***2015 San Diego Chargers - Offseason News, Notes, & Analysis*** (1 Viewer)

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Peter King:

A few smart people around football dont think Telesco will have the stones to deal Rivers.

I dont think dealin phil is a spanos call

Did you mean it is a Spanos call - i.e. it's not a Telesco call?

yes sorry, on phone

 

[BoltBacker]

FINALLY!!!!

This guy gets it and makes the most sense of any artilcle I've read on the subject of Rivers all year....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000485703/article/philip-rivers-to-tennessee-titans-gms-debunk-senseless-rumorphilip-rivers-to-tennessee-titans-gms-debunk-senseless-rumor

... must read for Charger fans.

 

[massraider]

That's a great article.

 

[Bob Magaw]

That's a great article.

Thanks, Boltbacker, that was a gem, nice find.

Now it will really be funny if it happens anyways, compelling contraindicator rationale, notwithstanding.

 

[cstu]

FINALLY!!!!

This guy gets it and makes the most sense of any artilcle I've read on the subject of Rivers all year....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000485703/article/philip-rivers-to-tennessee-titans-gms-debunk-senseless-rumorphilip-rivers-to-tennessee-titans-gms-debunk-senseless-rumor

... must read for Charger fans.

99% of rumors turn out to be false...but the trade would make sense if the Chargers' concern about Rivers' health is true.

This is what he had to say in February:

"At this point, the back injury is not requiring surgery," Rivers said. "We'll kind of revisit it in a month or so. But everything is improving. I'm back to my regular workouts and running around. Me and my wife played a little tennis the other day. I've hit the golf ball a few times, so I'm actually on the up and up. So I'm pretty excited."

That's really nice that he can hit a golf ball, but it doesn't give me a lot of faith that his back won't be a concern going forward.

Why I doubt the story is I don't believe the Titans would want to do the deal.

 

[massraider]

I believe that Adam Schein spoke to GMs who called SD and had the door slammed. Why would he lie about that?

 

[cstu]

Would Rivers even mention the 'not wanting to live in LA' thing unless he had information that the move was likely?

 

[massraider]

Would Rivers even mention the 'not wanting to live in LA' thing unless he had information that the move was likely?

Sure, if he was trying to force a trade, which it certainly seems is likely.

He makes an announcement that he's not going to sign an extension, then says he ain't going to LA. Right there, you have to wonder why he'd say that. LA ain't a done deal, why burn down bridges in SD if you don't even know yet? Why say that? He's smarter than that.

Then his golf buddy Acee writes an article where you can practically see Rivers lips moving when Acee types it.

Maybe the hope is that by being enough of a PIA he'll force a move. If you want to get traded, you don't quietly walk in to the owner's office with your hat in hand. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

yeah the trade makes no sense for either team.

If tennessee or anyone else takes mariota, I hope for that kids sake they run a Mariota style O, instead of forcing him into a square peg/round hole situation. This is a kid who ran his offense from the shotgun and is basically a one read system. He needs that to start in the NFL then slowly mold him into a true pocket passer.

 

[massraider]

yeah the trade makes no sense for either team.

If tennessee or anyone else takes mariota, I hope for that kids sake they run a Mariota style O, instead of forcing him into a square peg/round hole situation. This is a kid who ran his offense from the shotgun and is basically a one read system. He needs that to start in the NFL then slowly mold him into a true pocket passer.

Yeah, if the Titans can't adjust the offense for a smart kid with wheels who protects the ball, maybe they need some smarter coaches.

 

[Tau837]

Would Rivers even mention the 'not wanting to live in LA' thing unless he had information that the move was likely?

He was interviewed and moving to L.A. was a hot topic at the time, so he was asked about it and gave an answer. There is no indication that he pushed the information out there without being asked. So there is no reason to believe he had any more information about the move than the rest of us.

 

[Tau837]

I think Groovus made a good point earlier. If they trade Rivers and draft their new starting QB, they should be planning to rebuild. In that case, they should be looking to trade Weddle as well, and he would presumably bring back good value while opening up cap space, just as Rivers would.

I will be surprised if this happens, for two reasons. First, hard to successfully move your team into a new market while in full rebuild mode and having losing seasons. Second, Telesco would have to feel that he has really good job security to tear down and rebuild two years in. Does he have that kind of job security?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I think Groovus made a good point earlier. If they trade Rivers and draft their new starting QB, they should be planning to rebuild. In that case, they should be looking to trade Weddle as well, and he would presumably bring back good value while opening up cap space, just as Rivers would.

