my offseason

[Crimsoncrew]

We potentially can turn 2015 into a Super Bowl, hide the distinction of ownership, and restore the Faithful. If I was GM I'd look to the following moves:

3. Trade for Josh Gordon: Gordon is a bit tougher because he's going to require a 2nd rounder or higher. But again he's worth it. I kind of don't care about the possible melt down. I'm that tired of the shit offense. This item won't happen though.

I'm not sure he will. That was (reportedly) the asking price last year, and he only pissed off the Browns once he returned. I wouldn't be shocked if they cut him, or if they move him relatively cheaply (fourth or fifth?).

There's no way I'd give up a second rounder for the kid. Way too risky.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I don't want Justin Blackmon at all. Yeah he could be had cheap but I would rather take someone who is already good. That's why I want Maclin or Cobb with letting Crabtree go and cutting Stevie. That would give us Maclin/Cobb, Boldin, Ellington and Patton then maybe we can resign Lloyd cheap if he wants to come back and then draft a WR in the 1st or 2nd round.

Not endorsing going after Blackmon, per se, but it's a stretch to say he isn't already good (assuming he's in comparable shape to when he left). From week eight of his rookie year up to his most recent game, he has averaged 82 YPG and 0.43 TDs. In his four games in 2013, he averaged nearly 104 YPG. Those numbers are up there with anyone in the league.

The big difference between Blackmon and Maclin/Cobb is money. Blackmon - if he gets a deal at all - is going to get a very reasonable, incentive-laden deal with protections in case he screws up again. Maclin and Cobb will get top dollar. Not to mention it would be a shock if Maclin hits the open market, and at least somewhat surprising if Cobb does - though GB will let WRs walk.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Tried to edit to add this on above, but I couldn't. Anyway...

Maclin and Cobb are a pipe dream IMO. That's not the way Baalke operates. He's going to use our cash to retain guys on the roster already. He's never shown an inclination to spend a bunch of money on FA, and particularly not in a year in which we are "reloading."

 

[Pattersonca65]

Tried to edit to add this on above, but I couldn't. Anyway...

Maclin and Cobb are a pipe dream IMO. That's not the way Baalke operates. He's going to use our cash to retain guys on the roster already. He's never shown an inclination to spend a bunch of money on FA, and particularly not in a year in which we are "reloading."

That is not the way Baalke operates. Plus, it is going to be a tight cap year and some vets might be let go like Iupati. There isn't cap room to add pricey free agents regardless.

 

[Pattersonca65]

Instead of Ward. Panthers selected Benjamin with the 28th pick, Niners selected Ward with the 30th pick. WR was a need and I feel Niners should have traded up. Maybe they tried, but their offer was not accepted. Ward was a big disappointment this year. Or trade down from their first pick of the 3rd round and select Moncrief. Niners are left with Boldin, Patton, Ellington and Johnson for 2015. Not exactly a group that a defense would lose sleep.

There is the need for speed. I read they wanted Beckham but the asking price was too high. The need for a speedy WR has been there for awhile. Jenkins was supposed to be that guy and he flamed out.

 

[purguy12]

Yes I didn't like the Ward pick when it happen but I give Baalke a pass because we landed Borland, Martin, Hyde and Lynch in this draft plus maybe a future guard in Thomas. I don't think ward will ever be anything special but hopefully he can at least be a nice role player on this team. maybe safety is the right spot who knows. Time will tell.

 

[AU_Fever]

Yes I didn't like the Ward pick when it happen but I give Baalke a pass because we landed Borland, Martin, Hyde and Lynch in this draft plus maybe a future guard in Thomas. I don't think ward will ever be anything special but hopefully he can at least be a nice role player on this team. maybe safety is the right spot who knows. Time will tell.

Baalke did hit on Borland, Hyde and Lynch. I'm not sure about Martin yet. You just don't draft players in the first round to role players. That's in the later rounds.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Baalke did hit on Borland, Hyde and Lynch. I'm not sure about Martin yet. You just don't draft players in the first round to role players. That's in the later rounds.

It depends on the role if it's the 30th pick. If Ward turns into a top-notch slot corner, I don't have a huge problem with that pick. Particularly if he backs up safety and plays on STs. I'm not as down on Ward as others, but he's got a long way to go to live up to his draft position.

 

[Chamoanlad]

There's just so many unknowns right now. Like if we lose Culliver and Cox we could be drafting corner with our 1st and even 2nd since we'd be so thin at DB. If Iupati leaves we could go OL if the value is too good to pass up. Whatever Head Coach we have may also want certain players to fit their system on D or O.

I think the running is down to Fangio or Shanahan personally and I think the draft would be affected quite a bit depending on which it is.

 

[deep9er]

It depends on the role if it's the 30th pick. If Ward turns into a top-notch slot corner, I don't have a huge problem with that pick. Particularly if he backs up safety and plays on STs. I'm not as down on Ward as others, but he's got a long way to go to live up to his draft position.

don't have a huge problem either, but I do have a problem with it. your reasoning might appear ok because we have a strong team NOW. So at the moment it isn't a huge problem. if this team was bad or even average, you can't spend 1st round picks on 'role' players.

for myself, the team is never good enough and at worse case, you must sustain it. so you keep adding starters with your 1st round picks. now if Ward is projected to take over as a starter THIS season, then I might buy it? it is reasonable because he's a late 1st round, our 2014 Safeties were good, and he was still projected to play 66%. But this is describing a projected starter, not a projected role player.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

don't have a huge problem either, but I do have a problem with it. your reasoning might appear ok because we have a strong team NOW. So at the moment it isn't a huge problem. if this team was bad or even average, you can't spend 1st round picks on 'role' players.

for myself, the team is never good enough and at worse case, you must sustain it. so you keep adding starters with your 1st round picks. now if Ward is projected to take over as a starter THIS season, then I might buy it? it is reasonable because he's a late 1st round, our 2014 Safeties were good, and he was still projected to play 66%. But this is describing a projected starter, not a projected role player.

