Explain Franchise Tag to me...LJ Smith? (1 Viewer)

[Qmaster]

Can someone explain to me why Iggles would place Franchise Tag on LJ Smith??

 

[cstu]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

 

[delusional]

The TE market is slim this year. Outside of LJ who is a big name TE that would be there...none.

He has a history of injury, pre and reg season he was injured alot. So setting a tag on him allows the team to evaluate the rookie Celek for another year.

 

[encaitar]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

 

[Colt Of Personality]

2 words... ANDY'S BOY

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

 

[Banger]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

That's still a big overpayment for an average TE at best.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

That's still a big overpayment for an average TE at best.

He's got spotty hands, and he's not a red zone force, which is one of the main roles for a TE. Smith has never quite lived up to his outstanding athleticism. He's good for ripping the seams, but he's not clutch, and he's not an outstanding blocker. He also can't seem to stay healthy. I hope this isn't the Eagles only answer to McNabb, Dawkins, Runyan, and Westbrook's plea for more playmakers on offense.

 

[redman]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.

The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.

Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.

The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.

As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

That's still a big overpayment for an average TE at best.

It ain't my money. [/Redskins fan]

Seriously, if they're not affected in their other player acquisition goals, who cares?

 

[MAC_32]

Good move Iggles. Happy to see this as this should shut down the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era chatter. Their window of opportunity is closing fast and the last thing they should be doing is trying to draft and develop another TE while utilizing two TE2 ceiling type players that aren't downfield threats. I keep seeing visions of Javon Walker in an Iggles uni dancing in my head.

 

[redman]

Happy to see this as this should shut down the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era chatter.

At least until Donvan gets injured in week six.

 

[Jason Wood]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team.

That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned.

The two likely outcomes from this are:

*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself

*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyond

I'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

dang it I really wanted to not protect him in my deep keeper league

 

[redman]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

Given the alternatives Wood mentioned (find a new, likely lesser TE in the draft or FA, or sign Smith to a multi-year deal) the franchise tag for this season makes huge sense. I have LJ on one of my dynasty rosters and I went into last year thinking that he'd have a big year given that it was a contract year. Injuries derailed that. This is another contract year for him, and he obviously knows what's at stake. This year will determine whether he gets a contract befitting a starting, pass-catching TE, or whether he'll join the Marcus Pollards and Jay Riemersma's of the TE world in 2009 and beyond. He's a great guy to have this year as a TE2 IMHO.

 

[Wu-banger]

do the Eagles fans have any reservation's about this move in regards to LJ's almost self impossed exile at the end of last seaon ...??

he really has showed a poor attitude and dis-interest about being in Philly.

...not to mention his many short comings on the field.

I think the Birds should have just cut bait and made adjustments to get a new TE in there.

If this is the "weapon" McNabb & Co have been begging for , I would not be surprised lokking at the Front Office's MO over the years (sans Owens)

 

[Jason Wood]

This thread I think is illustrative of just how misunderstood the current financial state of the NFL is. The league is making so much money and the cap is growing so much annually, that almost all teams have enormous space under the cap. Wage inflation is inevitable. Over the next year or two we'll be seeing contracts that shock people but, as a percent of the cap, are basically in line with their relative worth.

 

[redman]

do the Eagles fans have any reservation's about this move in regards to LJ's almost self impossed exile at the end of last seaon ...??

he really has showed a poor attitude and dis-interest about being in Philly.

...not to mention his many short comings on the field.

I think the Birds should have just cut bait and made adjustments to get a new TE in there.

If this is the "weapon" McNabb & Co have been begging for , I would not be surprised lokking at the Front Office's MO over the years (sans Owens)

This has already been addressed above. What better alternatives exist out there for the Eagles this year in FA or the draft, and what choice does LJ have than to do his best this year for a good contract next year?

