GERALD MCCOY
DL, UNSIGNED FREE AGENT

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports the Panthers have interest in free agent DT Gerald McCoy.
They join the Browns, Falcons, Bengals, Colts, Saints and New England as teams linked to him. McCoy left his Cleveland visit without a deal, but the sides are still in talks. McCoy wants to play for a contender and should be open to a one-year deal.

RELATED: Carolina Panthers

SOURCE: Mike Garafolo on Twitter
May 25, 2019, 10:04 AM ET

Link

Gerald McCoy Says He Will Sign 'Wherever I Got to Go to Win' After Bucs Release
PAUL KASABIAN
MAY 24, 2019

TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Gerald McCoy #93 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-21 at Raymond James Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Free-agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is looking for a place to win after going through nine seasons sans playoff football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before his May 20 release.

"I want to win," the six-time Pro Bowler told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "I'm not worried about where I'm living. Wherever I got to go to win. ... Everybody's open."

Jenna Laine of ESPN reported on Thursday that there are at least six teams interested in McCoy's services:


JennaLaineESPN
✔
@JennaLaineESPN
Teams I’m hearing that have some level of interest in Gerald McCoy so far, per league sources: Bengals, Falcons, Patriots, Browns, Colts, Saints.

628
10:13 AM - May 23, 2019
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McCoy shouldn't have a problem finding a successful team on that list. The New England Patriots are the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints went 13-3 and earned the NFC's No. 1 seed and the 10-6 Indianapolis Colts are a team on the rise who finished the regular season by winning nine of its last 10 games. The Cleveland Browns are also receiving a ton of Super Bowl hype, to the point where Vegas Insider ranks them fifth on the odds ledger at 14-1.


If winning is a priority, then the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals should be at the bottom of his list. The Falcons are coming off a disappointing 7-9 season, and the 6-10 Bengals are a massive 150-1 underdog to win the Super Bowl, per Vegas Insider.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported that McCoy visited the Browns on Friday but left without signing a contract. However, Stroud also said the Browns are still "very much a candidate" to land McCoy. A visit with the Baltimore Ravens, who went 10-6 and won the AFC North last season, is up next.

Whoever lands the 31-year-old McCoy is getting a stud defensive tackle in top form. He registered six sacks last season, which marked the sixth time that he garnered six or more sacks in a year. McCoy also had 28 tackles and 21 quarterback hits.

Football analyst Warren Sharp also explained the difference in the Bucs' defense with and without McCoy on the field:


Warren Sharp
✔
@SharpFootball
Hope your defense lands Gerald McCoy & optimizes him. Since 2015:

The Bucs are 12-7 (63%) when McCoy records at least two QB hits.
• 5 of 7 losses (71%) came by 3 or fewer points.

They are 13-32 (29%) in all other games.
• Only 4 of 32 losses (13%) came by 3 or fewer points.

75
6:39 PM - May 23, 2019
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It's no surprise, then, that Stroud reported 10 teams are in the mix for McCoy, who is receiving offers up to $11 million per year.

IF its true that winning is his #1 priority .... he’s only going to visit the rats out of loyalty to his ex DL coach cause there’s 4 or 5 teams that clearly have a much better shot of winning than the rats ....

Thanks for the info on the ex DL coach Y-town .... i asked in the other thread what the connection was with them cause other than using it as leverage against us visiting them over the Pats, Colts, Chargers, Saints or even the Jags makes zero sense to me .... the DL coach is clearly that connection ...

Lets hope it ends after the Rats visit with him not signing there ...

Here's what I find cool: three teams that have shown interest (Panthers, Saints, Falcons) are from the same division ... they know how good he is and what he's capable of doing

Factory of Sackness is really good.

Lake-Effects

"Lake-effect snow can cause blinding whiteouts in just minutes"

3 and 4 seem negative, one, The Lake Front, seems the most positive.

I like Junk Yard Dawgs

I want nothing to do with the word FACTORY being used in any way, shape of form associated with this organization .... it brings back way to many sad ass memories ...

Lol at #2. That's pretty bad.

Nicknames should be organic or else, IMO, they are lame.

I have really been enjoying Joe since he became a media darling.

Oh, come on, Dawg....
There is only one way to de-fang a word that has been used to hurt us:

Adopt it for our own purposes.

I just see it diff, is all.
We remain cool, you & I.

Storm Front

Although I didn't think of the (perfect) word 'organic', this is exactly what I was thinking last week when GMFB was talking about a nickname for Ward.

Me 2.

First thing I thought of.

Wouldn't it be best if we actually saw the Browns DLine perform before awarding them a name?

If the Browns DLine showed that they were worthy of a nick-name, Junk Yard Dawgs would be my choice.

...back to reality..it's May 26, months before real football begins.

Are the Bengals taking over our previous FA function of driving up the price???

they make a list and the Bengals just do not belong in that list!

not a fan of unorganic nicknames, but of that list I'd go with the Lake Front

I think him leaving without a deal really dropped our odds. There is something he wants we didn’t offer.

McCoy's Agent

I think he want's to sign here, but is trying to get a little sweeter deal. We can't hold it against him to check what a few other teams would offer him, he's never been a free agent.

and I don't doubt that the Ravens would either want to sign him, or at the very least, drive up his price

You would think this scenario would be an agent's dream. Two division rivals fighting for a player makes the player's perceived value higher - because losing out makes your rival that much better.

In fact, it's not even perception, his value IS higher in this situation.

yeah agreed FATE

Ravens really don't have the cap to sign him unless he took a discount. So he can say its not about money, until it is

He doesn't visit them until Tuesday. OF COURSE it's all about putting in front of our faces that he might go to a division rival.

Of course, he's "committed" to visiting them and another, but that also leaves 4+ days to talk with us and negotiate and build up and the Ravens are, I'm sure, more than happy to play any role needed of them to take money out of our coffers.

#LetTheGamesBegin

It would be nice if he signed with us.

j/c:

Gerald McCoy had a ‘great’ visit with the Browns and could sign here after visiting Ravens Tuesday, source says

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/05...s-continue.html

Good news

all this waiting is killing me.

Tuesday now. When will we know later?

Lamp, I'm still wondering if we really need him? I mean I know the more great players you have the better off you are, but seriously, can this be just a tad too much?

I was wondering, are the Browns trying to up the price for the Ravens?

As an OU fan, would I like to see McCoy with Cleveland...sure. Do I think we need him..No. If Myles Garrett says the d-line is just fine as is, who are we to dispute him? I'm not losing any sleep over McCoy's decision. It's the first year of my life I wish the summer would get over with and get the 2019 season started...almost!


Plus I think I read that McCoy said he'd make a decision next week.

