting down in the playoffs and coming up small in nearly every game does not warrant a payday.

[Dallas94Ware]

22 hours ago, matt79511 said:

If we're giving Jerry the benefit of the doubt that he actually was divulging something about their 2024 strategy, then I think what he meant was this: They're "all in" on Dak and McCarthy for 2024. Neither is operating with extensions, neither is going to have their surroundings meaningfully improved. Both are on thin ice.

I don't know if I buy this either as not extending Dak would go completely against their SOP. But I guess threatening to have him play out his walk year creates some sort of tension at least.

I mean, I am "all in" with that sentiment, honestly.

I've said is so many times before. And I'll say it some more. This is the make or break year for those two. Mike has done a pretty good job at helping lead the team to 12 win seasons and playoff berths. Dak has done a pretty good job QBing the team to the same, and has a great statline over his career.

But both are at a point now where the numbers need to produce more than wins and MVP consideration. It needs to produce competitive playoff games. It needs to produce playoff wins. And with age, salary cap, and all the contracts due around them soon...it's time to find out once and for all, can they do it or not? If they don't this year. It isn't necessarily time to reboot the team, but definitely time to think about the future beyond Dak Prescott and bring in a coach who can help open the door to that future. 

But still, if the intent was to give these two everything you can to ensure they have the best possible opportunity to do what you expect them to do. Then it was time to spend some money or make some moves.

Burns would have been perfect, Hunter as well. Aaron Jones probably the best option at RB we could have prayed for, between system fit, value for the price, proven veteran ability, and talent. Wilkins would have been an amazing addition to a very soft interior DL. I wasn't thinking greedily, and didn't expect them to make some video game off season and add all of those guys. But locking in one or even two of those clearly perfect fits, even if it meant overpaying for them just to be here 2, possibly 3 years...would have been well worth it if you're trying to give Dak and Mike their best opportunity...or even set up the next coach and QB to come here.

Maybe they will make a big splash on draft day. But unproven rookies are not usually instant upgrades. And while there are still some decent fits to be had, it seems like yet again, our Dallas Cowboys will be scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for tasty leftovers when this was absolutely the perfect year to tell the cooks exactly what they wanted instead.

[MaddHatter]

2 hours ago, plan9misfit said:

The challenge, old friend, is that it’s a weak RB class, we don’t have a 4th round pick, and have glaring holes at OT, C, LB, RB, and WR. It’s literally impossible to run an effective draft when you have to target specific positions rather than focusing on the best overall talent. This proves, yet again, how sh!tty Jerry is as a “GM”. He has no idea how to run an organization. There is no organizational strategy at all. It’s basically a toddler playing with toys and then getting confused as to where they went when they get lost.

Here is where we disagree.. literally almost impossible to whiff on the first.  All the OTs go early? We get JPJ.  Someone takes JOJ? Barton.  We miss out on every OT and C prospect? Oh darn, we get an elite WR like BTJr. He’s gone along with ADM and the other WRs projected to go early? Sheet, I guess we “settle” for Payton Wilson.  We literally can’t lose.

Second round we have guys like Koran and Fisher at OT, Cooper at ILB, Legette at WR, etc

Third round we get RBs like Brooks and Corum. You get guys like Trotter, Mahogeney, Van Pran, McCormick and Liufau. 
 

Drop to the 5th and now we find some value guys like Tyrone Tracy, Trevor Keegan, Dillon Johnson, Luke McCaffrey, Isaiah Williams, Michael Barrett, and Isaiah Williams.

In the 6th we’re looking at guys like Jaylen Ford, Miyan Williams, Steele Chambers, Jade McClellan, Tanner Bortolini, Cody Schrader, etc.

After that it’s really irrelevant, but my point is we call fill needs with BPA at every level as long as we wait on RB as long as possible. If we believe Smith can go to LT then we can fill LG at any point as well

[plan9misfit]

42 minutes ago, MaddHatter said:

Here is where we disagree.. literally almost impossible to whiff on the first.  All the OTs go early? We get JPJ.  Someone takes JOJ? Barton.  We miss out on every OT and C prospect? Oh darn, we get an elite WR like BTJr. He’s gone along with ADM and the other WRs projected to go early? Sheet, I guess we “settle” for Payton Wilson.  We literally can’t lose.

Second round we have guys like Koran and Fisher at OT, Cooper at ILB, Legette at WR, etc

Third round we get RBs like Brooks and Corum. You get guys like Trotter, Mahogeney, Van Pran, McCormick and Liufau. 
 

Drop to the 5th and now we find some value guys like Tyrone Tracy, Trevor Keegan, Dillon Johnson, Luke McCaffrey, Isaiah Williams, Michael Barrett, and Isaiah Williams.

In the 6th we’re looking at guys like Jaylen Ford, Miyan Williams, Steele Chambers, Jade McClellan, Tanner Bortolini, Cody Schrader, etc.