 

[David Yudkin]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

You certainly are more dialed in to the Iggles than I am Woodrow, but I wonder if there is another option that could be at play here.Maybe the Eagles are opting to franchise Smith to keep him in house only with regard to negotiating a new deal. Most teams would likely not invest a lot of energy talking to him if they feel he will not really be on the market. They would have 5 months to get him signed to another contract before they would have to honor the franchise designation (provided he doesn't sign it).In that time, they could explore trades, free agents, draft a tight end, add a cap casualty, etc. Should they sign someone else, great. Should they re-sign Smith to a lesser amount, great. Should they no longer need Smith's services if they are too costly, also great. IIRC, they can remove the franchise tender whenever they want provided Smith has not signed the tender. Admittedly, this scenario would not work if he jumps at the franchise tender and signs it right away.

 

[Jason Wood]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

You certainly are more dialed in to the Iggles than I am Woodrow, but I wonder if there is another option that could be at play here.Maybe the Eagles are opting to franchise Smith to keep him in house only with regard to negotiating a new deal. Most teams would likely not invest a lot of energy talking to him if they feel he will not really be on the market. They would have 5 months to get him signed to another contract before they would have to honor the franchise designation (provided he doesn't sign it).In that time, they could explore trades, free agents, draft a tight end, add a cap casualty, etc. Should they sign someone else, great. Should they re-sign Smith to a lesser amount, great. Should they no longer need Smith's services if they are too costly, also great. IIRC, they can remove the franchise tender whenever they want provided Smith has not signed the tender. Admittedly, this scenario would not work if he jumps at the franchise tender and signs it right away.

I'm not sure I see how your interpretation at all conflicts with my own? The Eagles did this for leverage. They have it all, Smith has none. 'Nuff said.I was merely trying to illustrate that the all-too-familiar refrains from skeptics about it being "too large a guarantee" or "he's not worth that" just don't hold water given the league's current economic picture.

 

[Jason Wood]

I should also add that this is a great indication of how the franchise tag (and its use) has morphed. The Eagles have a long history under Banner and Reid at re-signing key talent BEFORE free agency looms. They've done it at almost every turn. Yet, they made a conscious choice NOT to negotiate with Smith on an extension. The Eagles have made no bones about the fact Smith has a lot to prove; the franchise tag doesn't change that at all.

 

[David Yudkin]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

You certainly are more dialed in to the Iggles than I am Woodrow, but I wonder if there is another option that could be at play here.Maybe the Eagles are opting to franchise Smith to keep him in house only with regard to negotiating a new deal. Most teams would likely not invest a lot of energy talking to him if they feel he will not really be on the market. They would have 5 months to get him signed to another contract before they would have to honor the franchise designation (provided he doesn't sign it).In that time, they could explore trades, free agents, draft a tight end, add a cap casualty, etc. Should they sign someone else, great. Should they re-sign Smith to a lesser amount, great. Should they no longer need Smith's services if they are too costly, also great. IIRC, they can remove the franchise tender whenever they want provided Smith has not signed the tender. Admittedly, this scenario would not work if he jumps at the franchise tender and signs it right away.

I'm not sure I see how your interpretation at all conflicts with my own? The Eagles did this for leverage. They have it all, Smith has none. 'Nuff said.I was merely trying to illustrate that the all-too-familiar refrains from skeptics about it being "too large a guarantee" or "he's not worth that" just don't hold water given the league's current economic picture.

The point I was trying to make (and I guess didn't) is that I see the Eagles strategy is to NOT actually sign Smith to a franchise tender. I got the impression that you felt that they WOULD use it to actually sign him (although they might make a couple inquiries as to other options). No biggie either way . . .

 

[Jason Wood]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

You certainly are more dialed in to the Iggles than I am Woodrow, but I wonder if there is another option that could be at play here.Maybe the Eagles are opting to franchise Smith to keep him in house only with regard to negotiating a new deal. Most teams would likely not invest a lot of energy talking to him if they feel he will not really be on the market. They would have 5 months to get him signed to another contract before they would have to honor the franchise designation (provided he doesn't sign it).In that time, they could explore trades, free agents, draft a tight end, add a cap casualty, etc. Should they sign someone else, great. Should they re-sign Smith to a lesser amount, great. Should they no longer need Smith's services if they are too costly, also great. IIRC, they can remove the franchise tender whenever they want provided Smith has not signed the tender. Admittedly, this scenario would not work if he jumps at the franchise tender and signs it right away.

