Sanders Off Season Plan

[Chris_Sanders]

I see people taking a stab at the off season so I figured why not do the same.

Cap Space: $51,542,629

It is critical to maximize the roster and the cap space available this off season. So to begin a busy off season we start with this trade

#1. Cardinals Trade David Johnson (-$8,156,250) and the #8 pick to Tampa Bay for the #14 pick.

I do believe this is what it will take to get off David Johnson's contract. This effectively values the 8 million in cap space as a low second round pick.

New Cap Space: $59,698,879

#2. Deal with Patrick Peterson. Right after DJ is what to do with Peterson. We either must trade him or extend him. It won't work making him a distraction. Right now I see the value in extending him. Cardinals Extend Patrick Peterson for 3 more years with an average salary of 15.1 million dollars.

This raise of 1.1 million dollars makes him temporarily the highest paid average salary for a Cornerback. It's a teeny amount increase to give Peterson the love he thrives on. The years take him to his year 34 season and is likely the last contract he has with the team. Contract is constructed in such a way that the team can get out of the deal after 2 years with minimal cap impact (what we gain for the pay raise)

New Cap Space $58,598,879

#3. Keep the Oline together and strengthen it rather than weaken it and band aid with rookies / free agents.

DJ Humphries is offered a 5 year extension with an average salary of $14,000,000 a year. This puts him in the top 5 of OT right now but again after 3 years there is a point where we can get out of the salary with minimal impact or if he plays well he is a bargain for 2 years.

AQ Shipley resigned for 2 years at 2 million a year.

Justin Murray ERFA $1 million

New Cap Space $41,598,879

#4. Offer Drake $5.5 million a year

Yes Drake had a great half a season for us but we have to be value smart here. If he wants more than $5.5 million then we need to move on. For this we will assume he accepts as this is his projected market value.

New Salary Cap Space $36,098,879

By moving down 6 spots in the draft we were able to keep Drake, Shipley, and Murray with that money. Oline gets to be enhanced rather than rebuilt. Patrick's contract now coincides with Murray's cheap window

Free Agency

Entering Free Agency I realistically have about $26 million to play with. Time to address our two biggest weaknesses. Interior pass rush and ILB

#5. Sign Shelby Harris for 4 years at an average of $12 million a year. This year's cap hit $9 million.

DJs 6 million in dead money comes off next year so you can progressively organize contracts to account for that while not sacrificing flexibility.

Vance Joseph has a connection with Harris and he fills a huge need. He is a disruptive interior lineman who also led the NFL in tipped passes. Under VJ in 2018 he was PFF's #7 rated interior lineman.

This changes if Calais Campbell becomes available but I am not counting on that right now.

#6 Sign ILB Cory Littleton for 4 years 10 million a year.

I would even go to 12 million if I had to because I am so sick of TE's wrecking us. This is an elite coverage LB.

Free Agency Cap Space Available: $7 million dollars.

#7. More Stability. Zane Gonzalez for $2.5 million a year. Rodney Gunter for $2 million a year.

I like these guys and I would like to keep them.

Not much money left now to play with. Just 2.5 million. I would save this for

#8. Flexibility

Saving some money allows us some realistic flexibility with the above moves. I am not tied into hard figures on those if I need a million or two to make it happen.

#9 The Draft

We go into the draft with our DL improved, our Offensive line intact. Our coverage LB handled. In our first three rounds we need to be nabbing the best WR, Offensive Lineman, or Defensive Lineman available. So take the best of a group I think will be there.

Round 1 one of Lamb, Ruggs, Brown, or Kinlaw. If those are gone then Wills or Wirfs

This sets the table for Round 2. If we get lucky one of these 4 are there.

Round 2 is

One of Adams, Leatherwood, Okawara, Elliott, Aiyuk, Pittman Jr depending on Round 1.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

End of this is a mixture of stability and upgrades at weakness.

 

[BritCard]

Nice try just one problem.

You don't have the 9 mil for the rookie draft pool accounted for.

Also 5 years for Hump made me vomit.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Nice try just one problem.

You don't have the 9 mil for the rookie draft pool accounted for.

Also 5 years for Hump made me vomit.