I bet he'll decide soon after visiting Baltimore

maybe they're sending him to Baltimore as a spy to get intel

i wouldn't take a thing Garrett says about personnel with anything more than a grain of salt. He's just loyal. He's also the one that told FO we didn't need Mack or Chubb because we had Ogbah.

I agree about Garrett ... I'd trust our FO/coaches one million times more than a player. He's showing loyalty and faith in his teammates

HOW THE BROWNS COULD AFFORD GERALD MCCOY
How are the Browns amassing talent? By paying for it. Why were they lacking talent before? Partially because they were saving money for talent now.

The fact that the Browns are able to bid for the services of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy -- who likely will command something in the area of $10 million a season and could make a decision Tuesday with the Browns a real contender for his services -- is a direct reflection of the fact that the Browns rolled over more salary cap money than any team in the league.

They’re on track to have eight players among the top 200 salary-cap hits in the league, when only the Los Angeles Rams (10) and Minnesota Vikings (nine) have more. How can the Browns still potentially add McCoy, who could become their ninth player in the top 200? Because they didn’t waste salary-cap space on mediocre players in 2016 and 2017 while attempting to be mediocre instead of awful.

They actually didn’t even spend money on some solid players, those who could have helped them go 2-14 instead of 0-16. As a result, they can now chase a player who could help them reach the AFC Championship instead of losing in the first round of the playoffs.

For instance, I’m not saying cutting Joe Haden before the 2017 season, when Hue Jackson and 90 percent of the fan base freaked out, is what is allowing the Browns to pay Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Odell Beckham as new additions, while still pursuing McCoy … but moves like that sure are part of it.

This isn’t another Sashi Brown story from me. It’s only a description of the now, and a team that is spending more than $211 million this season on players ready to help them win. That’s more than any other team in the league, according to the salary-cap figures from spotrac.com, the excellent site for all financial issues in professional sports.

In what spotrac calls the cap space allocated to active players, the Browns lead the league as one of five teams over $200 million. In the rest of the AFC North, Pittsburgh is at $197 million, Cincinnati $191 million and Baltimore $166 million.

Again, why should the Browns be division favorites? "Because their roster costs more" isn’t a terrible answer.

Yet the Browns are still in the top five in the league in remaining cap space. How? Because they rolled over more cap space than any team in previous years. How? By not wasting it on players who weren’t going to make them a playoff team.

Teams must spend 89 percent of the salary cap over a four-year period. But if you save some money in one year, you can use it the next year. Right now, John Dorsey and the Browns are using it. That’s how the Browns can have these eight players among the top 200 cap hits.

26. Odell Beckham, $17 million

40. Olivier Vernon, $15.5 million

62. Jarvis Landry, $14.05 million

147. Sheldon Richardson, $9.67 million

163. Damarious Randall, $9.07 million

172. T.J. Carrie, $8.9 million

188. Myles Garrett, $8.29 million

192. Christian Kirksey, $8.2 million

Now let’s look at how many Browns ranked among the top 200 cap hits in the league in previous years, with a reminder of what that number of high-paid players meant to the team’s record.

2018: 4 in the top 200 (7-8-1)

2017: 4 in the top 200 (0-16)

2016: 3 in the top 200 (1-15)

2015: 8 in the top 200 (3-13)

2014: 7 in the top 200 (7-9)

2013: 7 in the top 200 (4-12)

What do those numbers tell us?

To me, it shows that the Browns for years were paying a lot of players who helped winning only to a small degree -- that’s how you get eight highly paid players and a 3-13 record in 2015. It also explains how the Browns can be spending so much now, because they had half as many highly paid players the last three years.

Look, for instance, at the eight Browns among the top 200 cap hits in 2015.

35. Joe Haden, $11.7 million

49. Joe Thomas, $10.2 million

80. Paul Kruger, $8.2 million

86. Alex Mack, $8.0 million

121. Desmond Bryant, $7 million

142. Donte Whitner, $6.75 million

150. Tramon Williams, $6.5 million

186. Karlos Dansby, $5.5 million

If you don’t think players like Kruger, Bryant, Whitner, Williams and Dansby can make you a playoff team, then you can’t keep them around at those prices. Four of those five didn’t play for the Browns after 2015, and Williams was gone after 2016. But there’s also no point in replacing them with players of equal talent and salary if they’re getting you nowhere.

So the Browns saved.

Here is their rollover cap money from the last six offseasons.

2013 into 2014: $24.5 million

2014 into 2015: $18.9 million

2015 into 2016: $20.7 million

2016 into 2017: $50.1 million

2017 into 2018: $58.9 million

2018 into 2019: $56.5 million

In each of the last two offseasons, the Browns rolled over more cap space than any team in the league. That won’t be the case next offseason. The Browns are spending, and spending smartly, they hope.

But they were also spending for the sake of spending in previous seasons. And then that stopped.

Their 2016 rollover of $20.7 million was a lot, the third-most in the league. But in 2017, the $50.1 million rollover led the league, $10 million more than any team.

The 2018 rollover of $58.9 million made the Browns and 49ers the only two teams rolling over more than $31 million.

The 2019 rollover of $56.5 million led the league again and made them and the Colts the only teams with over $35 million of rollover.

The rollover stays with you. So, for instance, when the Browns rolled over $24.5 million into 2014, then only had an $18.9 rollover into 2015, that means they were actually over the regular cap in 2015 -- and they ate into their rollover.

What happened then was the Browns made a huge jump in their savings between 2016 and 2017, adding $30 million to it. Then the Browns held that amount, and added a bit to it, while biding their time on when to spend it.

That created a huge edge, and now the Browns are cashing in.

The other component of this is one we have written about a lot and will continue to write about: the fact that the Browns are in the midst of a relatively cheap contract with their franchise quarterback.

Of the 15 teams in the league with at least seven players making $8 million or more this season, all but four count a quarterback as one of those expensive players: Only Dallas (Dak Prescott), Chicago (Mitch Trubisky), the Jets (Sam Darnold) and the Browns do not.

When your most important player isn’t among your most highly paid, that’s another edge. That’s why the Browns are in a window to win right now in the next three years, before Mayfield’s salary will balloon.

But you really change the game by adding the franchise QB money you’re saving now to the money you already saved in the past.

That’s how you get a $211 million team to believe in.


3 BROWNS WHO ARE BIG PARTS OF THEIR CAP NOW, WHO WON’T BE IN THE FUTURE

The Browns are paying right tackle Chris Hubbard good money again this season. They'll have to figure out whether to keep doing it next season.

3. The tackles
Almost all of the most expensive players would apply here. Kirksey would cost almost $10 million on the cap in 2020, or $2.4 million to get out of his deal. The Browns may move on.

Randall is in the final year of his rookie deal as the fifth-highest-paid Brown, and nothing has happened yet in regards to his future.

