2013 Offseason Update, Week 5

Photo credit to NFL News Desk.

Every Monday during the offseason, I will be recapping some of the biggest stories of the previous week that I did not cover individually.

Before I get to last week’s news, I have a quick announcement. Contrary to previous offseason plans, I will not be posting every day of the week. I will continue with my weekly updates and will blog for big events that catch my attention. But, at least for the next month, I need to shift my focus to another project I am working on. I am a staff writer at ACC Battles, covering men’s and women’s basketball, as well as track & field, at the University of Maryland. It’s a great gig and I’m stoked to be a part of a brand new sports journalism medium.

However, it’s become even more involved than I previously expected, and it’s too important to me for me to half-ass it. So to keep my priorities in order, Puff on the NFL will have to go to the wayside for a little while as I pursue a fantastic opportunity to break into the field of sports journalism.

To Jet or Not To Jet

Darrelle Revis has been the center of trade rumors for a couple weeks now and it doesn’t look like it will end any time soon. Based on the limited information about a possible trade, teams’ dwindling interest, and there still being questions about Revis’ health, I’m thinking that the Jets don’t have any intention of trading Revis.

New York will not be allowed to place a franchise tag on Revis after this season when his contract expires and they don’t have the money to sign him long term. They need to trade him now if they want something back for him. But we have no idea how healthy Revis is or will be because the Jets won’t talk to his agents. Certainly a bizarre situation.

Free Agency

You’re free to check out SBNation.com’s list of the top 50 free agents, but here are some of my thoughts on their list.

Mike Wallace occasionally has issues with drops. He’s very athletic and an excellent receiver, but if I needed a WR, I’d go with someone a little more reliable. The one thing Wallace has going for him over Greg Jennings and Wes Welker is his youth.

Tony Gonzalez shouldn’t be on this list. He has already said if he comes back it won’t be for anyone but the Falcons. Sure Tony went back on his retirement plans, but I think he’s serious about this one.

Reggie Bush broke out in several games for the Dolphins this year. If he’s cheap enough, he’s worth the risk.

If I’m missing anything important, or if you just want to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

2013 Offseason Update, Week 4

Andy Reid got Kansas City a quarterback. Now he has to decide what to
do with the team's top overall draft pick. Photo credit to CBS Sports.

Every Monday during the offseason, I will be recapping some of the biggest stories of the previous week that I did not cover individually. So let’s get to last week’s news.

QB Contracts

The biggest news out of the offseason’s fourth week was definitely quarterback contracts. Joe Flacco got a huge deal in Baltimore that local fans can only hope doesn’t rock the boat. Meanwhile, up north, Tom Brady reworked his contract to help clear cap space for the Patriots and ensure he will be in Foxboro through 2017.

I don’t have the full, year-by-year breakdown of Flacco’s contract, but I can tell you that in at least two of the next six seasons, Joe Flacco will make more than Tom Brady will in any single year of his five year contract, with his highest-paying year to come in 2017 when he is scheduled to make $15 million.

Now, if Baltimore does crash and burn because of Flacco’s new contract, Ravens fans can rest assured that it won’t happen in the first year of his contract. He will count for less than $7 million against the cap in 2013. Unfortunately, this means that he will be getting big numbers in the last three or four years of his contract and that could be crushing.

New England got the better deal as far as I’m concerned. Yes, Tom Brady’s whole contract is guaranteed money, which is unheard of. But to have a quarterback of his caliber and never have a year in which he is due more than $15 million is extremely rare, too.

Alex Smith Trade

Thought Joe Flacco and Tom Brady stole the spotlight, another huge story is the Alex Smith trade to Kansas City. The 49ers got a 15^th pick for the upcoming draft and a conditional pick in the 2014 draft. Andy Reid got Kansas City a quarterback for the first time since Trent Green.

Over five and a half seasons with Trent Green as their starting quarterback, the Chiefs compiled an average 48-40 record, including three winning seasons and two playoff appearances, of which they have had only one of each since.

The difference is that in Green’s first couple seasons in Kansas City, the Chiefs had little talent surrounding him. This year, they had several Pro Bowlers and way too much talent to be winning only two games. This ultimately was the reason Romeo Crennel was fired.

With Alex Smith, the Chiefs instantly become a wild-card contender, especially with a first overall draft pick and options for how to use it.

Darrelle Revis Trade Talk Picks Up Steam

About a week ago, reports came out of New York that the Jets might try to trade cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is coming off an ACL injury. So far, nothing I have read is anything more than speculation.

Still, it’s an interesting idea that the Jets could possibly trade away their most recognized current player, especially when nobody knows just how healthy he is, or even will be in 2013. But then, it is the Jets so anything is not only possibly, but likely.

Jeff Saturday a Colt Once More

No, Saturday will not suit up for Indianapolis, at least not on the field. Just before the Pro Bowl, he announced his intention to retire after this season, and he will do so. But he will go through the process many other great NFL players have done by signing a one-day contract and donning the Colts’ uniform one last time, retiring as a member of the team he spent almost all of his career with. The date for the official announcement has not yet been set.

Last week I wrote about the offseason needs of all 16 AFC teams, on division per day. Tomorrow I will start doing the same for the NFC, so be sure to check back daily.

If you would like to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.