I will be surprised if this happens, for two reasons. First, hard to successfully move your team into a new market while in full rebuild mode and having losing seasons. Second, Telesco would have to feel that he has really good job security to tear down and rebuild two years in. Does he have that kind of job security?

I'm not sure I agree with the bolded. I think that may be the best time to rebuild, as fans are excited just to have a new team and should flock to the stadium just due to the initial rush of excitement and then will stick around as the team grows into something competitive - of course when talking about the LA market versus say a new team in Oklahoma City, you may be right.

 

[Gr00vus]

That article is right in line with my thinking. This is Rivers and his agent trying to get leverage. If the Chargers were really going to deal Rivers, they wouldn't just be talking to one team - everything would be in play. You'd hear about some of it besides Tennessee at least. The question is, when the Chargers don't trade him, will Rivers sit out to try and force a deal? That's why I asked before if he has some kind of no trade/trade restrictions clause(s) in his contract. Because if he does that, he might very well end up somewhere he really wouldn't like to be - like Cleveland.

I think the Mariotta visits are about "what if he's still there at pick 17" right now. Due dilligence kind of stuff.

 

[Tau837]

That article is right in line with my thinking. This is Rivers and his agent trying to get leverage. If the Chargers were really going to deal Rivers, they wouldn't just be talking to one team - everything would be in play. You'd hear about some of it besides Tennessee at least. The question is, when the Chargers don't trade him, will Rivers sit out to try and force a deal? That's why I asked before if he has some kind of no trade/trade restrictions clause(s) in his contract. Because if he does that, he might very well end up somewhere he really wouldn't like to be - like Cleveland.

I think the Mariotta visits are about "what if he's still there at pick 17" right now. Due dilligence kind of stuff.

Unless Rivers is amenable to being traded to a particular team, he can refuse to agree to a contract extension with that team and potentially even threaten to retire. That could leave the other team in the position of giving up something valuable for one year of QB play (assuming worst case he plays this year before retiring).

That leverage is almost as good as a no trade clause. I doubt any GM would give up significant value (e.g., first round pick) without certainty that they would have Rivers at QB for more than one year.

This kind of logic could explain why we hear about the Titans and no other teams, if it were true that Rivers has indicated he would be willing to play multiple years for the Titans but not other potential trading partners.

 

[BoltBacker]

That leverage is almost as good as a no trade clause. I doubt any GM would give up significant value (e.g., first round pick) without certainty that they would have Rivers at QB for more than one year.

Well, Acee is now saying that Rivers would ONLY retire if he has to move to LA. lol

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

A money-grubbing diva would struggle through for a couple years of living a couple hours away for $20 million a year. Someone who declines that kind of money is the opposite of a money-grubbing diva.

 

[cstu]

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

A money-grubbing diva would struggle through for a couple years of living a couple hours away for $20 million a year. Someone who declines that kind of money is the opposite of a money-grubbing diva.

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one. So he's making up things about LA being the reason he wants out when it's really he wants a deal like Roethlisberger ($53M the next 3 years, de facto guaranteed because of the dead cap money). Why play for $16M when he could hurt his back worse and be dropped after the season?

 

[BoltBacker]

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

A money-grubbing diva would struggle through for a couple years of living a couple hours away for $20 million a year. Someone who declines that kind of money is the opposite of a money-grubbing diva.

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one. So he's making up things about LA being the reason he wants out when it's really he wants a deal like Roethlisberger ($53M the next 3 years, de facto guaranteed because of the dead cap money). Why play for $16M when he could hurt his back worse and be dropped after the season?

Exactly, but again I want to underscore he's being portrayed this way be Acee and Jason Cole. He hasn't directly said anything directly that leads me to believe he's a money grubbing diva just yet.

So far he has simply said that he's going to play out his contract. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with choosing to retire for that matter either. It was bound to happen sooner or later which is why I have been saying for a long time they need to be developing younger depth at the position. You can see what happens when teams have no options and they just churn in a cycle of desperation at QB.

 

[cstu]

I don't mind him wanting a big long-term deal, he's earned, just wish he'd be honest about it.

 

[Tau837]

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

A money-grubbing diva would struggle through for a couple years of living a couple hours away for $20 million a year. Someone who declines that kind of money is the opposite of a money-grubbing diva.