The three-year deal Richardson signed is really a two-year deal because it costs so little for the Browns to get out of year three, so he might be 2019, 2020 and gone.

But that’s how it works. For years, the Browns didn’t have enough players worth spending money on. Now, they’ll have too many.

So left tackle Greg Robinson and right tackle Chris Hubbard both have to prove they’re worth the money this season. Robinson signed a one-year, $7 million contract and will be a free agent this season. Actually, the window to retain him may be quite small. If he’s too good, the Browns probably can’t afford him, and if he’s not good enough, they won’t want him.

Hubbard is a $7.3 million cap hit this season in year two of the five-year contract the Browns signed him to before last season, luring him away from Pittsburgh. He’s due to make $7.3 million again in 2020, or the Browns could cut ties and take a $2.4 million cap hit.

So it’s Robinson and Hubbard protecting Mayfield on the edge this year. It’s hard to imagine both back in 2020.

2. T.J Carrie
His huge four-year, $31 million contract hasn’t transformed the defense, but the Browns had to ride it out through at least this season. They would have taken a $10.2 million cap hit otherwise. But after this season, that changes. The Browns can easily get out of this deal without much penalty after this season.

The Browns have said they want five corners they can rely upon, and Carrie did rank fifth in defensive snaps a year ago. He’s been sticking at that slot corner position in OTAs, while Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams and Terence Mitchell have manned the outside. Slot corner is a vital spot, but maybe not at an $8 million cap hit for a team that may start feeling a squeeze next year.


1. Olivier Vernon
With a cap hit of $15.5 million this season in year four of a five-year contract he originally signed in New York, Vernon will carry the same big number in the final year of his deal next year. The

Browns view him as a game-changer paired with Myles Garrett, but if he stays beyond these two years, at which point he’ll be 30 with nine years in the league, it would have to be at a reduced rate. Because by then, the Browns would need to pay Garrett.

The Browns could even get out of Vernon’s contract after this season with no dead cap hit. But most likely, this pairing of a veteran defensive end and young defensive end will change in 2021, with Garrett becoming the veteran and the Browns looking in the draft for an end to become the younger, cheaper option.

The Browns are done saving. Now they’re paying. But at some point, they won’t be able to pay everyone. Tough decisions are ahead -- but that’s a price you’ll happily pay for a playoff push you’ve been saving for. In the moment, that saving gives the Browns a real shot at McCoy.

https://expo.cleveland.com/sports/g66l-2...-3rd-short.html

So we just kept doing what we've been doing since 2013.

Translation: I didn't bother to read the article.

We've been rolling cap over since 2013. Nice try though.

With Gerald McCoy set to visit Ravens, is there still space for standout defensive tackle?

By Jonas Shaffer, Contact Reporter
The Baltimore Sun

May 28, 2019

Needing to clear salary cap space and unable to find a willing trade partner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week “mutually parted ways” with defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl selection. That there’s strong interest across the NFL in the 31-year-old should not come as a surprise; that the Ravens are reportedly among those suitors, however, is something of an eye-opener.

McCoy was set to make $13 million in his 10th season with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers’ newly signed replacement, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, signed a one-year deal worth up to $10 million. If McCoy is willing to take a pay cut in the interest of bolstering a playoff contender — the former No. 3 overall pick has not advanced to the postseason in his career — what might he realistically settle for?

The Ravens have little wiggle room. Free-agent signings Earl Thomas and Mark Ingram II were not cheap; their salary cap hits rank among the 13 biggest on the team for 2019. With five of the Ravens’ eight draft picks signed, general manager Eric DeCosta has about $13 million in space available. Deals for unsigned picks Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Jaylon Ferguson and Miles Boykin, once complete, will eat approximately another $2 million.

With conventional wisdom dictating that NFL front offices leave themselves at least a few million dollars for emergency midseason signings, the Ravens will unlikely be able to offer McCoy a contract worth $10 million-plus in 2019. (The Browns certainly could, and perhaps the Bengals, too.) DeCosta could free up space by restructuring contracts already on the books, delaying guaranteed money until years ahead, but his strategy so far with new signings and extensions has favored “flat” annual rates.

"The only time we consider restructuring guys’ deals is [if] there is a player that comes available that we think has great value and is worth us restructuring a deal to get it done," former general manager Ozzie Newsome, who once called the strategy a “last resort,” said in 2013. "But it has to be a player that we think has a pretty good chance of playing out his contract, because that’s when you get in trouble. If you restructure a deal, then all the sudden that player’s abilities fall off the cliff and you have to let him go, then you have to eat all that acceleration right away."

Even with the big names returning along the Ravens’ defensive line, as well as those still yet to break out, there is space for a talent like McCoy. In Tampa Bay, he recorded at least six sacks every year from 2012 to 2018; Brandon Williams, Willie Henry, Chris Wormley and Brent Urban combined for 3½ last season in Baltimore. Michael Pierce finished the year without one.

The Ravens are rich with interior defensive linemen, but there’s little overlap with McCoy’s best-utilized deployment. Williams and Pierce typically line up over the center or in a center-guard gap; fifth-round pick Daylon Mack did the same at Texas A&M.

According to Pro Football Focus, McCoy has had just 290 career snaps at nose tackle, compared with 2,767 at defensive tackle and 1,010 at defensive end. Last season, he worked primarily as a three-technique defensive tackle, aligned on the outside shoulder of the guard, a position that allows him to shoot upfield and pressure the pocket. In 14 games, McCoy had six sacks and 21 quarterback hits, the latter of which would have been second most on the Ravens.

Urban, now with the Tennessee Titans, Henry and Wormley shared most of the snaps last season at the three-technique, normally flanked by an edge rusher like Terrell Suggs and a nose tackle like Williams. Given the Ravens’ offseason losses — Suggs joined the Arizona Cardinals, Za’Darius Smith the Green Bay Packers — and the defense’s schematic flexibility, it’s unclear how the Ravens would want to roll out their best front seven.

Would coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale call on Henry for pass-rushing downs almost exclusively? Would Wormley continue to be a rotational player, helping McCoy to stay fresh but never earning the lion’s share of snaps? If Ferguson proves most useful as a down lineman, rather than a stand-up linebacker coming off the edge, how does that affect the Ravens’ alignment?

Those are questions for possibly another day. The Ravens will pay their interior defensive linemen over $20 million this season, according to Over The Cap. Now they have to decide the value of adding McCoy — and convince him it’s the right price at the right place, too.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-gerald-mccoy-visit-20190527-story.html

Sounds good.
Wonder if Larry will be the next Pro Bowler, his speed along side these great defensive players. I don' think we realize what this will look like.

