Paul Kruger contract situation

[gabefergy]

I'd say 6M is the max I would give him to stay. He has said multiple times that he wants to remain a Raven, but who knows if he really means that. Money often speaks louder than anything else. I guess it is possible some team desperate for a pass-rush would give him 8M a year but that seems awfully steep for a player as one-dimensional as Kruger.

[JHarris]

Kruger has been good for us this year but is yet another LB/DE playing in the Raven's system that will get a huge payday to go somewhere else and suck

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='Sunday QB' timestamp='1358273768' post='1313068']
[font=comic sans ms, cursive]If we could afford over 8 million for Kruger we could go get Cliff Avril. [/font][font=comic sans ms, cursive]We will need to look at free agency with so many FA of our own. [/font]
[/quote]


over 8 mill??...you lost me there buddy lol

[dhstandard]

[quote name='BALTIMOREFLACCO' timestamp='1358044162' post='1307598']
Since Ray is leaving and Cary is leaving, if Ed Reed leaves like I assume he will, will it be enough to keep both him and Ellerbe plus leave room for Joe?
[/quote]

Most likely no.

[The Raven]

Ellerbe? More important than Kruger? Hi guys! Welcome to 2013! Good pass rushers are more important than inside linebackers. I really wish we could take both, but I'm leaning towards Kruger right now. It's a passing league right now, and we need pass rushers.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1358319750' post='1313931']
Ellerbe? More important than Kruger? Hi guys! Welcome to 2013! Good pass rushers are more important than inside linebackers. I really wish we could take both, but I'm leaning towards Kruger right now. It's a passing league right now, and we need pass rushers.
[/quote]

Ellerbe's not a bad pass-rusher himself and he isnt going to cost 8M. They are both important, but from a money angle Ellerbe comes cheaper and he has also been an integral part of the defense.

[The Raven]

[quote name='gabefergy' timestamp='1358320421' post='1313936']
Ellerbe's not a bad pass-rusher himself and he isnt going to cost 8M. They are both important, but from a money angle Ellerbe comes cheaper and he has also been an integral part of the defense.
[/quote]

Can't disagree with that. It's just easier to find inside linebackers than pass rushers.

[BloodRaven]

I doubt we can afford his price tag, I'd say he's gone along with Cary Williams and Reed. We should still be able to bring back Ellerbe and Ihedigbo then tender Pitta and Jones.

[ClintLB8]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1358044686' post='1307683']
8 mil is too much. He likely will go to a 43 defense if he's looking for 8 mil. A team like Jax comes to mind.

I'll never understand the athlete that wants 8 for a dog**** team but refuses 5.5-6 for a playoff contender each year. Boggles my mind. Hopefully Kruger isn't that guy.

I think with letting Williams walk, Bobbie Williams, McKinnie, Birk gone and Lewis unfortunately retiring. We should have more significant cap space than we have the last couple of years.
[/quote]

Honestly, Jacksonville is my prediction as well.. I have always thought he fit the 4-3 defense better anyways. I wish we could keep him.. he has become a favorite of mine, but I just don't see it happening. Someone like the Jaguars will have the room to sign him to a contract he wants and their pass rush was awful last year.

[ArmyRavensFan]

Kruger and Williams have earned every penny they are going to get this year. Unfortunately the Ravens just do not have enough available money to pay them all.

[Yatagarasu]

Here's my insight...

This upcoming free agent class has a lot of solid pass rushing options. Also, the upcoming draft class is filled with plenty of 1st round pass rushers too. WIth all these options, there could be a chance that Kruger's value goes down due to the supply of pass rushers. However, if the market thinks Kruger is worth $8 million, then so be it; but I think the Ravens will find a way to get an under-the-radar signing if Kruger decides to cash in.

