I’m not opposed to paying him, but we basically have cheap control until he’s 27 or 28. Not sure it’s wise to lock him up to aged 32 when you look at how long CB stay elite. Now McDuffie looks like a guy who could be really good for a long time.

Do we reach a point where we're too worried about signing a guy? I ask this because when you look at a guy like McDuffie, you have 1 year of cheap, the following year is his 5th-year option, which is cheap all things considered (13.6m), and then you have another year you can play him on the franchise tag for, let's call it probably around $21-22m (it's 20.2 right now), and then you could even exercise that tag again the following year. At no point in the next 4 years would you ever need to approach anything near $30m if you wanted to play hardball with the guy. I think you can, at minimum, be fake in negotiations and use the tag the first year without pissing the guy off. You'd have him locked through his age 27 year. That next year though, tag and cut bait when he's 28.

I'm asking because I've seen...don't pay RB's, don't pay WR's, don't pay interior OL, don't pay off ball LB's, don't pay secondary.

So we should just have a really expensive QB and OT's and a really expensive DL and that's it.

No, but that’s not going to stop me from bitching about it lol

Veach should offer him a 3 year deal barely above the $25 million mark Horn just got. I get these guys want full value but I think he’d sign it bc it’s instant life changing money in his life today and he gets to cash in yet again in 3 years when he’s 27 and still valuable.

Sounds like too good of a deal to turn down.

No player has ever played on a 2nd year tag. They all settled or the player set out the whole season.

That's not an option in our culture.

Does anyone know if this Stingley deal includes the fifth year option?

Cause if so, $30m per year is some serious leg work from the agent. And I think that’s exactly what it was.

But in actuality, it may be like $25m per year over the next five.

Yeah he stays with us but then goes for the money on that last big contract.

Nick Bolton is half of what Tyreek Hill got. Trey Smith is 75% of what Tyreek Hill got. Creed Humphrey is 60% of what Tyreek Hill got. Hell Jawaan Taylor is 66% of what Tyreek Hill got.

It’s good business to keep players at good prices. It’s insane to pay players that are not clearly the best or elite at insane prices or $30+ million.

A couple of things to remember here... one is that Stingley is just a better CB than McDuffie. Two is that Stingley is a great CB on the outside whereas McDuffie plays a lot better from the slot.

There is a differential in value for these guys and I'd argue it's fairly substantial. I don't think people realize just how good Stingley is. He might be the best CB in the game right now.

I don’t think anyone prevents separation better than McDuffie.

Now the length can be an issue at the catch point, but he’s the best pure cover guy in the league I think besides Surtain.

Pretty sure Veach is gonna draft multiple DL with those first 4 picks as insurance and a long term plan.

Hell I kinda hope Veach trades back at 66, picks up another 4 or 5 and uses it to draft 3 DL in this draft.

Good lord - why would you do that?

We have him under control for his age 24, 25 and 26 seasons for about $40 million total.

You're saying give him $75 million for those years before he hits FA at 27? Good lord no. That's just charity.

Even if you start it AFTER next season, you have him at $65 million for those 3 years.

No extension I offer him starts before the '27 season. And if you offer him 3 after that he doesn't hit FA until age 29 so you might as well try to get him in for that 4th year. Getting to FA a season earlier at 29 for a DB isn't worth a ton, IMO...

It has to. There's just no way they tore that year up AND paid him $30 million. Makes zero sense.

They're dumb -- they're not THAT dumb.

Because of his Pro Bowl this year, his 5th year option would've been more like $18 million instead of our $13 million for McDuffie.

So there you’re looking at $27m per year after the first four-year rookie contract for Stingley.

I’d do that without hesitation for McDuffie, and because his fifth year is five million less, you could lump than into the extension to make it look like he’s paid more than Stingley when he really won’t be.