After that it’s really irrelevant, but my point is we call fill needs with BPA at every level as long as we wait on RB as long as possible. If we believe Smith can go to LT then we can fill LG at any point as well

I hear you, but you know how irritated I get when it comes to leaving every need to be filled in the draft. It’s very hard for things to always turn out well, especially when you don’t have a lot of draft capital. If we had that 4th round pick, I’d be much more comfortable with where we are, because we’d be able to draft RBs in those middle rounds without issue. But, leaving every hole open forces us to telegraph our picks, which is never a good thing.

And, I’m nearly certain that Philly will draft JPJ with the retirement of Jason Kelce.

[MaddHatter]

Yeah - I agree 100% - we should go to the draft with most of our needs filled and able to draft BPA for the future.  And with Will at the helm, I have some faith in our abilities to find great players, but when we force it and draft for need it seems like we whiff more often then not.  

[TVScout]

12 hours ago, plan9misfit said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if either and/or both are true. The best scenario would be for Dak to waive the no-trade clause and allow us to get picks for him.

Who plays QB then? Pennix?

[plan9misfit]

2 minutes ago, TVScout said:

Who plays QB then? Pennix?

I think it would depend on who the trade partner is and what the compensation for Dak would be. My best guess is that we'd roll with Trey Lance this year if Dak was traded.

[TVScout]

9 minutes ago, plan9misfit said:

My best guess is that we'd roll with Trey Lance .........

Tankathon? We could literally loose every game.

[MaddHatter]

Y'all realize a trade of Dak would incur a $62m dead cap and we'd actually lose $2.5m in cap space, right? lol

[plan9misfit]

11 minutes ago, TVScout said:

Tankathon? We could literally loose every game.

No one knows what Lance can or can't do because he hasn't played much due to injury. Does he appear to be a franchise guy? Not really, but neither did Dak. Yet, people on this very forum lick his jock strap, regardless of how poorly he performs in key moments. So, you take a chance. If the team stinks, then you draft a QB next year. Or, if the compensation for Dak is high enough, you draft a QB this year, let him ride the pine for a while and play him either in the latter half of 2024 or in 2025. Regardless, tethering ourselves to a mediocre QB at $60M a year sure as hell won't allow us to be competitive, because Jerry and Stephen will cry poverty and strip the team of every surrounding asset so they can "afford" Dak's absurd contract. That's a lose/lose proposition if I've ever seen one. You play well enough to be a low playoff seed and never advance, and don't play poorly enough to get a quality draft pick for a QB to pull you out of the quagmire. That's football purgatory.

[plan9misfit]

14 minutes ago, MaddHatter said:

Y'all realize a trade of Dak would incur a $62m dead cap and we'd actually lose $2.5m in cap space, right? lol

Yep, I'm aware. But if this team is serious about fixing its cap constraints, then you either void the final year next year and let him walk with no cap hit, or you eat it this year and you're free moving forward when the other contracts for CeeDee and Micah need attention.

Again, part of the reason you don't extend Dak is because of negotiation leverage. Extending him gives him full control over the team's finances for the next 4-5 years, rather than getting out from under that issue. Neither Dak nor his agent should have that much control over an organization, especially since he doesn't perform in the playoffs. Make him prove that he's worth that contract. If he can't (and he won't), then you void the rest of the deal and walk away. Let another team pay $60M+ to a mediocre QB who won't bring you a championship, while he soaks up nearly 25% of the cap. Take the comp pick.

Edited March 13 by plan9misfit

[MaddHatter]

Okay, just confirming we understood the cap implications.  So is it better to sign-and-trade or trade him (assuming he wavies his clause) and get 3 firsts and 3 second round picks for him and eat the $2.5m cap loss this year and roll out the tank for Ewers train?  Or is it better to try and win it all this year, then if we fall short, let him walk and get a 4th round comp pick when he signs somewhere else?

[plan9misfit]

28 minutes ago, MaddHatter said:

Okay, just confirming we understood the cap implications.  So is it better to sign-and-trade or trade him (assuming he waves his clause) and get 3 firsts and 3 second round picks for him and eat the $2.5m cap loss this year and roll out the tank for Ewers train?  Or is it better to try and win it all this year, then if we fall short, let him walk and get a 4th round comp pick when he signs somewhere else?

That's an excellent question. In my opinion, it's as close to a 50/50 decision as we can probably get. On the one hand, we'd have organizational stability (for lack of a better term) keeping Dak and (hopefully) retooling the O-line and RB position to keep him from falling flat on his face, with McCarthy likely in his final year as coach with the team. This minimizes the disruption of changing QBs and pivoting the offense and team structure. On the other hand, given that McCarthy is likely in his last season with the team, moving on from Dak could save McCarthy's job if he helps a new QB develop and show that he can play, even with the expected growing pains of a young/rookie QB. If he can't, then having a new QB and a new coach in 2025 would be the likely outcome, anyway.