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one. So he's making up things about LA being the reason he wants out when it's really he wants a deal like Roethlisberger ($53M the next 3 years, de facto guaranteed because of the dead cap money). Why play for $16M when he could hurt his back worse and be dropped after the season?

And you learned this from what source? Your imagination?

 

[cstu]

I don't put much faith in anything Acee says but it's funny to think about. Now LA would not be in my top 100 places to live, but at $20+mil/year I could probably struggle through for a couple of years living a couple of hours away. At what point do you have helicopter money? Especially when you consider you'd have to live there for less than half the year. If Acee and Rivers really are good buds you would think Rivers would be bent out of shape the way Acee is portraying him as a money-grubbing diva.

A money-grubbing diva would struggle through for a couple years of living a couple hours away for $20 million a year. Someone who declines that kind of money is the opposite of a money-grubbing diva.

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one. So he's making up things about LA being the reason he wants out when it's really he wants a deal like Roethlisberger ($53M the next 3 years, de facto guaranteed because of the dead cap money). Why play for $16M when he could hurt his back worse and be dropped after the season?

And you learned this from what source? Your imagination?

Deductive reasoning.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one.

That's the opposite of what everyone on both sides is saying: that the Chargers want to give him a long-term deal, but Rivers is refusing to even consider it.

 

[BoltBacker]

Has Rivers side said they were made an offer and rejected it? Or did they simply say they would play out the current contract?

Are there any reputable sources that say what contract was offered? There is so much speculation going on what do we know for sure?

 

[cstu]

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one.

That's the opposite of what everyone on both sides is saying: that the Chargers want to give him a long-term deal, but Rivers is refusing to even consider it.

I've heard Chargers management talk for months now about extending Rivers but nothing about actual numbers. IMO they were blowing smoke, pretending they wanted to extend him but leading him on.

This is what Jason Cole had to say:

"The key part of this trade according to sources I've talked to is that Rivers realizes the Chargers are not going to pay him on a long-term deal."

 

[Tau837]

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one.

That's the opposite of what everyone on both sides is saying: that the Chargers want to give him a long-term deal, but Rivers is refusing to even consider it.

I've heard Chargers management talk for months now about extending Rivers but nothing about actual numbers. IMO they were blowing smoke, pretending they wanted to extend him but leading him on.

This is what Jason Cole had to say:

"The key part of this trade according to sources I've talked to is that Rivers realizes the Chargers are not going to pay him on a long-term deal."

And Jason Cole cited a credible source?

 

[BoltBacker]

I tend to agree with jwb here, both Cole and Acee lack any credibility to me.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one.

That's the opposite of what everyone on both sides is saying: that the Chargers want to give him a long-term deal, but Rivers is refusing to even consider it.

I've heard Chargers management talk for months now about extending Rivers but nothing about actual numbers. IMO they were blowing smoke, pretending they wanted to extend him but leading him on.

This is what Jason Cole had to say:

"The key part of this trade according to sources I've talked to is that Rivers realizes the Chargers are not going to pay him on a long-term deal."

And Jason Cole cited a credible source?

 

[BoltBacker]

In the latest board mock I took an OLB in the second round. Fate playing a cruel trick to allow JWB to pull my strings like a puppet!

What can I say? Odlghizuwa is a talent that should be gone by #28 so at #48 you just have to let the draft come to you. He would start ahead of Achhhou! I will admit I have him rated pretty highly as a 3-4 olb prospect, higher than Harold, Ray, and even Gregory given his post season asterisks.

Still, if Phillips(NT) had been there I may have gone NT.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Rivers wants a long-term deal and the Chargers are refusing to give him one.

That's the opposite of what everyone on both sides is saying: that the Chargers want to give him a long-term deal, but Rivers is refusing to even consider it.

I've heard Chargers management talk for months now about extending Rivers but nothing about actual numbers. IMO they were blowing smoke, pretending they wanted to extend him but leading him on.

This is what Jason Cole had to say:

"The key part of this trade according to sources I've talked to is that Rivers realizes the Chargers are not going to pay him on a long-term deal."

And Jason Cole cited a credible source?

 

[Tau837]

Recent offseason news roundup:

1. Chargers might move to L.A. next year.

2. Rivers might be traded by draft day.

3. Gates wants to see his snaps reduced.

4. Weddle feels disrespected and pushed aside by the team and is not participating in voluntary workouts.

It's really easy to be enthused about this offseason...

