Quote:
Originally Posted by Sassy Snatch
Holy shit.  That's actually brilliant.
Veach, meanwhile, worried that the Saints and the Cardinals, picking at No. 13, had the draft picks to trade up higher than No. 10, if they were so motivated. But there was one piece of NFL fine print working in the Chiefs’ favor. NFL contracts for rookies contain a team option for a fifth season, and it just so happened that the slotted money for the fifth‑year option fell off substantially from the tenth pick to the eleventh. Thus, it made financial sense for the Saints and Cardinals to sit tight and not trade up. The Chiefs, Veach thought, could catch the entire league by surprise. |
Ha! That's funny.
My first thought when we made the move was "Damn, would've been nice to have gotten him at 11 and gotten that lower 5th year option value..."
So I'll tip my cap to Veach on that one for using it to his advantage and honestly, he's probably not wrong. Because I have to believe the Bengals would've been willing to move down had they been approached aggressively enough.
That probably played a pretty big role in the Saints sitting pat, at least. Those guys have had themselves fighting cap issues for a decade or so - it really might have been on their mind at that point.
But that's also why I don't really believe Payton when he says "That was the best kid I ever scouted". Bullshit - if you REALLY thought that, you don't let anyone trade in front of you.