I'm not sure I see how your interpretation at all conflicts with my own? The Eagles did this for leverage. They have it all, Smith has none. 'Nuff said.I was merely trying to illustrate that the all-too-familiar refrains from skeptics about it being "too large a guarantee" or "he's not worth that" just don't hold water given the league's current economic picture.

The point I was trying to make (and I guess didn't) is that I see the Eagles strategy is to NOT actually sign Smith to a franchise tender. I got the impression that you felt that they WOULD use it to actually sign him (although they might make a couple inquiries as to other options). No biggie either way . . .

OH! Gotcha...well, I don't think a team ever uses the tag with an expectation that it won't be signed. How many times has that happened? The Eagles pulled the transition tag from Trotter but only because he was openly bad mouthing the team and claiming they were "robbing him" by wanting to make him only the 5th highest paid LB. But to your point, I do agree that based on the way the Birds have handled L.J.'s contractual situation to date, they won't lose much sleep if they can find a way to get value out of him in a different manner.

 

[redman]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

You certainly are more dialed in to the Iggles than I am Woodrow, but I wonder if there is another option that could be at play here.Maybe the Eagles are opting to franchise Smith to keep him in house only with regard to negotiating a new deal. Most teams would likely not invest a lot of energy talking to him if they feel he will not really be on the market. They would have 5 months to get him signed to another contract before they would have to honor the franchise designation (provided he doesn't sign it).In that time, they could explore trades, free agents, draft a tight end, add a cap casualty, etc. Should they sign someone else, great. Should they re-sign Smith to a lesser amount, great. Should they no longer need Smith's services if they are too costly, also great. IIRC, they can remove the franchise tender whenever they want provided Smith has not signed the tender. Admittedly, this scenario would not work if he jumps at the franchise tender and signs it right away.

I'm not sure I see how your interpretation at all conflicts with my own? The Eagles did this for leverage. They have it all, Smith has none. 'Nuff said.I was merely trying to illustrate that the all-too-familiar refrains from skeptics about it being "too large a guarantee" or "he's not worth that" just don't hold water given the league's current economic picture.

The point I was trying to make (and I guess didn't) is that I see the Eagles strategy is to NOT actually sign Smith to a franchise tender. I got the impression that you felt that they WOULD use it to actually sign him (although they might make a couple inquiries as to other options). No biggie either way . . .

Why would they sign a guy who they have franchise tag leverage on to a multi-year deal when he's mostly underperformed and last year was injured all year? I agree with Wood here - the use of the franchise tag puts the onus on Smith to perform this year - they can always sign him to an extension in week 9 if he's lighting the world on fire, but if not he's completely off the books next year if they let him go.

 

[MAC_32]

The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself

I don't see the Iggles rostering four TEs nor do I see them cutting Schobel or Celek, so franchising LJ should effectively eliminate the Iggles from talks of drafting a TE.

 

[JAA]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

That's still a big overpayment for an average TE at best.

He's got spotty hands, and he's not a red zone force, which is one of the main roles for a TE. Smith has never quite lived up to his outstanding athleticism. He's good for ripping the seams, but he's not clutch, and he's not an outstanding blocker. He also can't seem to stay healthy. I hope this isn't the Eagles only answer to McNabb, Dawkins, Runyan, and Westbrook's plea for more playmakers on offense.

Not if you avg it in to his initial contract years.

 

[Jason Wood]

The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself

I don't see the Iggles rostering four TEs nor do I see them cutting Schobel or Celek, so franchising LJ should effectively eliminate the Iggles from talks of drafting a TE.

Ultimately the Eagles may start the season with those three guys, but to think they won't use the draft to potentially upgrade is myopic. Neither Celek nor Schobel are irreplaceable; far from it.

 

[Liquid Tension]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

The Eagles would have been better tagging him for less...I don't think he is worth 4.5 and if anyone would have given them 1 1st for LJ it was a gift.

 

[delusional]

Like i said before.

TE market is barren.

LJ, when healthy, gives them better play compared to whats out there.

Schobel is a decent #2.