Free Agent Pass Rushers:
Cliff Avril
Anthony Spencer
Michael Bennett
Michael Johnson
Dwight Freeney
Osi Umenyiora

1st Round Pass Rushers:
Jarvis Jones
Damontre Moore
Bjoern Werner
Sam Montgomery
Barkevious Mingo
Dion Jordan
Ezekiel Ansah
Alex Okafor

[funky141]

[quote name='JHarris' timestamp='1358303175' post='1313729']
Kruger has been good for us this year but is yet another LB/DE playing in the Raven's system that will get a huge payday to go somewhere else and suck
[/quote]

agree

[flynismo]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1358044686' post='1307683']
I'll never understand the athlete that wants 8 for a dog**** team but refuses 5.5-6 for a playoff contender each year. Boggles my mind. Hopefully Kruger isn't that guy.
[/quote]

Shoooot....
I'd be that guy if it meant I'm putting an extra $2.5M in my pocket every year

[Yatagarasu]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1358350754' post='1314098']
Shoooot....
I'd be that guy if it meant I'm putting an extra $2.5M in my pocket every year
[/quote]

I agree. You want to maximize your value. NFL is not a career, so you want to make as much money as you can before you decline.

The Ravens will only retain players that are considered the cream of the crop (Ngata, Reed, Suggs, Webb, Rice) or at the right value (McClain, Birk, Pollard).

[T3hRaven]

If Kruger can really get $35-40 million, like some analysts are suggesting, that's something this team simply cannot afford.

[flynismo]

Keep in mind that what he wants and what he will get are not necessarily the same thing.
I can definitely see him signing a 4 year, $25M deal.

[krrock10]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1358350754' post='1314098']
Shoooot....
I'd be that guy if it meant I'm putting an extra $2.5M in my pocket every year
[/quote]

Agree, the difference could amount to 10 mil over 4 years. Say you lose 50% to taxes, that 4 mil extra in your pocket. 95% of america will never earn that in their life, this is just extra cash ontop of the the lesser contract. Money doesn't grow on trees, I'd take the cash any day. Maybe when he goes for his next contract, he can take the verteran minimum or something and go play for the best team.

Now if it was 25 mil deal from the 49ers and 27 from the Cardinals, then I would go with the better team as I think being on a better defense will help you produce better and pick up more money in a future contract.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1358350754' post='1314098']
Shoooot....
I'd be that guy if it meant I'm putting an extra $2.5M in my pocket every year
[/quote]
I couldn't, I've been on bad teams. Its an awful funk in the locker room the entire year and a crappy feeling going to the park each day.

[Yatagarasu]

[quote name='Bltravens' timestamp='1358374786' post='1314637']
I couldn't, I've been on bad teams. Its an awful funk in the locker room the entire year and a crappy feeling going to the park each day.
[/quote]

That's cause you don't get paid well enough to offset that losing mentality.

Lose 16 games while getting 16 millions, you have 16 million reasons to keep playing.

[GrimCoconut]

The main thing we have going for us is the amount of talent in free agency at the OLB/DE position. The list of some talented pass rushers are:

Cliff Avril, Osi Umenyiora, Dwight Freeney, Michael Johnson, Darryl Tapp, Connor Barwin, Anthony Spencer, Paul Kruger, Shaun Phhillips, Victor Butler, Antwan Barnes.

That's not a bad list, and it does help us in terms of re-signing Kruger as another poster said. Also, keep in mind the draft has a lot of strong pass rushers.

I honestly think we have a legit shot to retain Kruger. Worst case scenario, we develop Hamilton, Upshaw & McAdoo. Not a bad plan at all. Then draft a guy.

[Radinho84]

i don´t think that they will break the bank for kruger.
don´t get me wrong. he finally arrived in the league.
but i don´t think that he is worth the big money.

we have some guys on the team already that i think could do the same job as well. (Upshaw has the biggest upside of all our defenders in my eyes).

but i would love to see him back!!!

