Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackOp
Is giving a Center a big money deal a smart move from an over-all team perspective? Do you need an All-Pro Center in this offense?
I did a quick search...2 of the top 10 were 1st rounders and 2 were second rounders....Kelce was a 6th rounder and Linsley was a 5th...they are rated #2/3 overall...and Andrews was undrafted (6th rated)
Given where the Chiefs are likely to pick every year...seems like a sweet spot to replenish the position. KC let Hudson walk...then Morse.
Creed is awesome and home-grown but if they pay him, they are likely going to lose another position...which might be harder to replace.
When I think of big money contracts...I think "can the team be similarly successful without them" if the answer is yes...I'd let them walk....like they did with Sneed.
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At some point you have to pay a few of your guys who stand out.
It's just team politics. If these guys go out there and just ball out game it, game out and you still walk away from them, it sends a kinda poor message to the rest of the young players on the squad.
It makes everything very transactional. "I'm here playing for my next contract with someone else..." isn't gonna get you the same level of buy in.
Now you don't have to go all Cowboys with it and sign EVERYONE to new deals. But you do need to give a few guys market deals. You want to show the rest of the squad that the hard work will pay off for them.
They'll do it with McDuffie. Probably Karlaftis. Probably Creed and almost certainly Butker.
You're essentially picking one dude from each 'room' and paying him. One staking horse to sit in those meetings with the rest of the OL or DBs or DLs and say "Keep it up man - you see how it went for me..." I think that matters.
If you let Creed AND Smith walk, that's a pretty bad look. And if Creed costs $7 million/season less than Smith...well doesn't it make more sense to keep Creed?