Gives Celek room to improve & evaluate ( even though evaluate and eagles don't go together well ).

edit: they did attempt to start extension talks but he got injured...again...before the season really started.

 

[Redwes25]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

I don't know if paying 6 million a year is cheap for a TE. Especially LJ Smith.

Try $4.522M.That's more than LJ has earned in his career, but as I've mentioned in other threads, the Eagles don't have many (any, really) free agents worth tagging, so they used it here to protect their best TE.The Eagles are at a crossroads in 2008 with many players getting up in years - McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Runyan and Tra Thomas on the O-Line, Lito Sheppard.... even Westbrook is 28 now. They need to go for it this year, and LJ Smith gives them another weapon.Philly will be compensated (greatly) if LJ Smith is given a tender by another team - two 1st round picks - but that won't happen. Look for Philly to work out a nice multi-year deal with LJ with incentives in the contract should he perform as a top TE in the league.The Eagles (A) arguably play in the toughest division, (B) that same division emphasizes the TE position, and © they are last in TE play. Look at Witten, Cooley, Shockey/Boss - they're dead last. The Philly O / WCO style needs a good TE, which is a tough position to fill. They're actually smart to hold on to a player that can help them now.As an Eagles fan, I'm encouraged by the move as they are recognizing that 2008 is a critical season.

The Eagles would have been better tagging him for less...I don't think he is worth 4.5 and if anyone would have given them 1 1st for LJ it was a gift.

Pretty sure that they can't tag him for less as it has to be the greater of the average of the top 5 paid players at that position or 120% of salary the year before. So basically the floor for tagging is set in stone.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

Good move Iggles. Happy to see this as this should shut down the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era chatter. Their window of opportunity is closing fast and the last thing they should be doing is trying to draft and develop another TE while utilizing two TE2 ceiling type players that aren't downfield threats. I keep seeing visions of Javon Walker in an Iggles uni dancing in my head.

MAC_32 gets it.As for the comments about overpaying LJ Smith - who else are they going to go out and get that is a better TE on the free agent market?A strong case can be made that, despite all his issues, LJ Smith would have been the top FA TE this year.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

As many of you know I detest L.J. Smith, and on the day when I got the invoice for my season tickets I definitely wouldn't shed a tear if LJ moved onto another team. That said, the franchise tag makes imminent sense in this situation. As others have said, the Eagles have no other pending free agents that are important to the construct of the team. By placing the tag on Smith, the Eagles give themselves the ultimate leverage. Given his injury history, it's unthinkable that another team is going to try to sign him for the tender. And yet, they have no cause to give Smith a multi-year deal. The $4.2mm guaranteed isn't relevant given the Eagles revenue base, the projected growth in the salary cap, and their cap situation. Giving Smith a million or two more than he would garner in the open market should, in no way, shape or form, prohibit the Eagles from any other offseason moves they have planned. The two likely outcomes from this are:*** The Eagles draft someone and give Smith a year to re-assert himself*** Smith agrees to a new deal with an equivalent upfront payment but substantially less on a cap basis in 2009 and beyondI'm actually more surprised when teams DON'T use the tag; in today's NFL it's silly not to in most cases.

Good summary Woodrow.I think this thread boils down to the application of Economics 101 to the NFL.If you apply the "micro-economics" version, you ask the question of "How can a player of LJ Smith's caliber command Top 5 TE money?".If you apply the "macro-economics" version, you see that in the big scheme of things, the Eagles are getting a relative bargain for him.It's two basic economic rules - (1) Supply and demand, and (2) Inflation. Applying (1) to the Eagles, LJ Smith and the FA marketplace for TEs, you see that Smith will be in demand despite the issues with his career. The demand will go up, making him worth more. He's even worth more to Philly as they need a good TE this year that knows the QB and the system. As for the supply, LJ Smith is nearly the only TE out there capable of posting Top 10 production.As for (2), that's really the crux of this thread. Many aren't understanding how LJ Smith is worth a Top 5 TE salary. Well, for one thing, the cap is going up again. That means that if the cap goes up to $116M as expected, it is a $7M increase from the 2007's $109M cap. That 6-7% increase seems big, but it is even bigger considering that the $7M is a bigger part of the FA pool of money. If you assume that 75% of a salary cap is fixed (meaning a team can't go out and buy FAs with that first 75%, it is sunk into its own players), the $7M becomes a huge number relative to the $25-30M that was available to get new players.Put into further context, look at the salary cap over the past years:2005 (first year of cap): $85.5M2006: $102M2007: $109M2008 (projected): $116MSo it isn't surprising at all to see salaries escalating at 10% or more each year.