Two guys I have followed and liked so much, its like a dream come true. Vernon as I was so wanting him to come here but we were not competitive enough and he signed with the Giants, being in NY and my son a Giant fan I got to watch a lot of his game and my reaction was mostly...man if only he was a Brown.

The other was Richardson...I was hoping and politicking for him to sign here when it was clear that he was leaving the Jets. I thought he was the best DT then and after him signing 2 consecutive one year deals - he finally signed a 3 year deal as he has officially found a home.

I know so many of the talking heads out there have been going gaga over our offense - which has definitely earned that coming praise. But its our Defense that we have just built and I don't think many of you understand the magnitude of what we just did here. These players are not just good but amazing. And they all seem mature mentally to be disciplined in our upcoming defensive schemes.

We play a 4-3 defense. In my lifetime its the DL that sets the tone for a 4-3 defense. And I can't remember a unit of possibly 6 now that just fit together and can compliment each other but also creating a disciplined havoc on our opposing Offenses to DOMINATE Football games.

the 6
Edge:
Garrett just hitting the tip of the iceberg of what "COULD" be a HOF career.

Vernon who was a man by himself the last few seasons with the Giants...what is this kid going to do with the surrounding talent now. Its takes 3 to control him...3 will not be available not even 2!

Avery in 2 point but never the less an edge rusher if called upon. He is just in his 2nd season after what I thought was progress just about every game and he will advance his edge skills not only in rushing the passer but in coverage and in run defense. We will be able to utilize him all over the field in his 2 point pass rush skills. If we choose to rush 5 - we will force teams to keep 7 in to protect the QB which means only 3 only 3 going out on pass routes. Ward, Mitchell and now the talents of Greedy Williams being pass coverage this will leave 3 others to either double cover or come in on a blitz.

Oh man oh man we have a DEFENSE that can win a Championship and that is with a Raven Offense of nothing but FGs. Add in our explosive Offense. Our opponents will be starring in the role of George Armstrong Custer as Kitchens emulates Sitting Bull and our young Franchise QB takes on the persona of Crazy Horse!

got carried away there...touch of Browns Fever!!!

I didn't even get into the DTs who just now might be better than the edge guys!!!

I will stop there and leave the rest up to your imagination.

But gentlemen and ladies we have I guess under the radar just put together one of the best all time defenses.

jmho

So does almost every team. But is it as superficial as saying the same thing you just did?

No. No it is not.

An Early Look at the Cleveland Browns' 2013 Salary Cap Situation

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1277...y-cap-situation

Cleveland Browns Set to Have About $45.46 Million in Cap Space

One reason the Browns' cap space is high is because they are rolling over $24.54 million of the space they had in 2013. The salary cap has been estimated at $126.3 million for the upcoming season, so when you factor in the amount the Browns are rolling over, their salary cap is estimated at $150.84 million, which is the highest figure in the NFL. Let's break these numbers down in a more formalized manner:

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2014/2/9/5...on-in-cap-space

Cleveland Browns have third most cap space in 2015

https://waitingfornextyear.com/2015/02/cleveland-browns-third-cap-space-2015/

You are referencing information already illustrated in the article, but, ummm,...thanks?

I think this might add more credence to my earlier point that you didn't even read the article.

I'm surprised you don't have a firm grasp of the obvious here and realize nothing really changed from 2012 until Dorsey got here.

Dawg .... u realize your beating a dead horse with menZas that think VG is overpaid but wish the dude who brought us Kenny Britt was still here .... i guess bringing VG here with their hero’s QB rooms would have been a complete waste of VG’s talent .... ...

The whole thing is funny. There was a ton of draft picks and cap space when their God got here.

One of his biggest supporters screams how the biggest reason for our teams turn around will be Baker. And I agree with that.

But Sashi had zero to do with Baker being here. Our 0-16 record did. But do you ever hear them thanking Hue for that?

just clickin'

https://dawgpounddaily.com/2019/05/28/gerald-mccoy-likely-sign-less-play-cleveland-browns/


How often have we been able to say that?

Are we a winner yet?

Bigger question is if this is true, why is he not signed yet

There is talk about how Balt had the top defense last year and how that may influence McCoy. But with the loss of Mosley, Smith, Suggs and Weddle I think Balt will have difficulties repeating that.

I know they signed Thomas to replace Weddle, but their D still took some hits.

The article was speculative.

j/c

Why on earth are we discussing Sashi/Hue in this thread? Egad...

If I had a dollar for every time I had that thought!

As of an hour ago, McCoy's visit in Baltimore was still ongoing, per the following ...

Last person always has the advantage. I feel the longer he stays the more our chance goes down. But it’s up to him if he wants to lose twice a year to the team he could have went to. You can’t look at these two teams and think right now you have a better chance there

That sounds ominous (for us)...

I've got a question!

Why would he want to play in a 3-4 defense instead of a 4-3? ( more or less ).

I would think he would be way more comfortable with the Browns setup.

I said from the time he left from his visit .. we are done. If you let him out the door without signing him .. you have lost him. If you have the first visit .. you make it the last visit. Do not let him out the door without a signature on the contract.

Because no one plays their base defense.

Possibly so, but the guy makes his living covering the Ravens, so take it with a grain of salt. Nobody really knows what McCoy's thinking, or what he'll do.

Yep I said that too. There’s something he doesn’t think he can get or do here or there’s no reason to go anywhere else. It’s like getting offered your dream job and say well I have another interview so I’m gonna hit that and get back with you

Free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy left the Ravens facility a little after 7 pm after arriving in the afternoon. No word on where contract talks stand.

@jamisonhensley

Free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is on his way to have dinner with Ravens coaches and players. Ravens still courting him. Was told visit has been “great.”

@jamisonhensley

Well this aint good

I didn’t think we really had a shot. Going to take a couple of winning seasons to lose the stigma

I think you mean, no one plays their base defense 100% of the time. Would it be safe to say they will be in a 3-4, 60% of the time?

I guess to be a little more detailed, where exactly will he line up when their not in their base defense?

Will he be working inside with another tackle? Or play the rush end? Maybe the nose?

Are they now looking to pressure up the middle with the loss of some key personal? Are they going to tinker with a successful defensive philosophy & 10 million to bring in a situational pass rushing 30 yr. old?

I guess they must have an incredible re-tooled plan & a lot of faith in the reborn Vegan to comprehend those type changes.

Base or not, McCoy knows he fits best in the scheme that got him here & floating around as a situational guy may not be the best way to rejuvenate his career.

At least with a true 4-3 defense, he can fit well into a rotation, feel comfortable & fresh in his role of giving solid push on the inside on any down.

With all that said, I'm still not sure he's worth almost a third of our remaining salary cap, but he's a way better fit here than Baltimore.

They ran their base defense 15% of the time last year.

They run a lot of 2-4-5, 3-3-5 and various dime formations. He'll still be playing 3T or an end in their defense.

