rmw10

I think the FO has made it clear that they're committed to Torrey and Marlon as starters. I don't see any way we don't come out of the draft without a receiver in at least the first 2 rounds. That would make Jacoby 4th. It's not about having Jacoby or not having Jacoby. The question becomes whether the cost is worth it to keep him around while we have many other holes. I don't see anyway that it's worth it. I love the guy, but his time here in Baltimore is probably done.

But all of those guys are already free agents. We don't gain anything by not re-signing them. Even with cuts, you still presumably have 4 guys ahead of Jacoby that we'd like to re-sign, and still a plethora of other holes. I just can't see us paying that much for a 4th receiver. We already have a quality option in Deonte. He's obviously not as dynamic as Jacoby, but it then becomes a question of cost/production. Can Deonte give us 75% of what Jacoby offers for 20% of the cost? I'd assume that answer is yes, and even if it's less than 75%, the value there is better than paying Jacoby a couple million to be a rotational guy.

See my post at the top of this page. Is paying Jacoby to be a 4th receiver really in our best interest? We have other holes to fill that would be a better allocation of the cap. I don't think we can afford to pay him at expense of some other positions, most notably the OL.

I don't think we can or will go that high, to be honest. I think Monroe, Pitta, Smith, and Graham are all higher priorities. With us likely hitting receiver pretty high in the draft, that would make Jacoby the 4th receiver at that point. We can't pay that much, even though I'd really like to keep him around.

I agree. Even is he does hit the open market, I don't see any team offering him more than $4-5M. His value/play aren't that of the Gronks and the likes of the world, and I sincerely doubt anyone would even offer him that, cap space or not. He's a solid player for us, and one that I think we should bring back, but I don't think he's a crucial "we need him or we don't win" type of player.

I think he'll get a fair deal somewhere between $4-5M annually with us. He's a solid player, but not a superstar. He may even take a chance on a one year deal hoping to reboost his value.

When you need a big play, Jacoby makes it. Really hope he's back, but money is always the issue.

Haha. I do believe I conceded with you that if he came back, I'd agree with you. I think I said that, but I'm not going through that 200 or so page thread to check.

In my defense, and I know we debated about this lol, I was operating under the assumption that Pitta would not play football at all this year, so no one would know how well he recovered. If I had even thought that he'd be back, which I didn't think was possible with the original prognosis, I would have agreed with you that he'd get 2 or 3 years in a new deal.

And that's how it should be. Those 2 are the most important free agents. While you'd love to have guys like Art Jones, Jacoby, Ihedigbo, and Daryl back, those are guys you can live without. Pitta and Monroe are essential to this team. They are the ones that we have to hit hard and early. I have no doubts that they'll be back, but those 2 are the biggest risks to lose if they hit the open market.

I never thought he'd get a mega deal to begin with. He'll get a modest, fair deal. $5M or so per year is my guess.

We're at approximately $112M right now including the dead money. There is approximately $5-$6.5M to be saved through cuts, and there's also the potential extension of Suggs to lower his cap number. Either way, we're probably looking at $20M-ish to play with if the cap comes in at $126M.

Exactly. Depending on how everything is structured too, you could get quite a few guys under that limit.

Yeah most were projecting $122-123M or so. That $126M number isn't finalized, but even if they settle around $125M-ish, that still gives a bit of extra wiggle room. That could even bode well for Arthur Jones, too.

This should make it a little bit easier if we really want him back. Cap is higher than anticipated. Albert Breer ‏@AlbertBreerProjected cap numbers for the following year are typically distributed at this meeting. NFL's projecting the '14 cap at $126.3 million

It's hard to guess right now. On one hand, I think he could sign a pretty good contract from a team that has money to burn. On the other hand, he's at the big 30, is an inconsistent 3rd WR, and KR's aren't terribly difficult to find. I think his price has definitely gone up over the past couple of weeks, but how much? I have no clue at this point.

Calvin Johnson is a freak of nature. Jacoby Jones is not Calvin Johnson. And why do you think we'll have to pay Pitta that much? I don't know where you're getting that from. I know he's not Graham or Gronk, and he's not going to get paid like them either.

You don't get explosive plays unless you have a core around that explosive player that commands respect. Teams have to respect Pitta over the middle, which opens up the deep ball for a guy like Jacoby. I want Jacoby back, but if I have the choice between Pitta and Jacoby, I'm taking Pitta. Explosive plays are once in awhile. There's more value out of a guy that can make the tough catch over the middle consistently and extend drives on 3rd down. As much of a weapon as Jacoby is, he can't consistently make those types of plays.

I thought about Lewis, but I don't see KC letting him go.

No I don't. He's done well, but he's not going to get much of anything on the open market. Guys like him are available all the time. As much as id like to move Elam over, what other option do we have? There are virtually no FS worthy of starting either in the draft (unless you pick one high) or in FA. Ihedigbo controls the secondary. He makes the calls and gets everyone in position. He's a very good leader as well. They aren't going to let him walk for the minimal amount of money that he'll cost.

Ihedigbo has done well here and that's all that matters. No team is going to overpay for him. We really like him. I expect that he's back. He won't break the bank. The FS class in the draft and free agency is very weak. I fully expect Elam to remain at FS and Ihedigbo to remain at SS. It's not like it's an either or choice. If we want someone like Jacoby back, it's going to be Jacoby and Ihedigbo, not Jacoby or Ihedigbo. He'll be cheap enough to where he won't force our hand.

Exactly. He won't be expensive at all, and with what he brings to the table, I don't see them letting him walk. I'd predict somewhere in the 2 year for $4M range. He's probably earned a bit above the minimum he's made the past 2 years, but as you said, he's 30 and a SS. He won't command enough that would keep us from re-signing guys like Jacoby and Daryl if we really wanted them.

Ihedigbo is coming back. As much as I want to move Elam over, the teams loves Digs. He's a leader. He gets everyone in place back there. I honestly do not see us trying to get anything but a backup FS at all.

For sure. I'm pretty much guaranteeing that 1a and 1b will be here. If we get one or two of 2-5, I'd be pumped.

I don't see him getting that much out there. He's on the wrong side of 30. Either way, I see this as more of our wish list than it is what I think is going to happen. I think Jacoby could be higher.