 

[Tau837]

I went into last year thinking that he'd have a big year given that it was a contract year. Injuries derailed that. This is another contract year for him, and he obviously knows what's at stake.

The idea that players play better in a contract year is a myth.

 

[Iron_Far]

I went into last year thinking that he'd have a big year given that it was a contract year. Injuries derailed that. This is another contract year for him, and he obviously knows what's at stake.

The idea that players play better in a contract year is a myth.

Not that they play better, but those w/ talent, that basically goes through the motions in most seasons, would be more motivated in contract years. The contract year theory would never apply to guys like Peyton Manning, LT II, etc.

 

[redman]

I went into last year thinking that he'd have a big year given that it was a contract year. Injuries derailed that. This is another contract year for him, and he obviously knows what's at stake.

The idea that players play better in a contract year is a myth.

Not necessarily. When you're talking about underperforming players in otherwise good situations - and LJ Smith is one - then that's not a bad criteria to use at all. I'd point out that nowhere in my prior post did I mention "certainty".

 

[Tau837]

I went into last year thinking that he'd have a big year given that it was a contract year. Injuries derailed that. This is another contract year for him, and he obviously knows what's at stake.

The idea that players play better in a contract year is a myth.

Not necessarily. When you're talking about underperforming players in otherwise good situations - and LJ Smith is one - then that's not a bad criteria to use at all. I'd point out that nowhere in my prior post did I mention "certainty".

OK. I see this thing referenced frequently every year around here. There is absolutely no evidence of a pattern. If you have some evidence of that, I'd love to see it.

 

[Nagle2998]

I keep hearing how he is injury prone but up until this injury he has never missed a game.

 

[redman]

I keep hearing how he is injury prone but up until this injury he has never missed a game.

He's never been put on the IR, however he's the kind of guy who will get injured during a game and come out, and then be questionable for weeks afterward while producing little in FF terms. His gamelog bears this out. It can be very frustrating. In dynasty FF terms, this is a younger Marcus Pollard - not a bad guy to have a your TE2, but certainly not a guy you want to be starting week after week if you can avoid it.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I keep hearing how he is injury prone but up until this injury he has never missed a game.

He's never been put on the IR, however he's the kind of guy who will get injured during a game and come out, and then be questionable for weeks afterward while producing little in FF terms. His gamelog bears this out. It can be very frustrating. In dynasty FF terms, this is a younger Marcus Pollard - not a bad guy to have a your TE2, but certainly not a guy you want to be starting week after week if you can avoid it.

After 4 years, Pollard was a Top 12 TE for 5 consecutive years - then #14 and #15 the following two.LJ Smith was #13, #9 and #9 in FBG scoring in his 2nd-4th year.

The comparison isn't bad - but knocking either one as a non-starting fantasy TE is biased against both (and underestimating both of their performances).

Basically I'm saying that if LJ follows Pollard's career - I'd be happy with a Top 12 TE for the next 4-5 years.

 

[Phurfur]

It's relatively cheap to put on a TE and they don't have anyone else more important to use it on.

So is there a rule that states you have to use the tag?

 

[redman]

I keep hearing how he is injury prone but up until this injury he has never missed a game.

He's never been put on the IR, however he's the kind of guy who will get injured during a game and come out, and then be questionable for weeks afterward while producing little in FF terms. His gamelog bears this out. It can be very frustrating. In dynasty FF terms, this is a younger Marcus Pollard - not a bad guy to have a your TE2, but certainly not a guy you want to be starting week after week if you can avoid it.

