You don't draft a guy with a One Pick to be a backup.

I would too.

Even Jerrah isnt that stoopid...

Makes sense to try to get something for him rather than zip when you cut him.

Part of me wonders if this is part of the game to get Preston to renegotiate. Preston can do things that Z and Gary can't do.

Good call Guam!!

It's nice to see we have someone here who can think in layers.

No offence surface dwellers. STAY THIRSTY

I don't know that we can draw any conclusions about what the FO believes until the rubber hits the road. They have yet to pay Preston Smith any of the $12 mil he is due this year. Words at a presser do not equal instructing accounting to make a payment transfer. Last time I was pushing that line, it was on Jimmy Graham, who they did end up retaining. It was a mistake then and it would be a mistake now, IMO.

The dead money hit on Smith would be $8 mil. If they can talk him down to a 2/3 pay cut they are at that number with him. But I doubt he'd accept that as much as I doubt another team would accept $12 mil in cash outlay for Smith in trade.

That's why Preston will be cut, restructured, or traded. My bet is cut, as no team is going to want to take on his salary.

They're not. They're paying $12MM - the rest is prorated signing bonus. If he accepts a pay cut you have to add $4MM to that salary for his cap number to account for the prorated signing bonus. You cut him or trade him, and this year you eat $8MM you already paid him, and then you still need another edge rusher who can play week 1 because there really isn't anyone behind Gary and the Smith's, and Z and Gary can't play 100% of the snaps.

The ideal solution would be if he were willing to bring his salary down to around $8MM, giving him a $12MM cap number for this year. If you restructure him, turning part of his salary this year into signing bonus, then the hit next year balloons unless they add additional years to his contract.

Since 61...

I want nothing more than to see Gary get a chance playing full time as a starter. His draft position demands it.

But....Nobody proves themselves, until they prove themselves. Lets see Gary full time, and then crown home after he wrecks games.

Remember a QB after being drafted, talking to his team on the phone?
Telling that team that picked him.." Lets wreck this league!"

Johnny Clipboard!!

What happened. Gute screwed up your fantasy board.

Who cares Loopy , it's water under the bridge , he's good now and either item didn't cause a miss to the SB.

Everyone who looks some football and had some brains as well knows Gute does a smart job. You right about that and we all know.
Of course the Love pick was a no brainer and just the neandertaler dont understand, like always. Their time is long gone and here flatearth is crashing down, so they do the only thing they do.....complain.
But when it makes no sense for them, weak and orange as they are, it must be 100 percent wrong. They the living contra indiction and all so is all more than good in America and at our PACK.
Great leadership, great coach. Lombardi would be proud as hell. We got all the proof Gute, MLF and MM are the best at here jobs. Just great.

BTW great ring on your pic, where did you get that one?? You see me impressed.....

"This is maybe why you don't sign 2 free agent edge rushers to contracts over 100 million.
Then draft a Def. end with the 12th pick in the draft to convert to an edge rushing linebacker."

Why not? Between Z and Preston, you have a bridge to when Gary can become a productive football player. You get to keep the one that is more worth the price once that happens (ie now). In this case, that turns out to be Z. But you never know what the future holds. It might have been Preston for all you knew at the time.

Yes, you get a dead money hit on the contract you dump. So what? You got both Smiths at a huge bargain in year 1 and about the right price in year 2.

All in all, it's a win. I'm not exactly the leader of the Gute fan club but it seems to me he got this one right. They had a screaming need for edge rush, which is very important. They addressed it immediately and for the future with those 3 additions.