Miles Austin given highest tender (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

Austin tendered

The Dallas Cowboys placed the highest tender possible on wide receiver Miles Austin on Thursday, the deadline for when qualifying offers were to be presented to restricted free agents.

The tender is worth $3.168 million to Austin, who made the Pro Bowl after catching 81 passes for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns in his breakout season. If a team wants to sign Austin, it would have to give up a first- and third-round draft pick.

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he wants to sign Austin to a long-term contract.

The Cowboys offered 12 of their 13 restricted free agents tenders, with kicker Shaun Suisham being the only player not offered one.

The team placed a second-round tender worth $1.809 million on safety Gerald Sensabaugh and guard Cory Procter. Second-round tenders worth $1.759 million were offered to defensive end Stephen Bowen, wide receiver Sam Hurd and defensive end Jason Hatcher.

Original tender offers worth $1.226 million -- the right of first refusal plus a selection in the round that player was originally drafted -- were extended to defensive end Marcus Spears (first round), safety Pat Watkins (fifth round), defensive tackle Junior Siavii (second round) and offensive lineman Duke Preston (fourth round).

Tackle Pat McQuistan (seventh round) got an original tender offer worth $1.176 million.

Sensabaugh and Watkins combined for 95 tackles and one interception at safety. Spears finished with 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season.

Bowen, a trusted backup, finished the 2009 season with 33 quarterback pressures, tied for third on the team with starting nose guard Jay Ratliff. Bowen also had three sacks and 31 tackles.

Hurd led the team with 19 special teams tackles last year. He also had seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown.

McQuistan, who missed the first nine games of the 2009 season, participated on special teams.

Also, running back Cletis Gordon signed a one-year contract extension. Terms were not disclosed.

Not surprising.

 

[az_prof]

If you are the Redskins, a division rival, and you are the owner and have deep pockets, and your team needs a WR, why not offer Austin a F'in HUGE contract? He would help them if Dallas doesn't match. And Dallas does then you FORCE them to pay Austin big time. Obviously I have too much time on my hand...but that IS what I was thinking.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

If you are the Redskins, a division rival, and you are the owner and have deep pockets, and your team needs a WR, why not offer Austin a F'in HUGE contract? He would help them if Dallas doesn't match. And Dallas does then you FORCE them to pay Austin big time. Obviously I have too much time on my hand...but that IS what I was thinking.

I agree with it....it makes sense.

 

[Cassius]

If you are the Redskins, a division rival, and you are the owner and have deep pockets, and your team needs a WR, why not offer Austin a F'in HUGE contract? He would help them if Dallas doesn't match. And Dallas does then you FORCE them to pay Austin big time. Obviously I have too much time on my hand...but that IS what I was thinking.

because you have a top 5 pick and much more pressing needs than WR.

 

[Saints-Man]

If you are the Redskins, a division rival, and you are the owner and have deep pockets, and your team needs a WR, why not offer Austin a F'in HUGE contract? He would help them if Dallas doesn't match. And Dallas does then you FORCE them to pay Austin big time. Obviously I have too much time on my hand...but that IS what I was thinking.

Also, you pay him a lot of salary money in 2010, an uncapped year, as opposed to a bonus, so even if the cap is reinstated for the 2011, Austin does not make a big hit on your salary cap.

 

[ookook]

I can actually think of lots of teams in need of a Top WR who would do well to make a real offer and pay a 1st and 3rd for Austin. He is impressive for the salary he would likely command.

 

[Bob Magaw]

last year, for a team like the giants (that ended up happy with nicks) that had a relatively low 1st, and intended to take a WR anyways, that other 3rd would be close to a high 4th. as much as i like nicks, that extra pick not a lot to give up to parlay a prospect like nicks (his equivalent this year - anywhere from the 2nd to 5th best at the position in the class) in to a more proven commodity like austin... definitely an ascendant player, who could emerge as one of the top 3-5 at his position IN THE LEAGUE.

for context, certainly it would be putting to better use a team's 1st & 3rd to get austin than DAL did in acquiring roy williams. it would be ironic if DAL got williams & loses austin over the same 1st & a 3rd, recouping the picks from the ill-fated trade, but in the end, it would have been better if they just never got williams and kept austin.

it is hard to see DAL letting austin get away (plus i think he wants to stay)... poison pill? maybe they just want the market to set the price, and have somebody else do the work for them. jones probably doesn't want to overpay, after getting burned with williams, but the cat is out of the bag, and austin deserves a raise.

 

[Cassius]

last year, for a team like the giants (that ended up happy with nicks) that had a relatively low 1st, and intended to take a WR anyways, that other 3rd would be close to a high 4th. as much as i like nicks, that extra pick not a lot to give up to parlay a prospect like nicks (his equivalent this year - anywhere from the 2nd to 5th best at the position in the class) in to a more proven commodity like austin... definitely an ascendant player, who could emerge as one of the top 3-5 at his position IN THE LEAGUE.for context, certainly it would be putting to better use a team's 1st & 3rd to get austin than DAL did in acquiring roy williams. it would be ironic if DAL got williams & loses austin over the same 1st & a 3rd, recouping the picks from the ill-fated trade, but in the end, it would have been better if they just never got williams and kept austin.it is hard to see DAL letting austin get away (plus i think he wants to stay)... poison pill?

unless you're getting hired as an NFL GM in the next couple weeks, nobody is even going to bid on Austin.

 

[Bob Magaw]

i was going to add, even if it makes sense from some angles, these types of moves don't get made often.

how often has it happened?

 

[Heep]

Miles Austin will be a 1 year wonder.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Miles Austin will be a 1 year wonder.

 

[fissure man]

Miles Austin will be a 1 year wonder.

:scottcase:

 

[gianmarco]

Miles Austin will be a 1 year wonder.

Yes he will. Every year.

 

[SSOG]

I'd much rather have Austin for a 1st and a 3rd than Marshall for a 1st.

Of course, the Cowboys are much more likely to match any offer than the Broncos are.