Free Agency next year - what do we do? (2 Viewers)

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David Robbins

Ole Miss Rocks!
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Andrus Peat
A.J. Klein
Vonn Bell
Eli Apple
Drew Brees
Teddy Bridgewater
Taysom Hill
Austin Carr
Zach Line
Zach Wood

This is a list - the closest I could come to the complete list - of our Free Agents next year.

All 3 of our QB's are Free Agents. 2 of our best DB's are Free Agents. Plus, our Pro-Bowl left Guard.

Now, I know that Mickey Loomis has a way of working these things out, but I can't remember a time when our Free-Agent list looked like this.

There is no way we will be able to re-sign all 3 QB's next year. TB is going to command top dollar from someone, and will also be offered a starting gig somewhere else. Drew is gonna want to keep playing, and there is no way that Payton will opt for Teddy over Drew. He will know that he can win with Teddy, but also that he can't run his wide open offense with him. He is simply not that type of QB, as we all saw. You need a great running game and defense to win with him.

Then, the question is what to do with Bell and Apple? Can we resign both of these guys? Will our brain trust consider that Sequan Hampton can replace Bell, so therefore give more priority to re-signing Apple over Bell?

I know we are still in the season, but this is something to look at. We will also have free-agents from other teams to look at, as well as the Draft. Problem there is that we don't have all of our draft picks next year to help reload.

I think we will be OK at Guard if we lose Peat. Easton so far has looked really good, and Clapp can always fill in. Plus, as we've seen, you can always find a very good O-Lineman in the later rounds of the Draft. Heck, Jahri Evans was a 3rd round pick. Clapp and Strief were both late round picks. So, we know that can be done.

So the question is, who on this list to we go all out for to re-sign? Other than Drew Brees, who I believe will be top priority.
 
Taysom I think will be a fairly easy keep with his RFA status. We just have to tender him a 1st or 2nd round pick level. If Drew comes back Teddy probably leaves. If Drew retires we probably re-sign Teddy.

Eli is a must sign. I can see Bell leaving and being replaced by CGJ.

I think Peat leaves and is replaced by Easton.

Line and Wood should be easy to keep. I personally wouldn't keep Carr.

I'm not sure if Klein comes back or not.
 
I believe TB will be gone but not because he can't run "Payton's wide open offense" he will be gone because someone will be willing to give him $20 million. We keep the GOAT (Brees) and we have to re-sign our defensive backs. They're young and they're starting to play like top dogs. Keep Klein and let Peat and Carr go.
 
Not a daunting list of players that need to be resigned, obviously Bell, Wood, Hill and Line will be brought back (Bell getting the biggest of the contracts).

Brees is a no brainer if he is not retiring at the end of the year and if Bridgewater leaves I think that just thrust Hill into the heir apparent role Payton says he can be.

Apple may be gone to because of the upcoming contract extension of Lattimore that will be pricy we may sign an accending player from another team to compete at that spot opposite Lattimore.

Klein may or may not be brought back but relative to how the Saints value the position it wont break the bank to bring him back and Peat may move on and imply Eason there along with whatever offensive lineman we draft (Saints always draft OL each year).

Carr is a non factor so it matters little whether he is tendered or let go to test the market and find work elsewhere.

Bell is a staple player who should be resigned over Eli Apple. Wood is a long snapper who will come cheap because of the position he plays (Long Snapper).
 
I think keeping Bell and Hill are a must. Brees is staying here. Would be shocked if went to another team. Apple will be to expensive to keep. They might have to draft a C.B unless Saquan Hampton seems to be an adequate replacement.

I think also N.O is going to try to work an extension with Lights Kamara Action.
 
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My super-early, super-premature guess is that Peat, Klein, Apple, Bridgewater and Wood leave in FA. Some team out there will overpay for a corner, hence Apple, and Teddy is looking at a nice contract as a starter somewhere. For fandom's sake, I do hope Apple indeed keeps earning that overpayment, as he's playing well right now.

Man, oh, man, I wish we had some draft capital to fleece the Bengals out of taking Joe Burrow ;)
 
TribuneUK said:
What do we do? Enjoy the team we have and let Loomis do Loomis things after that.
Click to expand...
Yeah no doubt Loomis will find a way to work the cap. It is always amazing what he does with so called lil caproom
 
Andrus Peat - Gone
A.J. Klein - Cheap so doesn't matter
Vonn Bell - Must keep
Eli Apple - Must keep
Drew Brees - Must keep
Teddy Bridgewater - gone
Taysom Hill - 2nd round tender
Austin Carr - irrelevant
Zach Line - Cheap so doesn't matter
Zach Wood - Cheap so doesn't matter
Onyemata - Really want to keep

At this point, Onyemata is better than Rankins. I think you need to keep him but it may be tough. Peat is a no brainer at this point to let walk. It's not just this year you have to think about though. The year after you have Marcus Williams who is playing like the best FS in the league. Kamara and Ram.

Going to be hard to keep them all, but you'll also see some restructurings I'm sure.
 
David Robbins said:
Andrus Peat
A.J. Klein
Vonn Bell
Eli Apple
Drew Brees
Teddy Bridgewater
Taysom Hill
Austin Carr
Zach Line
Zach Wood

This is a list - the closest I could come to the complete list - of our Free Agents next year.

All 3 of our QB's are Free Agents. 2 of our best DB's are Free Agents. Plus, our Pro-Bowl left Guard.

Now, I know that Mickey Loomis has a way of working these things out, but I can't remember a time when our Free-Agent list looked like this.

There is no way we will be able to re-sign all 3 QB's next year. TB is going to command top dollar from someone, and will also be offered a starting gig somewhere else. Drew is gonna want to keep playing, and there is no way that Payton will opt for Teddy over Drew. He will know that he can win with Teddy, but also that he can't run his wide open offense with him. He is simply not that type of QB, as we all saw. You need a great running game and defense to win with him.

Then, the question is what to do with Bell and Apple? Can we resign both of these guys? Will our brain trust consider that Sequan Hampton can replace Bell, so therefore give more priority to re-signing Apple over Bell?

I know we are still in the season, but this is something to look at. We will also have free-agents from other teams to look at, as well as the Draft. Problem there is that we don't have all of our draft picks next year to help reload.

I think we will be OK at Guard if we lose Peat. Easton so far has looked really good, and Clapp can always fill in. Plus, as we've seen, you can always find a very good O-Lineman in the later rounds of the Draft. Heck, Jahri Evans was a 3rd round pick. Clapp and Strief were both late round picks. So, we know that can be done.

So the question is, who on this list to we go all out for to re-sign? Other than Drew Brees, who I believe will be top priority.
Click to expand...

Drew retires imo.
Let Peat walk, let TB go, re-sign Line, Apple, Taysom and Bell.
 
Brees isn’t retiring, his sideline demeanor when he was out was all I needed to see to know he’ll be back.

Letting Bell walk would be a massive blunder, we should sign him to a 4-year deal. Apple...we need to sign him to a 2-year deal. We need continuity in the defensive backfield if 2020 is Brees’ last year.

We have $19M in space and can clear a lot more space, I’m not seeing any reasons to worry about affording to keep these guys.
 

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