[Footman DCXLV]

Honestly, we've been waiting for somebody like Kruger for years. We don't have anybody else but Suggs who can consistently beat a man one-on-one to get a sack (keyword: [b]consistently[/b]). Having Kruger play this way alongside a healthy Suggs would be something we haven't really had in the Harbaugh era.
I'm hoping this situation with guys like Williams, Kruger, Ellerbe, and others plays out more like a few years back with Suggs, Ray, and Bart Scott all coming up at once. We were worried that we would only be able to keep one of the three, and we found a way to keep the most important two, minimizing that loss.
Losing Kruger would be a huge loss to this team that doesn't currently have somebody else we could trust to step up the way he did. Kruger is a much bigger priority than Ellerbe, in my opinion. Ellerbe is a good, underrated inside linebacker, but he doesn't have the same impact that Kruger does. Also, saying he's a good pass-rusher, too isn't really accurate. He's a great blitzer, but he often makes his plays coming untouched as a result of that. He doesn't go up against offensive lineman and win.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Footman DCXLV' timestamp='1358426042' post='1315359']
Honestly, we've been waiting for somebody like Kruger for years. We don't have anybody else but Suggs who can consistently beat a man one-on-one to get a sack (keyword: [b]consistently[/b]). Having Kruger play this way alongside a healthy Suggs would be something we haven't really had in the Harbaugh era.
I'm hoping this situation with guys like Williams, Kruger, Ellerbe, and others plays out more like a few years back with Suggs, Ray, and Bart Scott all coming up at once. We were worried that we would only be able to keep one of the three, and we found a way to keep the most important two, minimizing that loss.
Losing Kruger would be a huge loss to this team that doesn't currently have somebody else we could trust to step up the way he did. Kruger is a much bigger priority than Ellerbe, in my opinion. Ellerbe is a good, underrated inside linebacker, but he doesn't have the same impact that Kruger does. [b]Also, saying he's a good pass-rusher, too isn't really accurate. He's a great blitzer, but he often makes his plays coming untouched as a result of that. He doesn't go up against offensive lineman and win.[/b]
[/quote]

He [i]is[/i] a good pass rusher. He may not be beating o-lineman on many of his blitzes, but he times the snap very well and finds lanes to the QB better than most ILBs.

[Footman DCXLV]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1358426660' post='1315366']
He [i]is[/i] a good pass rusher. He may not be beating o-lineman on many of his blitzes, but he times the snap very well and finds lanes to the QB better than most ILBs.
[/quote]

I completely agree. I'm just saying it's a different type of pass-rushing. Kruger is actually beating guys when we don't really have anyone else on the team (besides Suggs) who can do that. That's the kind of thing that can have an impact all game long, whereas Ellerbe might blitz once or twice, and could have his blitz picked up. I'd rather have a guy that can consistently rush the quarterback than even the best at timing his blitz to come off the line, because that still won't happen nearly as often.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Footman DCXLV' timestamp='1358427044' post='1315369']
I completely agree. I'm just saying it's a different type of pass-rushing. Kruger is actually beating guys when we don't really have anyone else on the team (besides Suggs) who can do that. That's the kind of thing that can have an impact all game long, whereas Ellerbe might blitz once or twice, and could have his blitz picked up. I'd rather have a guy that can consistently rush the quarterback than even the best at timing his blitz to come off the line, because that still won't happen nearly as often.
[/quote]

I'm not debating who I'd rather have; I was just highlighting Ellerbe's skills as a blitzer. Kruger is clearly the priority guy.

[Yatagarasu]

I highly doubt Kruger is going to get the $8 million per year contract because he only had one good year, which was also his contract year. Looking around the league and their cap space, I assume those teams will highly target the top free agent DEs (Cliff Avril, Anthony Spencer), retain their own guys (Michael Johnson, Michael Bennett), or use their 1st rounder on a pass rusher.

[b]Highly Likely Destination:[/b]

[b]Indianapolis:[/b] Pagano's team has one of the most cap space ($40+M), and he is targeting playmakers for his defense. They need a compliment pass rusher next to Robert Mathis. They could look into Anthony Spencer, but the familiarity and cheaper price tag of Kruger is probably their best bet

[b]New England[/b]: They got a bunch of cap space they can use to make their team better and getting a solid pass rusher like Kruger could help compliment Chandler Jones.

[b]Dallas: [/b]Jerry Jones is going to start slashing players and rebuild that roster. With a new defensive base 4-3, Kruger could be targeted because they need good pass rushers that are cheaper than Anthony Spencer.