As I said, it depends on the role. If the "role" is the nickel corner, and that guy plays something like 2/3 of snaps - which I think is more or less what Ward was in line to do before injury - then it doesn't really matter how good the team is, the nickel guy is effectively a starter. The same would go for a team that plays a lot of three-WR sets taking a third receiver that high, for instance. If the role is a third-down RB, or a blocking TE, then obviously you wouldn't pick that guy in the first. If we're talking a NT, slot corner, third WR, or second TE (depending on the offense), that guy is a starter in all but name. The only true "role" player (as opposed to "effective starter") I would consider in the late first would potentially be a special pass rusher. And even that guy should at least have the potential to develop into an every-down player.

 

[Gold Rush 86]

Not endorsing going after Blackmon, per se, but it's a stretch to say he isn't already good (assuming he's in comparable shape to when he left). From week eight of his rookie year up to his most recent game, he has averaged 82 YPG and 0.43 TDs. In his four games in 2013, he averaged nearly 104 YPG. Those numbers are up there with anyone in the league.

The big difference between Blackmon and Maclin/Cobb is money. Blackmon - if he gets a deal at all - is going to get a very reasonable, incentive-laden deal with protections in case he screws up again. Maclin and Cobb will get top dollar. Not to mention it would be a shock if Maclin hits the open market, and at least somewhat surprising if Cobb does - though GB will let WRs walk.

Blackmon could be good but I rather not take a person who is already in the NFL and is still having problems. If Im gonna take a troubled kid I would rather it be a college player. Blackmon is still unproven yeah he has good games but I wanna see it for a whole season. Thats why I would rather take proven players like Cobb or Maclin.

 

[Gold Rush 86]

That is not the way Baalke operates. Plus, it is going to be a tight cap year and some vets might be let go like Iupati. There isn't cap room to add pricey free agents regardless.

We can easily have cap room to bring back Iupati and still sign a FA like Maclin or Cobb. We just have to cut/trade Brooks, cut Stevie, resign Aldon and restructure/extend contracts with Willis and VD.

 

[Pattersonca65]

We can easily have cap room to bring back Iupati and still sign a FA like Maclin or Cobb. We just have to cut/trade Brooks, cut Stevie, resign Aldon and restructure/extend contracts with Willis and VD.

Is there a cap hit for cutting Stevie? Also, extending/restructing kicks cap issues down the road

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Blackmon could be good but I rather not take a person who is already in the NFL and is still having problems. If Im gonna take a troubled kid I would rather it be a college player. Blackmon is still unproven yeah he has good games but I wanna see it for a whole season. Thats why I would rather take proven players like Cobb or Maclin.

He's got more than a season under his belt, and he has been very productive. In his last sixteen games, he put up 1201 yards and six TDs. That's very good production, particularly as twelve of those games were in his rookie season. I'm not saying he can consistently perform the way Maclin and Cobb have, but it's not like he's some completely unproven quantity.

If I was going to take a risk on a major character question mark - and again, I'm not saying that we should - I'd much rather have Blackmon than a college kid (unless that kid has huge upside). Blackmon has proven he can play at the NFL level - if he can get his head out of his ass. A college kid would also be a question mark on the field, whereas Blackmon has basically allayed those concerns.

Again, Blackmon vs. Maclin/Cobb comes down to money. Blackmon will likely come at or near the minimum with incentives. Maclin/Cobb could be looking at $10 million a year with at least $15 million guaranteed. Sure, in a vacuum I'd rather have one of those guys. For 1/10th the salary? I might go Blackmon. Though for the Niners specifically, he doesn't offer the speed we desperately need.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

We can easily have cap room to bring back Iupati and still sign a FA like Maclin or Cobb. We just have to cut/trade Brooks, cut Stevie, resign Aldon and restructure/extend contracts with Willis and VD.

We CAN do it, we just won't. And probably shouldn't this year. I'd rather have TY Hilton next offseason, after breaking in a new coaching staff and re-evaluating offensive talent, than Cobb or Maclin this year.

 

[Gold Rush 86]

Is there a cap hit for cutting Stevie? Also, extending/restructing kicks cap issues down the road

Cutting Stevie we save the full 6.025 million. Also extending Willis and VD wouldnt be a big difference from what they are making now. Willis is due 8.2 million this year but if we could extend him until say the 2019 season and have him make a few less million this year while still avg 9-10 million from 2016-2019. I think Willis would take that deal. Also the projected NFL 2018 salary cap is at 170 million. So in just 3 years the cap might jump 30+ million. We could sign Aldon to a 6 year deal and if just a few seasons Aldon would actually be underpaid.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Extending Vernon is tricky. If he's willing to take a pretty reasonable contract, I would consider it. But he's got a lot of questions to answer after an offseason where he was thoroughly distracted, and a season in which he was basically invisible. I think he's still capable, but he has always been a superior physical talent who got by despite mediocre (generously) fundamentals. Those types of guys can decline very quickly.

 

[purguy12]

We CAN do it, we just won't. And probably shouldn't this year. I'd rather have TY Hilton next offseason, after breaking in a new coaching staff and re-evaluating offensive talent, than Cobb or Maclin this year.

TY isn't going anywhere. Give me Cobb or Maclin.

 

[purguy12]

Cut VD or trade him and save more money.