Of course the visit went great. Who sets up a crappy visit?

He either wants to be here or he doesn't . If he is fine. If he isnt that's fine too. Why sweat it?...

There D took a HUGE HIT ... and i mean HUGE ... Thomas for Weddle is an upgrade but they lost their ENTIRE PASS RUSH ..

If McCoy signs with the rats it means winning is not near as high on his wish list as he says ... cause these guys weren’t that good last year and they went BACKWARDS in the offseason and not just by one step ... lets face it we had the weakest division in our conference and they won the division by default ... i’m still not sure how Pitt loses to the faiders and donks down the stretch ...

This is actually as good a landing spot as their is if he doesn’t sign with us ... if he was serious about winning he’d be looking at the Pats, Chefs, Colts or 3 or 4 other teams ....

This don’t look good and thats a bummer ... what a rotation and DEPTH we would have had ... having him would have been SWEEEEEEEET ...

Oh well ... it don’t look good but u never know ... if he really wants to win this isn’t over yet ...

Come On Gerald ... DO THE RIGHT THING ...

I am not ready to write off McCoy. He left there without signing a contract much like he did here. Leaving Cleveland without signing was expected as he said he wanted to honor his commitment to visit Balt. I get that.

To me, leaving Balt without signing a deal is more telling than leaving Cle without doing so. Maybe I am misreading things.

I think we have a really good DL. But I think adding McCoy would be a huge deal. Huge.

Not stressing. Null sheen, neh? Either he is a star with us or just another guy to beat.

Just win, baby!

I love your takes sometimes... I agree with you here.

Happy birthday, Cap!


My bet is that we sign McCoy. Call it a hunch... but I don't know if you're a defensive player who wants to have fun and win why would you pass the chance to play on a line with 3 other pro bowlers?

McCoy signs here... he must!

I don't believe you are misreading the situation at all. Leaving Baltimore without signing puts us back in the picture. In fact, I predict he signs with us by Thursday latest...

Has he left Baltimore? I thought he overnighted there to continue talks today ...

I heard he's still there... maybe doing some crabcakes for breakfast or something...

Yes, this is my understanding as well.

Just curious...who the heck is wishing Sashi was still here??? Is it Sashi here for the $$$ issues and have Dorsey here for the Football stuff??? I cannot remember anyone stating they wish Sashi over Dorsey??? I skim over a lot of posts so might have missed it.

I confess I am clearly biased but IF McCoy is about winning IMO there is no comparison between Baltimore and Cleveland. Yes Baltimore won the division last year, that won't happen this year.

Cleveland has the better QB/offense, and a much better Defense again don't care if Baltimore had #1 Defense last year. With or without McCoy Baltimore won't win the division that honor will be Cleveland's again with or without McCoy.

My point is if McCoy views Baltimore as the Browns equal he needs to get his eyes checked, Baltimore is a sinking ship with Jackson piloting them to the Bottom.

So if its about winning McCoy will be a Brown.

Thanks, device.

we'll see if he signs in BALT today

If they can possibly survive a ball control (running game) offense with a top 3 defense in this day and age then they can pull it off.

I seriously doubt it. And I don't think they will have a top 10 defense...if they do. It will be because statistically teams just need 18 points to beat them and will spend time running the clock as they lead 14-3 mid 3rd quarter so that statistically their Defense shows up big time but its fools gold.

jmho

unless Jackson has learned how to throw, and based on his comments and observations from their OTA's he hasn't. They aren't going anywhere. A qb that can't throw will not win when it counts. Say he's the next Vick? how many superbowls did Vick lead his team to. How about Brees or Wilson..yep, I like our QB alot more. They don't even have recievers better than AC, let alone vice grips and OBJ

I thought I saw something where he left their facility at 7pm. Could be wrong.

figures, like i said..last person always has the advantage.

Happy Birthday to the man who keeps PARADISE ISLAND hydrated ... guess there stuck with me bartending on the Isle today ... sorry dawgs ... *L* ...

- i haven’t heard he left yet .... my post was based on him spending the night and continuing in this morning ...

- i said when he left here if the left ratville w/o signing we’d be in great shape ... as that was his only other visit at that time and that was supposedly out of loyalty to his old OL coach ...

Since then its leaked he may have another visit scheduled .. his agent was vague .... so if he leaves the rats w/o signing it depends on WHY .... if its cause he promised another visit somewhere that popped up since the rats visit then who knows where the heck we stand ...

If he leaves and has no other visits were in GREAT SHAPE IMO ...

What is clear ... the rats visit was a lot more than simply a courtesy visit and this dude don’t care that much about winning ....

We should hear sometime soon either way about weather he ends up in RATVILLE or has another visit scheduled or if its negotiation time ....

COME ON GERALD ... DO THE RIGHT THING ...

Agree 100% tabber ... we ROASTED that D in week 17 and that with Bake as a rook and no Hunt or OBJ .... WAIT TIL THIS YEAR .... there losses coupled with our gains .... LOOK THE F OUT!!!!

Looks like he’s a rat ... at least Ingram thinks so ...

I’d be bummed cause we didn’t get him but I wouldn’t be bummed cause he made the rats significantly closer to us as far as talent goes ....

And u brought up a GREAT POINT about next years D and why they may rank higher than they are ... well once Lamar took over they got that BUMP LAST YEAR in that there O kicked ass in TOP ...

Dang it ... Stupid Warren ... no 2nd cherry on top, OBJ will need to do in the cherry on top department ...

Thanks!

I like reading this... this is what seems to be forgotten.

We won 7 games last year and added a stud Dline (hopefully) and Hunt and OBJ... Unless someone is predicting injuries, how can anyone say we don't have a chance to win it all and to curb the enthusiasm?

I think if McCoy signs in Baltimore it isn't a bad thing. I think it'll add more fuel to the fire... we get to show him twice why he should have signed here.

Can you imagine the crap Baker will talk to that guy, especially after meeting with him personally?

I'm not sure it makes much sense for Baker to be talking crap to Gerald McCoy if he goes to Baltimore.

I mean that's a very good DT looking to squash him twice a year............


I don't think it's a huge loss if we don't get him though.

I see positives and negatives. Positive, our Defensive Line is awesome. Negative, it negates our chances in the future of signing important young players to long-term contracts.



I'll be okay with this either way. If one thing happens, i'm very excited for next season. If another thing happens, i'll feel comfortable for our longer term future.

I am at peace


EDIT: Oh, and i'm not too worried about the Ravens next season anyway. If they think they're gonna be trotting our Lamar Jackson and having him run the ball 20 times a game this year, and that's gonna be it, they're gonna be in trouble. It might start off effective, but you can't have a guy with that body do that.