After 4 years, Pollard was a Top 12 TE for 5 consecutive years - then #14 and #15 the following two.LJ Smith was #13, #9 and #9 in FBG scoring in his 2nd-4th year.

The comparison isn't bad - but knocking either one as a non-starting fantasy TE is biased against both (and underestimating both of their performances).

Basically I'm saying that if LJ follows Pollard's career - I'd be happy with a Top 12 TE for the next 4-5 years.

Fair enough. In literal terms, you're correct. The problem with TE's ranked in the 7-15 range or so is that their "good" games are very sporadic, and it's very frustrating to be relying upon them as your FF team's TE when you see far more consistent guys like Gates, Cooley, Witten, Gonzo, etc. out there. It's at all like the RB7-15 or even WR7-15, who are good far more than they're not. These TE's just aren't the kinds of guys who do much to contribute to FF championships.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I keep hearing how he is injury prone but up until this injury he has never missed a game.

He's never been put on the IR, however he's the kind of guy who will get injured during a game and come out, and then be questionable for weeks afterward while producing little in FF terms. His gamelog bears this out. It can be very frustrating. In dynasty FF terms, this is a younger Marcus Pollard - not a bad guy to have a your TE2, but certainly not a guy you want to be starting week after week if you can avoid it.

After 4 years, Pollard was a Top 12 TE for 5 consecutive years - then #14 and #15 the following two.LJ Smith was #13, #9 and #9 in FBG scoring in his 2nd-4th year.

The comparison isn't bad - but knocking either one as a non-starting fantasy TE is biased against both (and underestimating both of their performances).

Basically I'm saying that if LJ follows Pollard's career - I'd be happy with a Top 12 TE for the next 4-5 years.

Fair enough. In literal terms, you're correct. The problem with TE's ranked in the 7-15 range or so is that their "good" games are very sporadic, and it's very frustrating to be relying upon them as your FF team's TE when you see far more consistent guys like Gates, Cooley, Witten, Gonzo, etc. out there. It's at all like the RB7-15 or even WR7-15, who are good far more than they're not. These TE's just aren't the kinds of guys who do much to contribute to FF championships.

Ah, but....These "serviceable" players can often be had on the cheap as you get talent at other positions.

You can't have studs at every position, especially in very good and/or deep leagues. The trick is to find the later player that can do just fine while you load up elsewhere.

 

[Mungo Burrows]

Is there any conceivable reason why LJ does not sign this offer immediately? He's not going to get offers on the market given the picks required to get him, it guarantees the 4.5m, and he can still negotiate with the team for a long term deal. It also prevents them from holding his rights and then dropping the tag once all the free agent money is gone like the eagles have done before (Trotter?)

 

[Jason Wood]

Is there any conceivable reason why LJ does not sign this offer immediately? He's not going to get offers on the market given the picks required to get him, it guarantees the 4.5m, and he can still negotiate with the team for a long term deal. It also prevents them from holding his rights and then dropping the tag once all the free agent money is gone like the eagles have done before (Trotter?)

I don't think there's any question he'll sign the tender. He's said as much in the last few days:

"Any player wants a long-term deal -- that's what you want, to feel secure in your job and also your family's position, but I'm OK with it right now," Smith said. "I definitely would have preferred a long-term deal but, hey, my agent, he's going to want to talk with the team, and who knows? I didn't even think I was going to get this. Maybe they can get something worked out later on."

He realizes this is the best possible scenario for both parties right now. The Eagles will extend him mid-season if he returns to form; and in the meantime he gets more guaranteed money than he would've likely seen by any playoff caliber team in free agency.

 

[massraider]

Is there any conceivable reason why LJ does not sign this offer immediately? He's not going to get offers on the market given the picks required to get him, it guarantees the 4.5m, and he can still negotiate with the team for a long term deal. It also prevents them from holding his rights and then dropping the tag once all the free agent money is gone like the eagles have done before (Trotter?)

I agree. He should sign it before it leaves his agents fax machine. Long term, he makes more money than if he had signed a long term deal, assuming he doesn't blow out a knee this year.He gets one year of big money, then gets to sign a long term deal. It's an extra year of nice money.