[Marco Polo]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So here's an interesting thought that I pondered as I was watching Cooper be average as hell last night.

I think we all kinda view Sammy Watkins deal as a 2 year contract with the overwhelming odds being that he doesn't see that 3rd year at $20+ million on the cap. But the Chiefs structured that deal in a way that would make it VERY appealing in trade.

If they cut him, $7 million in signing bonus hits their cap that last season because they put a SHITLOAD of his deal into bonus. His base salary in that final year is only $13.75 million. I mean I say 'only' but that's actually very reasonable for teams looking for a potential WR1. He'll still only be 27 yrs old heading into that season. We essentially absorb 1/3 of his cap hit and now a potential WR1 can be had for a team via trade with a really reasonable single season cap hit of a tick under $14 million.

Now I'm not saying we'll get a 1 for him, but there's a real chance we could get a 3 and I would think a 2 isn't impossible if he stays productive over the next season+.

If we're gonna cut him in that third season anyway, the amount of accelerated bonus onto our cap is irrelevant. So if we can trade him instead (and we really should be able to), there's a way to recapture some draft capital that could help offset the cap hit. It makes that contract all the more palatable given that we're getting him well under market this season.

I like your thinking