And with a defensive line like ours, we'll be able to generate pressure while containing him and allowing our LBs/Morgan Burnett to come up and get him

There not Ignorant enough to come right out and say it .... *LOL* ...

I’m actually very proud of the sashiettes ... usually all i have to do is mention that moniker and enjoy the popcorn .... they didn’t bite this time ... it actually seemed to stop the BS between them and Pit ... *LOL* ...

I just say things to get under their skin ... they deserve it for many reasons IMO and THEY TRIGGER SO EASY .... ...

Translation: He left without a contract.

I guess u only been reading my posts that contain the word sashiettes In them since last season ended then ... *L* ...

I’ve said since Bake threw that fateful pick to end last season we were the best team in our division and our super bowl window would be open this year for the following reasons:

- all the cash we had for FA’s
- improvement of the young pups including the 2nd year guys
- addition by subtraction with the coaching staff and some of the coaching staff including the HC all ready knows what the players are capable of and their personalities ....
- the fact the stilers and rats had cap issues and were losing key players ...

I have said that without hesitation or any hint of doubt since the day the season ended ...

Then we get the gift in Hunt and Dorsey sends shock waves through the NFL by aquiring OBJ ...

It was a good off season ... *LOL* ...

This dude would be the proverbial cherry on top ... COME ON GERALD ... don’t be a RAT ... no one wants to be a rat ...

Now it is about "the deal".

Money and time matters. My guess is the best two year deal wins.

I agree. And pitting two division rivals against one another in the negotiations is a brilliant negotiating tactic.

If both teams are contenders, then probably it comes down to money. Baltimore can't compete with us on that front, maxing out around $10M available from what I've read. Factor in also - perhaps only marginally - that McCoy is a Sooner, as is a certain QB we all know.

A little humor ...

But does that even really matter? I mean do we just pay more than the other team no matter what?

Or do we place a value on a player and refuse to pay more than we value that player at?

I mean, I'm not going to pay a player more than I believe that player is worth no matter who is bidding for his services.

I'm not sure cap space will be the issue here.

I think it means that if we value him as much as they do, we can outbid them. They have financial constraints that we don't have.

He left .... no deal ... we couldn’t have asked for more ... its not over ...

IF there’s no more visits ... there still may be ... IF there are no more visits if he wants to win this is the BIGGEST NO-BRAINER DECISION ever .... IF it’s about the money then its anyone’s guess ...

DO THE RIGHT THING GERALD .... no one wants to be a RAT!!!

So we change what we actually think the palyer's value is just to outbid them? If the Rats couldn't match what we already offered him, why would he be negotiating with them?

If we didn't think he was worth more than 10 mil. before he visited the rats, what has changed about him that would make him worth more than 10 mil. now?

Solid breakdown of the potential factors for McCoy in his decision.

Gerald McCoy free agency decision Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | 92.3 The Fan
https://923thefan.radio.com/articles/ger...altimore-ravens

Cleveland, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Gerald McCoy could have a difficult decision to make. Should he sign with the Browns or Ravens?

McCoy visited with the Browns last Thursday night and most of the day Friday but left Cleveland without a contract. A first-time free agent, McCoy wanted to play the field and weigh his options by completing a visit to Baltimore.

McCoy spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday morning with the Ravens, and by all accounts his visit went as well as the one in Cleveland did, “great.”

It wouldn’t be a surprise if McCoy took more free agency visits, but let’s size up the opportunity for McCoy with the Browns and Ravens.

Money – Cleveland has $32.747 million in cap space while Baltimore boasts $13.484 million in room. Advantage: Draw. Both teams have the available resources required to sign McCoy, who reportedly is seeking a contract north of the $9.25 million guaranteed Ndamukong Suh got to replace him in Tampa Bay.

Winning – After adding Pro Bowlers Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson to the defensive line as well as arguably the best receiver in the game in Odell Beckham Jr. to the roster this offseason, the Browns are the trendy pick to win the AFC North led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who enters his second NFL season. On paper, Cleveland might have the best collection of talent in the division. The Ravens are all in on Lamar Jackson at QB but questions remain about his arm strength and accuracy. On paper, Baltimore took a step back - Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, Michael Crabtree and Eric Weddle are all gone but they did add Earl Thomas and obviously putting McCoy up front will absolutely give their defense serious punch. Advantage: Browns.

Playing time – McCoy would be a starter for both teams; however, he’d probably see more snaps in Baltimore because Steve Wilks would likely implement a rotation among the defensive tackles in Cleveland meaning fewer opportunities to rack up those all-important sacks. Advantage: Ravens, but if fresh legs and less tread on the tires matter, then advantage to the Browns.

Supporting cast – In Cleveland McCoy would be surrounded with three Pro Bowlers up front with Myles Garrett, Richardson and Vernon in addition to Larry Ogunjobi. In Baltimore it’s Chris Wormley, Brandon Williams, Pernell McPhee and Tim Williams on the front line. Advantage: Browns.

Relationships – McCoy played for Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen for two seasons with the Buccaneers 2014-15 but he’s also familiar with new Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who held the same position the previous three years in Tampa. Advantage: Ravens.

Future earnings impact – If the goal of McCoy’s agent is to get the six-time Pro Bowler back on the market in 2020, more snaps equals more opportunities to make impact plays which translates to more potential free agent dollars. Advantage: Ravens.

From an opportunity – both playing time and setting up future free agent money – standpoint, the Ravens make more sense, but if McCoy really wants to win, and win big, the Browns would be a no-brainer choice to make.

And now we wait.

Nothing has changed. We just didn't start negotiations with our top number. The Browns had to figure they wouldn't be the only team interested in McCoy, so they didn't show all their cards yet. I'm sure they have a figure in mind that they won't go beyond.

That's possible. However, I would think you would wish to put your top offer forward so he would sign and not leave town without a deal. And I still don't believe he's worth 10 mil.+. If so cap space would play into it. But I just don't think that's an issue.

I mean the deal Suh signed was worth "up to" 10 mil. with incentives. I really don't think McCoy has more value than Suh.

IF we get McCoy, what I see with him is a defensive roster than can TRULY run any front. We would have guys that would allow us to seamlessly switch from 4-3 to 3-4 and actually FIT their roles in each.

The same way that we now have an offensive roster than can attack any defense, we'd have a defensive roster that could fit to and attack any offense.

That's not how I see this situation. Maybe with other players, different GMs may value them very differently... but I doubt that's the case with a guy like McCoy. He's a solid, known qty. There really aren't very many question marks with his game OR his head/attitude. Age will start to become a question mark, but it's not yet.

A guy like McCoy is probably still valued very highly. Having more cap space would allow a team to pay at or closer to his value.