Yes I do I didn't spend 10 million in free agency on purpose

 

[Chris_Sanders]

New Salary Cap Space $36,098,879

By moving down 6 spots in the draft we were able to keep Drake, Shipley, and Murray with that money. Oline gets to be enhanced rather than rebuilt. Patrick's contract now coincides with Murray's cheap window

Free Agency

Entering Free Agency I realistically have about $26 million to play with. Time to address our two biggest weaknesses. Interior pass rush and ILB

And Hump is a 3 year deal but 5 years for cap purposes

 

[Solar7]

Of course an awesome contribution and well thought out, but what are you doing at OLB?Starting Reddick?

If this is how it went down, I'd probably fall so far into darksider territory that I'd get banned by the end of the draft, haha. Sorry. Might type one out myself!

 

[BritCard]

Yes I do I didn't spend 10 million in free agency on purpose

Sorry I can't see it. I followed it from your starting 59m to the 2.5m remaining but couldn't see anything for the draft.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Of course an awesome contribution and well thought out, but what are you doing at OLB?Starting Reddick?

If this is how it went down, I'd probably fall so far into darksider territory that I'd get banned by the end of the draft, haha. Sorry. Might type one out myself!

I had to pick between paying another edge or a great ILB and gambling with Reddick. Since I specifically wanted to address our weaknesses I am relying on the DL upgrades to make Reddick more effective.

It's a gamble but I think it's better than the alternatives.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Sorry I can't see it. I followed it from your starting 59m to the 2.5m remaining but couldn't see anything for the draft.

I just highlighted it for you. I said my cap is 36 million but I only have 26 million for free agency

 

[Solar7]

I had to pick between paying another edge or a great ILB and gambling with Reddick. Since I specifically wanted to address our weaknesses I am relying on the DL upgrades to make Reddick more effective.

It's a gamble but I think it's better than the alternatives.

Right on. I do think Shelby Harris is a savvy move.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Honestly when you do this exercise in earnest it comes down to one of these has to go:

Petersen
Humphries
Interior Rush
TE covering ILB
Edge
WR

So how do you view the value of each one.

 

[football karma]

well thought out

I can only imagine the fan reaction when the Cards do a NBA-like salary dump trade of DJ's contract

I suspect you can accomplish the same thing via a contract restructure and actually get a late round pick back

 

[Chris_Sanders]

well thought out

I can only imagine the fan reaction when the Cards do a NBA-like salary dump trade of DJ's contract

I suspect you can accomplish the same thing via a contract restructure and actually get a late round pick back

I would love that to happen because then it keeps Simmons/Jeudy in play

 

[Veer]

I'd rather keep DJ as a vastly overpriced, potentially unhappy passing down mismatch than losing out on a true blue chip player and drop down to the mid 1st.

 

[football karma]

Honestly when you do this exercise in earnest it comes down to one of these has to go:

Petersen
Humphries
Interior Rush
TE covering ILB
RT upgrade
Edge
WR

So how do you view the value of each one.

few things:

1. I added RT upgrade to your list above

still makes your observation true, so:

2. get comfortable with the idea the team cant fix it all this offseason. That's where I am at: there will be a position where in training camp we are all saying "I hope that 4th round pick can really show something"

3. I have a bad feeling someone is going to offer Drake a silly contract. Keim will do the right thing and pass, but...….. it just adds another need

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I'd rather keep DJ as a vastly overpriced, potentially unhappy passing down mismatch than losing out on a true blue chip player and drop down to the mid 1st.

If you keep DJ then you lose another on my list like Littleton or you can't resign Humphries.

This is our reality right now. Good news though I doubt Bordow floats that buy out DJ's contract for a trade without hearing it somewhere.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

few things:

1. I added RT upgrade to your list above

still makes your observation true, so:

2. get comfortable with the idea the team cant fix it all this offseason. That's where I am at: there will be a position where in training camp we are all saying "I hope that 4th round pick can really show something"

3. I have a bad feeling someone is going to offer Drake a silly contract. Keim will do the right thing and pass, but...….. it just adds another need

Yep I am seeing that RT upgrade as Round 1 or 2.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Thank you Chris. You are a valuable member of this board and I appreciate you.

My one hope is that we can pull off the DJ deal with our 2nd rounder instead of our 1st.

And that Littleton deal hurts my soul a bit but would be fine with me if Simmons is off the board at 8.