 

[ldizzle]

Recent offseason news roundup:

1. Chargers might move to L.A. next year.

2. Rivers might be traded by draft day.

3. Gates wants to see his snaps reduced.

4. Weddle feels disrespected and pushed aside by the team and is not participating in voluntary workouts.

It's really easy to be enthused about this offseason...

you forgot that Ladanian Tomlinson is stirring the pot as well.

Rotoworld:

NFL Network's LaDainian Tomlinson doesn't think Philip Rivers will be the Chargers' quarterback this season.
Tomlinson, of course, was Rivers' running back for four seasons. LT has strong connections to the Chargers' organization. "I don't know if Philip wants to be there anymore. I think he has lost confidence in the organization. Him not wanting to go to L.A. is very valid," Tomlinson said. "Philip could be looking at the situation and thinking 'we're not close to winning a championship anytime soon.'"

 

[BoltBacker]

I wouldn't be against trading Weddle if he is unhappy. SD signed him to the biggest S contract in the history of the NFL so they have treated him well, and he has played well.

If he has no idea why he would put out any effort as a 30yo S entering a contract year..... it's tough to argue with that logic. No way would I give him an Earl Thomas or McCourty type contract. I would give him something closer to Chancellor but if he thinks $8mil is not even a reason to even show up and give an effort I don't feel he's going to be happy with any contract that isn't crazy fo a S in his 30's.

It's too easy to replace a S, no reason to break the bank and waste the franchise tag on one. I've been saying for weeks they should draft one to prepare for life after Weddle. This is also a good year to trade him for a draft pick as half the teams in the NFL can absorb his huge salary cap #. Won't be a high pick but it won't need to be. I would wish him well in his next stop though.

What would NE do?

 

[BoltBacker]

you forgot that Ladanian Tomlinson is stirring the pot as well.

You forgot my favorite part, Rivers looks around the locker room.... Eddie Royal is gone. Lmao, yeah I am not sure how SD plans on extending its streak of deep playoff runs with Royal no longer on the roster.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Weddle is very overrated IMO. let him go.

 

[Tau837]

Weddle is very overrated IMO. let him go.

Overrated how? Can you justify your viewpoint?

I wouldn't be against trading Weddle if he is unhappy. SD signed him to the biggest S contract in the history of the NFL so they have treated him well, and he has played well.

If he has no idea why he would put out any effort as a 30yo S entering a contract year..... it's tough to argue with that logic. No way would I give him an Earl Thomas or McCourty type contract. I would give him something closer to Chancellor but if he thinks $8mil is not even a reason to even show up and give an effort I don't feel he's going to be happy with any contract that isn't crazy fo a S in his 30's.

It's too easy to replace a S, no reason to break the bank and waste the franchise tag on one. I've been saying for weeks they should draft one to prepare for life after Weddle. This is also a good year to trade him for a draft pick as half the teams in the NFL can absorb his huge salary cap #. Won't be a high pick but it won't need to be. I would wish him well in his next stop though.

What would NE do?

I expect NE would resign him. Apparently, you don't think so. Based on what?

PFF rated Weddle as the top DB in the league last season and by far the best defensive player on the Chargers (Weddle was +18.9; Flowers was next at +8.2). He was the highest rated Chargers defender in both run defense and pass coverage. That is impressive.

He was 1st team All Pro last year and has been 1st or 2nd team All Pro for each of the past 5 seasons. Can anyone name the last Chargers player to have a run like that? Gates was 1st team All Pro from 2004 to 2006, so that is probably the closest, and that occurred nearly a decade ago.

Elite safeties seem to age pretty well. I would expect that signing him to a 3 year extension would be reasonably safe and a good investment.

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind. Telesco is sitting on plenty of cap space. Why not use some of it to extend Weddle? It certainly doesn't seem like he is very inclined to use it aggressively in the free agent market.

 

[Gr00vus]

PFF rated Weddle as the top DB in the league last season and by far the best defensive player on the Chargers (Weddle was +18.9; Flowers was next at +8.2). He was the highest rated Chargers defender in both run defense and pass coverage. That is impressive.


He was 1st team All Pro last year and has been 1st or 2nd team All Pro for each of the past 5 seasons. Can anyone name the last Chargers player to have a run like that? Gates was 1st team All Pro from 2004 to 2006, so that is probably the closest, and that occurred nearly a decade ago.

