Well Done: Cooks' Season One in NE
- Thread starter Ed Hillel
- Start date
Gilmore, unless he clones himself, cannot play both outside CB slots so I don't think it should impact Butler at ~$4m this year. I like Cooks a lot, but I'm not crazy about the idea of bringing in Gilmore only to ship Butler for Cooks right after. A lot of that is likely my affinity for Butler shining through combined with the mental picture of a Gilmore/Butler tandem.
Well, to be fair, having Butler and Gilmore aren't mutually-exclusive decisions.
Yeah, having $30m+ annually locked up in two CBs is not the best way to build a full roster of quality players.
Anyone know what Cooks option looks like in 2018? I know it's a fifth year option on a first round pick, so that may not be posted yet.
For the 2013 draft (Cooks was 14) here is what a receiver gets if drafted in top 10, picks 10-20:
Wide Receiver: $12,268,000, $7,915,000
I'm guessing that figure would surpass $8M for 2018.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-a-team-by-team-guide-to-fifth-year-option-decisions/
For the 2013 draft (Cooks was 14) here is what a receiver gets if drafted in top 10, picks 10-20:
Wide Receiver: $12,268,000, $7,915,000
I'm guessing that figure would surpass $8M for 2018.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-a-team-by-team-guide-to-fifth-year-option-decisions/
Would be pretty funny that by the start of Preseason if Butler, Collins, and Hightower are all gone and Jimmy was still with the team considering where all the focus was on picking the 2 of 3 to keep while trading Jimmy for draft picks.
Except Butler will not sign his tender to facilitate a trade unless he feels NO will extend him.
I really don't understand this possible sequence of events from a Saints perspective. If they are going to trade Cooks for Butler and give the latter a big deal, why not just sign Gilmore or Ryan or Bouye instead and then trade Cooks for draft picks?
Because they think Malcolm Butler is more capable of covering Julio Jones and DeSean Jackson one-on-one twice a year?
Because Butler's RFA status limits his leverage relative to those guys and thus will be willing to sign a smaller deal.
Maybe Gilmore, Ryan or Bouye don't want to go to a NO team that isn't very good? I know, if you throw enough money their way, you'll get one, but you have to have some limits. And maybe they view Malcolm as a better player than who think they can get in the draft with those draft picks they get for Cooks.
Edit- changed up my scenario as they wouldn't sign a guy and draft a CB, most likely.
Maybe. I think that would be a minority opinion, though, especially vis-a-vis Gilmore and perhaps Bouye.
I think that is a good point but I'm not sure saving 1-2 million off the cap per year with a slightly smaller deal is worth what they might lose in draft pick compensation.
Is Butler in a position to not sign his tender? He's made almost no money, he doesn't have millions at home to sit on.
Plausible. Although Bouye seems to be headed to Jacksonville so he doesn't seem all that picky about his destination.
I guess as a Patriots fan, you just have to learn that you can't fall in love with a player. Ever.
It is going to be weird seeing the player that made the most dramatic play in NFL history in another jersey.
It is going to be weird seeing the player that made the most dramatic play in NFL history in another jersey.
He can wait until April 22 the deadline for RFA's to sign offer sheets. If he doesn't feel the Saints will offer him a suitable extension, and if he doesn't want to play for them, then he can simply wait out, and likely throw a monkey wrench into the trade talks.
I haven't seen any report that he's going to be unwilling to sign a tender that will more than quadruple what he made last season. You could be right, but he hasn't said even hinted at this from what I have seen. Do you have a link for this?
Edit: He has made about $1.5M in his career so far. Spotrac and OverTheCap are having difficulty keeping up with the traffic today.
Well, what if you are reasonably certain he will be signed to an offer sheet that you cannot match? If you can get something for him that is reasonably equivalent to the first round pick you would be getting next year, then I suspect you do it.
Maybe the Patriots would rather have Cooks than a mid- to late-first round 2018 pick.
What if the Saints are playing this completely straight up? "We're going to offer him 4/55, with 20 million guaranteed. We think we're going to be pretty good next year. Best case, you're looking at draft pick in the high teens and worst case you're looking at a draft pick in the 20s or 30s. So, that's the deal -- what do you want to do?" (The numbers are made up -- insert whatever number you need.)
If you know he's leaving anyway -- that is, you don't think the Saints are bluffing -- maybe a player you covet this year is better than a pick next year.
I have not heard anything about his willingness to sign a tender. I was just explaining his options, as there seems to be a misunderstanding from time to time:
1.) He could sign his tender today, and try to work out an extension with the Pats; or New Orleans if he's indeed traded there.
2.) He could wait until 4/22 to see what his market would be.
He's unlikely to go with option 1 unless he feels an extension is imminent, either with New England or the Saints. Or if he feels that the market for his services is nil. Otherwise, he's giving up what little leverage he has.
He hasn't signed it yet. Do you think Butler's going to sign the tender just so he can be traded?
I'm quite sure it's a 2017 pick unless the signing happens too close to the draft.
Why wouldn't he? He'd have to have a pretty good idea that the Saints want to pay him.
And what's Butler going to do if he doesn't sign the tender for a trade? Hold out? Bill already made his move with Gilmore; he's not gonna budge for a top of the line contract. One issue I see is the Saints might be scared off by long-term questions, but they have the same issues with Cooks, albeit an extra year. Pats will have to pay for that extra year, probably a 3rd or 4th.
Ah, ok. Well, then it doesn't work I guess -- you'd take pick 11 for sure over Cooks.
At least I think you would.
The other thing is right now Butler and his agent may be on the phone with Payton trying to work out an extension. That may be the only thing holding up the deal.
If the Saints offer him 5/80, with "X" amount of guaranteed money, he's going to sign that tender, go to NO, tear it up, sign the extension, and happily take a whole bunch of guaranteed money right now.
If the Saints offer him 5/80, with "X" amount of guaranteed money, he's going to sign that tender, go to NO, tear it up, sign the extension, and happily take a whole bunch of guaranteed money right now.
I'm probably in the minority here but I'd rather trade Jimmy G than Butler
Sentimentality is a strong sword
Sentimentality is a strong sword
This Cooks scenario feels like the Emmanuel Sanders deal a few years ago, with insane potential that just fell apart at the end. Cooks would just be tremendous, almost too good to be true.
sure if he's had conversations with them already.
But the original post was about if he didn't think the Saints were going to offer him a suitable deal.
If he's agreed to a deal or close enough then sure.
But the question then is can they get him cheap enough to say it is a better move than signing a top UFA and trading Cooks elsewhere.
I know. Plus, too many cooks spoil the soup, and who's to say one isn't too many?
FWIW
michael lombardiVerified account @mlombardiNFL 45s46 seconds ago
FYI....The Pats cannot trade Butler until he has a signed NE contract, right now he has been tendered, not signed. He is a restricted FA
michael lombardiVerified account @mlombardiNFL 45s46 seconds ago
FYI....The Pats cannot trade Butler until he has a signed NE contract, right now he has been tendered, not signed. He is a restricted FA