If we move back to 14...... I really like that for Ruggs, Wirfs, Wills, Kinlaw or Thomas if one of them makes it. Making Murray a backup really appeals to me.

 

[Solar7]

Honestly when you do this exercise in earnest it comes down to one of these has to go:

Petersen
Humphries
Interior Rush
TE covering ILB
Edge
WR

So how do you view the value of each one.

See, I don't agree with you here. There are holes that simply have to be filled. I think you have to be creative with some of the options you mentioned here, and admit you're going to spread the wealth to some guys who aren't great, but are affordable and either have upside or are reliable.

There's no room to "upgrade" in a spot this year. There is simply "replace."

Until this team drafts better, this is the spot we're going to continue to find ourselves in. Just unable to afford much of anything.

 

[Stout]

You lost me at trading 6 spots out of the top 10 for cap space. I'm sorry, but no. Just no.

 

[kerouac9]

Hard to imagine anyone taking on DJ’s salary and giving up an asset in return.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Hard to imagine anyone taking on DJ’s salary and giving up an asset in return.

That is why I have us giving up second round value but still having a pick

I might be optimistic

 

[slanidrac16]

Well thought out Chris but when I take the fact we have only 37 players signed, 36 when you subtract DJ and add the additions I come up with 44 players. Where is the money for the other unless you’re assuming all 6 or 7 draft picks make the team .

Other thoughts. I too don’t like the idea of swapping 8 for 14. Perhaps we could swap 2nd and 3rd round picks. I just don’t think it’s wise to give up a shot at a blue chip player to erase a mistake. We have to keep in mind we are only in the second year of what needs to be at least a 3 year plan. DJ’s money will be off the books in 2021 but we’ll never get that blue chip player back.

its an awful lot of money invested in our LB corp if we were to sign Littleton but I also agree it might help cover up for Riddick. Wish I could remember current players on our roster but maybe Marsh could beat out Reddick.

Your plan would allow us to draft Bpa. If that player turns out to be Lamb then we seriously have to go o-lineman and defense the rest of the way with one exception. We would need to take a RB in 3 or 4. Many here seems to think that’s easy enough.

Fun read.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Well thought out Chris but when I take the fact we have only 37 players signed, 36 when you subtract DJ and add the additions I come up with 44 players. Where is the money for the other unless you’re assuming all 6 or 7 draft picks make the team .

Other thoughts. I too don’t like the idea of swapping 8 for 14. Perhaps we could swap 2nd and 3rd round picks. I just don’t think it’s wise to give up a shot at a blue chip player to erase a mistake. We have to keep in mind we are only in the second year of what needs to be at least a 3 year plan. DJ’s money will be off the books in 2021 but we’ll never get that blue chip player back.

its an awful lot of money invested in our LB corp if we were to sign Littleton but I also agree it might help cover up for Riddick. Wish I could remember current players on our roster but maybe Marsh could beat out Reddick.

Your plan would allow us to draft Bpa. If that player turns out to be Lamb then we seriously have to go o-lineman and defense the rest of the way with one exception. We would need to take a RB in 3 or 4. Many here seems to think that’s easy enough.

Fun read.

Thank you sir. I know this isn't perfect or ideal but mentally it was both fun and a fair amount of effort so I am glad some of you enjoyed it. It also really let me understand I need to temper my off season expectations

I knew that my take on DJ would be a tough pill to swallow but at it's core I believe my order is correct. We must address DJ nearly immediately. Certainly before March 20th. I am going to be really pissed off if Keim just cuts him and we eat the accelerated cap space. That means we are basically punting next year

After that Peterson must be either extended or traded.

 

[slanidrac16]

Thank you sir. I know this isn't perfect or ideal but mentally it was both fun and a fair amount of effort so I am glad some of you enjoyed it. It also really let me understand I need to temper my off season expectations

I knew that my take on DJ would be a tough pill to swallow but at it's core I believe my order is correct. We must address DJ nearly immediately. Certainly before March 20th. I am going to be really pissed off if Keim just cuts him and we eat the accelerated cap space. That means we are basically punting next year

After that Peterson must be either extended or traded.

I think it’s more likely that DJ is on this team next year rather than traded or certainly more than just cut. I’ve given up on the idea signing Littleton. I think we will be signing a second tier DE and OLB.

I have no problem with extending Peterson if it helps us today and later.