That's the problem. You don't want your safety to be by far the best defensive player on the team. You definitely don't want to tie up a bunch of resources in a Safety who's over 30. Their defense wasn't that great with him, maybe if they took that money and spent it on other defensive spots, the overall defense would be better without him.

I appreciate what Rivers and Weddle have done for the Chargers, but there comes a time when it starts making sense to let them go. And that should be before they start declining rapidly, not after.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Weddle is very overrated IMO. let him go.

Overrated how? Can you justify your viewpoint?

I wouldn't be against trading Weddle if he is unhappy. SD signed him to the biggest S contract in the history of the NFL so they have treated him well, and he has played well.

If he has no idea why he would put out any effort as a 30yo S entering a contract year..... it's tough to argue with that logic. No way would I give him an Earl Thomas or McCourty type contract. I would give him something closer to Chancellor but if he thinks $8mil is not even a reason to even show up and give an effort I don't feel he's going to be happy with any contract that isn't crazy fo a S in his 30's.

It's too easy to replace a S, no reason to break the bank and waste the franchise tag on one. I've been saying for weeks they should draft one to prepare for life after Weddle. This is also a good year to trade him for a draft pick as half the teams in the NFL can absorb his huge salary cap #. Won't be a high pick but it won't need to be. I would wish him well in his next stop though.

What would NE do?

I expect NE would resign him. Apparently, you don't think so. Based on what?

PFF rated Weddle as the top DB in the league last season and by far the best defensive player on the Chargers (Weddle was +18.9; Flowers was next at +8.2). He was the highest rated Chargers defender in both run defense and pass coverage. That is impressive.

He was 1st team All Pro last year and has been 1st or 2nd team All Pro for each of the past 5 seasons. Can anyone name the last Chargers player to have a run like that? Gates was 1st team All Pro from 2004 to 2006, so that is probably the closest, and that occurred nearly a decade ago.

Elite safeties seem to age pretty well. I would expect that signing him to a 3 year extension would be reasonably safe and a good investment.

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind. Telesco is sitting on plenty of cap space. Why not use some of it to extend Weddle? It certainly doesn't seem like he is very inclined to use it aggressively in the free agent market.

Some kind of baseball war metric??? I just dont see the impact on the. field. Where are the wow plays?? He certainly isnt on ed reed or troy p level of impact. Shrug

 

[BoltBacker]

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind.

Exactly, and it isn't even close. You can plug a hole at S, you can't just go and find a QB every year. You of all people SUPPOSE they could use the franchise tag on Rivers?!

BTW, I don't think when a guy says he wants a deal to retire with the team he's asking for a deal to run through the age of 33. This is like the fantasy contract where Rivers was going to sign some team friendly deal that would open up a bunch of cap room. It just seems completely unrealistic.

Again, I have always been a fan of Weddle but if he thinks ~$8mil/season is "being disrespected" then he obviously wants a lot more and "retire as" means he wants it to be a long term deal. Unfortunately, the top S contracts out there are 50% guaranteed and does it sound like he wants a top S contract to you? It sure does to me.

 

[Gr00vus]

I was listening to the Rich Eisen radio show on the way in to work this morning, and he's talking like the Rivers to Tennessee thing is a done deal if Mariotta is there at #2.

 

[Tau837]

PFF rated Weddle as the top DB in the league last season and by far the best defensive player on the Chargers (Weddle was +18.9; Flowers was next at +8.2). He was the highest rated Chargers defender in both run defense and pass coverage. That is impressive.


He was 1st team All Pro last year and has been 1st or 2nd team All Pro for each of the past 5 seasons. Can anyone name the last Chargers player to have a run like that? Gates was 1st team All Pro from 2004 to 2006, so that is probably the closest, and that occurred nearly a decade ago.

That's the problem. You don't want your safety to be by far the best defensive player on the team. You definitely don't want to tie up a bunch of resources in a Safety who's over 30. Their defense wasn't that great with him, maybe if they took that money and spent it on other defensive spots, the overall defense would be better without him.

I appreciate what Rivers and Weddle have done for the Chargers, but there comes a time when it starts making sense to let them go. And that should be before they start declining rapidly, not after.

They are sitting on $18M in cap space. They don't have to let Weddle go to spend a lot more money on other positions. Why not do both?

 

[Tau837]

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind.

Exactly, and it isn't even close. You can plug a hole at S, you can't just go and find a QB every year. You of all people SUPPOSE they could use the franchise tag on Rivers?!

