Jerry's trying to get to the Super Bowl THIS YEAR so he can play in it inside his mammoth stadium. He's not trying to save money or trying to stockpile future picks. He's not looking past Feb. 6th. You could argue that the Crayton deal was snagging picks but it was just a numbers game and someone had to go. Crayton was the one running his mouth and wanting to leave, so Jerry obliged. Choice is a team-guy and far from a disturbance in the locker room. He knows he could start. We know he could start. Even Jerry knows he could start. But Choice keeps his mouth shut and doesn't cause controversy within the ranks. That's why Jerry will keep him. IMO he will play a role in trying to get them to the big game. Jerry won't get rid of him, at least not this year.
This is one of the rare times I'll side with a player. Crayton never had a chance on this team. While the public answer is he was kept to insure in case of injury, if they really felt that way, they had Hurd and Ogles at the position. If they felt both were more valuable than Crayton, that would have sufficed. The reality is Crayton was kept because Jones was waiting for Roy Williams to do something, do anything, to justify not cutting him this year and looking bad if Crayton outplays him. I think Crayton has a point, he's not going to be a starter on a good team, his trade compensation would be low no matter what, just move him early so he can acclimate to a new team and a new playbook and have half a chance at success. That's the thing about NFL GM's, if they get you, they publicly want you to succeed, if they get rid of you, they privately want you to fail ( to validate you going, do you think anyone on the Raiders office enjoyed watching Randy Moss score touchdown after touchdown and the compensation was a 4th round pick with Al Davis throwing a tantrum in the hallways? Do you think the Bowlen family wants Jay Cutler to succeed? So that success would be thrown in their face until the end of time?)I don't see anything wrong with what Crayton is doing here. He just wanted an early chance out to find a new job and secure it. It's not just about compensation, it's about morale and thinking ahead. When Carl Peterson dangled Trent Green for months and months, trying to squeeze every last drop out of him, did that help his cause with his own players and potential free agents? All the years the Cardinals and Browns were known for their chaos and cheapness, did that reputation help them at all? Something no one ever talks about with the "evil" Yankees is they treat their players extremely well. Not just money. But once they walk in the door, the franchise tries to set itself apart from other teams in amenities. I don't think getting cut is the same thing as how you get cut. How you treat a long time veteran has a ripple effect in your locker room. It makes free agents consider how they might be treated. If Roy Williams is a slap **** and Crayton was a good soldier, that is going to cause morale problems on this team. People in ruthless professions can learn to live with hard rules of engagement, as long as those rules are consistent and as long as those rules uphold a sense of a meritocracy. Without that, you have chaos. It's not whether Crayton is worth a 7th. He far exceeded his original draft value as most 7th rounders never make their teams. It's whether Cowboys look petty or not, is that worth a 7th round pick? That's a different question.
Nice work Gordon.