[b]Cleveland:[/b] They got money to burn and adding more pass rushers certainly will help their under-performing defense. Also, taking away a player from a division rival and adding it to your team is always a good move.

[b]Jacksonville:[/b] They need pass rushers, and plenty of them. They could be a big player for Cliff Avril, but the smaller price tag of Kruger could be their fall-back option.

[b]Maybe Teams:[/b]

[b]Tampa Bay[/b]: Retain Michael Bennett and spend money to fix their secondary (Safety, CB) However, Tampa Bay could be a player for Ed Reed's service since Reed lives in Miami and they need anything to help their secondary.

[b]Miami[/b]: Probably going invest their money on weapons (WR, TE, RB) and protections (O-Line) rather than their defense.

[b]Cincinnati[/b]: Probably retain Michael Johnson and spend their money on fixing their secondary. They have one of the pass rushing teams and spending money Kruger is not on their agenda, since they have to save money to sign their future players (Dalton, Green, Atkins)

[Bltravens]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1358390767' post='1314970']
That's cause you don't get paid well enough to offset that losing mentality.

Lose 16 games while getting 16 millions, you have 16 million reasons to keep playing.
[/quote]
Well 16 mil is a whole different ball park than the difference between 5/5.5 mil and 8 mil lol. Thats double the amount.

I was saying for a couple mil less I would play on the better team without ever having to think about it.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='Corvus Amplus' timestamp='1358429089' post='1315382']
I highly doubt Kruger is going to get the $8 million per year contract because he only had one good year, which was also his contract year. Looking around the league and their cap space, I assume those teams will highly target the top free agent DEs (Cliff Avril, Anthony Spencer), retain their own guys (Michael Johnson, Michael Bennett), or use their 1st rounder on a pass rusher.

[b]Highly Likely Destination:[/b]

[b]Indianapolis:[/b] Pagano's team has one of the most cap space ($40+M), and he is targeting playmakers for his defense. They need a compliment pass rusher next to Robert Mathis. They could look into Anthony Spencer, but the familiarity and cheaper price tag of Kruger is probably their best bet.
[u]This move makes a ton of sense for Kruger. Young successful team, knows Pagano, and Pagano needs a young 34 OLB he can trust. Kruger would be an extension of Mathis/Freeney though. Not much in run defense.[/u]

[b]New England[/b]: They got a bunch of cap space they can use to make their team better and getting a solid pass rusher like Kruger could help compliment Chandler Jones.
[u]Wont be here, they have Hightower, Jones, Mayo, Spikes and Ninkovich. There's no room for Kruger.[/u]

[b]Dallas: [/b]Jerry Jones is going to start slashing players and rebuild that roster. With a new defensive base 4-3, Kruger could be targeted because they need good pass rushers that are cheaper than Anthony Spencer.
[u]With Monte Kiffin there now Dallas makes alot of sense. I think Spencer was on the tag this year so they likely won't sign him.[/u]

[b]Cleveland:[/b] They got money to burn and adding more pass rushers certainly will help their under-performing defense. Also, taking away a player from a division rival and adding it to your team is always a good move.
[u]I just dont get the feeling Cleveland will do it. They really like their Dline as it is, especially with Sheard as a young DE.[/u]

[b]Jacksonville:[/b] They need pass rushers, and plenty of them. They could be a big player for Cliff Avril, but the smaller price tag of Kruger could be their fall-back option.
[u]This was my original pick for Kruger. Jax jumped at the chance to take Kampman a couple years ago and Kruger is a similar player, just Kruger can pass rush from a 2 point stance.[/u]
[/quote]

There's my two cents for what it's worth.

[Raven Hammer]

How important is Kruger. I think that Kurger has only started to tap his potential. Just like JJ i would hate to lose him. What is his number to stay?

[RobFuseRaven]

A lot of people don't think he will stay, but I get the feeling The Ravens will pull a rabbit out of their hats. Maybe if we don't use the franchise tag on Flacco, we can use it on Kruger? I really don't wanna lose a guy like him. Suggs, Kruger and Ngata are a scary group when healthy.