BTW, I don't think when a guy says he wants a deal to retire with the team he's asking for a deal to run through the age of 33. This is like the fantasy contract where Rivers was going to sign some team friendly deal that would open up a bunch of cap room. It just seems completely unrealistic.

Again, I have always been a fan of Weddle but if he thinks ~$8mil/season is "being disrespected" then he obviously wants a lot more and "retire as" means he wants it to be a long term deal. Unfortunately, the top S contracts out there are 50% guaranteed and does it sound like he wants a top S contract to you? It sure does to me.

Yes he wants a top safety contract. And he deserves it.

In this thread, it seems most fans would be fine with letting the team's best player on offense and defense go rather than pay them their market value. I find this very surprising. They don't have cap problems, they have money to spend.

So instead of spending it on Rivers/Weddle, some fans in here want the team to get rid of them. With a GM who has a philosophy of building through the draft, not through free agency, how is that going to help the team? Who is the Rivers/Weddle money going to be spent on? How is it going to be better used to improve the team than using it on extending those two? Lay out some scenarios that make sense.

I realize Rivers has taken a public stance that he doesn't want to sign an extension, but Weddle has said the opposite.

 

[cstu]

I realize he wants a new deal but this 'disrespected' thing is ridiculous.

The Chargers gave him a huge deal before he'd even made the Pro Bowl.

Even now he's making about $1M less than Earl Thomas.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I realize he wants a new deal but this 'disrespected' thing is ridiculous.

Yeah, but are there any quotes from Weddle about that? Or is it coming from his agent? Or is it coming from unnamed sources?

 

[BoltBacker]

I realize he wants a new deal but this 'disrespected' thing is ridiculous.

Yeah, but are there any quotes from Weddle about that? Or is it coming from his agent? Or is it coming from unnamed sources?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000486750/article/eric-weddle-feels-highly-disrespected-by-chargers

"Weddle told UT-San Diego's Kevin Acee that he feels "highly disrespected" by the organization."

Now that I know the quote is coming from Acee..... who knows? It is kind of amusing imagining Acee running around like a 1-800-LAWYER chasing ambulances, but in this case Chargers in their 30's and asking them how mad they are they haven't got an extension. Stay classy, Acee. Stay classy.

 

[BoltBacker]

I realize he wants a new deal but this 'disrespected' thing is ridiculous.

The Chargers gave him a huge deal before he'd even made the Pro Bowl.

Even now he's making about $1M less than Earl Thomas.

Actually, I think Thomas is making $7.4mil(5.5salary+1.9proratedbonus) in 2015 and Weddle is making $10.1mil(7.5salary+2.6prorated bonus). Which makes this talk even more silly even before you consider the face Thomas has a SB ring, is 25yo so a long-term contract makes sense, and his team goes deep into the playoffs every year.

 

[BoltBacker]

So instead of spending it on Rivers/Weddle, some fans in here want the team to get rid of them. With a GM who has a philosophy of building through the draft, not through free agency, how is that going to help the team?

Can we finally just bury the, "GM building through the draft" BS???? It's pretty much the equivalent of a politician saying our kids deserve good schools. Can you give me a list of GM's that don't want to build through the draft? I am pretty sure every GM wants to draft good players.

Let's pretend that is what defines Telesco. Well, if that's the case he's DRAFTED three starters in two years. Well, since we don't even know if Verrett can hold up to half an NFL season maybe we should say he's drafted 2.33 starters but let's give him the benefit of the doubt. At that rate he'll have a 53 man roster in just under 40 years of drafting. Maybe he should be fired immediately if he only plans on building through the draft.

 

[Gr00vus]

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind.

Exactly, and it isn't even close. You can plug a hole at S, you can't just go and find a QB every year. You of all people SUPPOSE they could use the franchise tag on Rivers?!

BTW, I don't think when a guy says he wants a deal to retire with the team he's asking for a deal to run through the age of 33. This is like the fantasy contract where Rivers was going to sign some team friendly deal that would open up a bunch of cap room. It just seems completely unrealistic.

Again, I have always been a fan of Weddle but if he thinks ~$8mil/season is "being disrespected" then he obviously wants a lot more and "retire as" means he wants it to be a long term deal. Unfortunately, the top S contracts out there are 50% guaranteed and does it sound like he wants a top S contract to you? It sure does to me.