Nothing would change. We make our pitch and offer a fair contract. If he wants to take it great. If not, he can sign elsewhere. I'm not falling for the obvious and transparent "pit the divisional rivals against each other" strategy and I doubt Dorsey is either. He has been aggressive in using up cap space, but he hasn't been reckless. There's a difference.

This is agents now. Time and money.

Suh set the market price.

Maybe $11 for a year. $20 for two.

There maybe incentives or other conditions.

Ty interesting read.

I don't really agree with his slant on snap counts, because its more about quality snaps and being able to bring your best on any given play.

That is why they rotate the DL in the first place.

Agree 100%

Happy brithday!

I am not sure any club can dictate the market beyond contract. Overpay and get him. Nothing real in serving notice. hats off to agent(s) who built this potential bidding war. I do feel that it is "McCoy at any price." We just need to outbid the Rats. Our "price" is, I am sure, some number with a range and some variety in time length. I trust Dorsey. We don't want to pay too much for this tin whistle, but he may command more.

Waiting to see how this will play out.

Why not front load the contract to pay him more in 2019 than Balt could offer? Give him 2 years $20-21 million with $14 coming in 2019. Balt can’t match the 2019 money. He gets paid. We get a great player and some cap relief in 2020.

Thanks, FL

Excerpt from article:

A meeting is in the works. According to the Athletic, McCoy has agreed to visit Carolina this week.

“Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy will continue his free agency tour this week with a visit to the Panthers, a league source told The Athletic on Wednesday. McCoy has already visited Cleveland and Baltimore, but left both teams without a contract.”

McCoy is an enticing talent, but there’s probably a reason why he left the Browns and Ravens without a deal. Signing an elite defensive lineman is an expensive proposition.

As of right now, the Panthers have just $9.8 million in cap room, according to Over the Cap. They might need to cut some dead weight if they’re seriously going to make a run at McCoy.


https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2019/05/29/panthers-gerald-mccoy-interest-meeting/


This saga is starting to annoy me. If we get him, I'm happy. If we don't - meh.

I agree. I believe he said he wanted to go where he could win, right? As in,, "it's not about the money", yet, as always, it's about the money.

I don't blame him. I just hope he signs somewhere, soon.

McCoy has never been a free agent and is towards the end of his career. I don’t blame him for finding out as much as possible about potential teams before making a choice.

"This saga is starting to annoy me. If we get him, I'm happy. If we don't - meh."

This.

You guys are being impatient. Relax.

It’s May 29th, what’s the rush?

You can do that to an extent, but I don't think you can vary more than 25% from year to year.

This prospect makes my head swim. After so many years of head-banging futility, dysfunction and ineptitude, it's still hard to believe that this team looks like this- in less than 18 months.

Unreal.

Impatient for sure.

I suppose it's more a reaction to all the hype put on individuals for this team in the past (Rison, Bowe, Britt, etc...)and our colossal failures.

By mini-camp, it'd be sure nice to see all members present, focused, keeping personal stuff to a minimum in the media (yes, I'm worried about that with the media attention on us this year) and a young team with a few standout veterans starting to take shape.

No distractions.

If McCoy wants to be on the field at all times, then he's not coming to Cleveland. He'd be in a rotation here with Larry and Sheldon on board.

You'll see that as soon as attendance is mandatory.

There will still be drama, but I'll wager that the vast majority of it will be manufactured by the sports writers - and most likely at cleveland.com.

MKC has been strangely quiet. It almost seems as though, without a QB to complain about, she doesn't know what to do with herself.

If I’m Dorsey I put an expiration on the offer. Of the 3 teams we prob need him the least

If spending a mil or two extra to keep him away from them and helping them win the division is what could change our opinion.

They need more than him to win the division. We just need to offer more than they can comfortably offer without having to cut people to create space. Ditto for Carolina.

He's playing the waiting game, using what leverage he has while he has it.
He may want a one year deal, he may be holding out for one last payday knowing that his shelf life is limited now. Whatever it is, he is going to use all the time he can to leverage things to what he wants as much as possible..... we just have to meet him half way.

Why would we put some kind of time limit?

I am optimistic.

I like our chances. All things considered if the money is close; I think we are the best fit in all categories.

If he's smart that should intrigue him. Extend his career by being in a rotation like that.

If he really does want a one year deal then give him 16 million this year and let him walk next year. We have the cap space. He'd be a good locker-room guy. I don't thnk we should break the bank on some 2 or 3 year deal. But a one year then walk contract? Why not?

If we were going to do that then we should have sent a 7th rounder to TB and paid him $13 million this year and let him walk next year.

And he would face a lot more double teams with Balt than he would here.

This is what i recognized when he left here and went to Baltimore.


McCoy has never been a Free Agent. This is his chance to see what things are like with other teams. It's also his choice to go anywhere that he wants (and wants him)

As a fan, it's frustrating. But i can't say i blame him one bit.


But, as i've said earlier, i'm happy whether we get him or not. Not that big of a deal to me. If we get him, we're really making a run for it this year. If we don't, we have more money to lock up guys like Demarius Randall/Larry Ogunjobi next season

I didn't know/realize this.... in this case, there is nothing to sweat, yet, folks. Let the man enjoy his process. This may literally be the one and only time that he gets to experience this.

Agreed. He’s taking a tour of NFL stadiums. Getting to see the home facilities of a few teams. Getting wined and dined by a bunch of football guys talking football. Sounds like a cool experience any of us would jump at.
I hope we land him, but can’t begrudge him his process.

I see this as his agent doing his due diligence. McCoy could possibly never see a pay day like this again at his age. It doesn't make sense to leave big money on the table. I'm sure he wants to play for a winner but he also has to be looking at life beyond football.

The way I see it we're at least even with Baltimore on paper as far as he's concerned. Cleveland's prospects seem to be rising so does that tip the scales in that direction? Who knows?

My bet is we know something by this time next week. It's obvious McCoy is in no hurry and I don't blame him. And yes, I do believe he'll sign with Cleveland. I hope he does his Rolls in some metallic seal brown instead of orange, though.

I agree, let it play out naturally. No one is in a hurry here. As they say, the early bird may get a worm but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. You want worms, or cheese?

seems his agent and he don't like the deals that have been offered, whether that means years or salary or both

I'm guessing we offered 2 years, 20 million ... with like 15 guaranteed

I've never even sniffed a situation close to this one that McCoy is in. Still I don't believe it is purely a money decision. Team fit, personal goals, family considerations and working conditions would all matter to me.

I think he would have signed that deal quite quickly.

The Ravens don't have the cal space to go crazy on a deal. They do have about $13 million in cap space, but you need to keep some available, and the Ravens have been somewhat conservative with regards to the cap. The Panthers have only $9.8 million after restructuring Luke Kuechly's deal.

At the risk of sounding like I'm "fawning over Freddie"... I LOVE that attitude.