Yes he wants a top safety contract. And he deserves it.

In this thread, it seems most fans would be fine with letting the team's best player on offense and defense go rather than pay them their market value. I find this very surprising. They don't have cap problems, they have money to spend.

So instead of spending it on Rivers/Weddle, some fans in here want the team to get rid of them. With a GM who has a philosophy of building through the draft, not through free agency, how is that going to help the team? Who is the Rivers/Weddle money going to be spent on? How is it going to be better used to improve the team than using it on extending those two? Lay out some scenarios that make sense.

I realize Rivers has taken a public stance that he doesn't want to sign an extension, but Weddle has said the opposite.

I don't know exactly who they would spend the money on yet. That doesn't invalidate the notion that it's not a great idea to commit large sums of long term money to guys who are on (or are likely uncomfortably near) the downside of their careers. If Weddle's open to a shorter term deal (I'm thinking 3 years maximum) at his market price, fine. Anything longer term or more money than that and it's time to go a different direction.

Just because you already have cap space is no reason to make bad long term decisions.

 

[Tau837]

So instead of spending it on Rivers/Weddle, some fans in here want the team to get rid of them. With a GM who has a philosophy of building through the draft, not through free agency, how is that going to help the team?

Can we finally just bury the, "GM building through the draft" BS???? It's pretty much the equivalent of a politician saying our kids deserve good schools. Can you give me a list of GM's that don't want to build through the draft? I am pretty sure every GM wants to draft good players.

Let's pretend that is what defines Telesco. Well, if that's the case he's DRAFTED three starters in two years. Well, since we don't even know if Verrett can hold up to half an NFL season maybe we should say he's drafted 2.33 starters but let's give him the benefit of the doubt. At that rate he'll have a 53 man roster in just under 40 years of drafting. Maybe he should be fired immediately if he only plans on building through the draft.

Yes, every team wants to build through the draft. The point is that Telesco is conservative in free agency, which suggests that using available cap space to extend his current All Pro player might be a better use of that space than waiting to see what free agents can be signed late in free agency.

 

[Tau837]

As far as "wasting" the franchise tag on Weddle, for it to be wasted on him would imply the Chargers would prefer to use it on someone else. I suppose that could be Rivers, but no one else really comes to mind.

Exactly, and it isn't even close. You can plug a hole at S, you can't just go and find a QB every year. You of all people SUPPOSE they could use the franchise tag on Rivers?!

BTW, I don't think when a guy says he wants a deal to retire with the team he's asking for a deal to run through the age of 33. This is like the fantasy contract where Rivers was going to sign some team friendly deal that would open up a bunch of cap room. It just seems completely unrealistic.

Again, I have always been a fan of Weddle but if he thinks ~$8mil/season is "being disrespected" then he obviously wants a lot more and "retire as" means he wants it to be a long term deal. Unfortunately, the top S contracts out there are 50% guaranteed and does it sound like he wants a top S contract to you? It sure does to me.

Yes he wants a top safety contract. And he deserves it.

In this thread, it seems most fans would be fine with letting the team's best player on offense and defense go rather than pay them their market value. I find this very surprising. They don't have cap problems, they have money to spend.

So instead of spending it on Rivers/Weddle, some fans in here want the team to get rid of them. With a GM who has a philosophy of building through the draft, not through free agency, how is that going to help the team? Who is the Rivers/Weddle money going to be spent on? How is it going to be better used to improve the team than using it on extending those two? Lay out some scenarios that make sense.

I realize Rivers has taken a public stance that he doesn't want to sign an extension, but Weddle has said the opposite.

I don't know exactly who they would spend the money on yet. That doesn't invalidate the notion that it's not a great idea to commit large sums of long term money to guys who are on (or are likely uncomfortably near) the downside of their careers. If Weddle's open to a shorter term deal (I'm thinking 3 years maximum) at his market price, fine. Anything longer term or more money than that and it's time to go a different direction.

Just because you already have cap space is no reason to make bad long term decisions.

I don't believe I advocated making a bad long term decision. I think the right answer is a 3 year extension at market price, as you suggested here. Maybe Weddle won't accept anything but that, in which case I agree with not extending him. But his public comments imply that the team hasn't even been willing to talk to him about an extension.

ETA: If they are going to trade Rivers and draft Mariotta, they should be actively exploring trading Weddle as well. It definitely isn't worth paying Weddle market value to go through a rebuild for 2-3 seasons.