That is the right approach.

Show and tell what you have going and how he fits in.

He knows what we have going on.

Tell him "we want you but we want you all in." Go and look around. See first hand why if you want to win and be apart of something special; this is where it will happen."


Personally, I think he will decide to join us.

If he decides to go elsewhere; so be it.

I get the feeling that it's already a done-deal for us; McCoy is just enjoying touring the circuit for the first time.

Victory lap, with steaks and fine dining!

I think we get him. He can have his own cabana and hammock on the Island. Sit-in' in the sun soaking up the love.

j/c:

Here’s confirmation ... i hope no more visits pop up over the weekend .... his choices are clear ...if winning is important to him this is a NO-BRAINER ...

GERALD MCCOY
DL, UNSIGNED FREE AGENT

Free agent DT Gerald McCoy will take the weekend to mull his options before deciding where to sign.

McCoy just concluded his meeting with the Panthers, his third free-agent visit following previous sit-downs with Baltimore and Cleveland. It's hard to guess where McCoy is leaning, though the veteran has made it clear that playing for a contender takes precedence over money. Look for the six-time Pro Bowler to make his decision early next week.

RELATED: Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens
SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
May 31, 2019, 4:36 PM ET

Do the right thing Gerald ....

Lol!

It is interesting how the timing of McCoy's deliberations might coincide with OTAs.

Since they were voluntary, what is the interesting part?

Even if skipping OTAs mattered, you couldn't fault him in any way for it. OTAs are as good a time as any to go visit teams when you're a Free Agent In-Demand. It's a good way to come, see the facility, see the coaches in action, and see/meet many of the players.

Plus, McCoy was cut on the 20th. He came and visited Cleveland on the 23rd and 24th. Then this week he went to Baltimore and Carolina.


Getting a chance to be a free agent and explore other teams for the first time in his life, not sure what he was supposed to do........



That being said, the NFL needs to figure this one out. The players argued for these to be voluntary in the CBA......... I get that you want everyone there. I get that the media needs stories. But they are voluntary.

I truly believe that this is also a result of his agent over emphasizing his $$$ value on the FA market.

So nobody came close to the mark he was led to believe that he was going to get. Or else he would have signed.

I think we have the upper leg on other teams.

As far as missing OTA's. He's a veteran and he does not necessarily have to start with us. Although I think he will get the start over Larry due to his Veteran level and Larry seems like the ultimate team guy who will probably end up with more reps than Richardson or McCoy.

But I don't mind putting Larry in when the opponents OL is starting to suck wind...his speed will be even more faster!!!
there is no down side with Richardson, McCoy and Larry at DT...none at all!

jmho

Could be. It also could be the extra visits have leveraged his position and we have already upped the amount we are willing to pay, be it total dollars, more years, or better up front money.

Baker Mayfield says he's lobbying fellow Sooner, Gerald McCoy.

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/06...s-minicamp.html

Hope Baker Mayfield helps us out there! Turning his back on us to be elsewhere is kind of a strain to imagine. So let us hope it is for us. Voluntary OTA for folks on a team.

We expect to hear his decision this week, correct?

Browns minicamp (mandatory) begins Tuesday, June 4, and McCoy has said he wants to attend those sessions wherever he goes. So if the choice is Cleveland, he'll announce tomorrow, I would guess. Ravens and Panthers minicamps aren't until next week (June 11).

This is the kind of thinking that baffles me. A football player has a business decision to make. It's not personal. Yet fans will use a term like "turning his back on us" as if this is some type of insult if he signs elsewhere. It's not.

Business decision first and foremost, definitely.

But if he chooses Baltimore or Carolina over us, in the back of his head he must be thinking we truly don't have a shot at a playoff run this season. Understandable given our history, but short-sighted. He's got a few years left in him.

I'm not so sure. Maybe he feels all of these three teams has a shot at the playoffs so he should take the best offer of the three. I understand that we as fans are very excited about the prospects of this season, but a lot of teams make the playoffs. We're not the only team he's talking to that he may feel has a shot at the playoffs. I believe that's unrealistic thinking.

I mean we can all debate Lamar Jackson and the loss of talent on the Ravens this coming season, but the fact remains they made the playoffs last year with Lamar playing in his rookie season. They made the playoffs in 2015 and won a SB in 2013. They made the playoffs every year from 2009 through 2012.

Now I'm not trying to undermine our potential moving forward. But as it stands to date, we have the potential on paper. Baltimore has a proven record to look at.

Thanks to Dave for that answer. Sorry, Pit. My statement wasn't about sentiment or emotion in the phrasing you picked. It was very much a business judgment that I didn't want mischaracterized. If we can offer better money, years, terms or incentives in our package, he would have to turn his back on a competitive offer to sign elsewhere. No emotion on my part. But it would be a business decision I would have trouble imagining him making. He would have to overlook what we can match or beat to go elsewhere for less. Hopefully this is clearer. Business is business, sometimes bad biz is too.

j/c:

I think most players go where the money is unless an organization is completely toxic, like we were before Dorsey took over.

I also think that Baltimore, Cleveland, and Carolina can all make claims to have a winning team. I can fully understand why a player like McCoy might not think that Cleveland is going to be so much better than the other teams. 1-6-1 against teams w/a winning record doesn't exactly assure that a team is going to win huge the following year.

I think we need to have a couple consecutive winning seasons with playoffs to win FA players looking to win now. On paper yes things look great, isn't always indicative of being successful on the field. Honestly if Mccoy is picking based on winning he'd pick us last

Of the 3 condending teams who have the talking heads been giving the most hype too.

Ya, well the Browns have Baker Mayfield, so a couple of consectutive winning seasons with playoffs may already be a given.
If someone doesn't want to come along for the ride, it may just be, their loss.

J/C

There is no telling what McCoy will value the most in making his decision. He will make the best decision he can. No doubt we are biased in our views.

I wasn't arguing. I was trying to provide another way that players might look at the situation. I also think we have the most talent, but a few posters are acting like it's a no-brainer that we are going to win more than the other two teams. I don't know if that is the case. We have a new coaching staff that may or may not be good. We don'
t have the experience of some other teams. We have some promising young guys, but I think it's dangerous to automatically say they are going to be great. The Rats beat us in the very last game of the year and our qb threw 3 picks.

I can see where maybe McCoy might think Baltimore is better. I can also see that has ties to one of the coaches there. I also think money is a lot more important to players than many fans believe. Tampa Bay unceremoniously cut a player who has been highly productive and a model citizen.

It's not about "team," it about the "mean green."

I'd expect something very soon before teams break for the summer

Business-wise, Career-wise, Personal Goal-wise...Ithink we give him the best options. Now this is a personal opinion. But, I don't think it is far off.

Business-wise, we can offer him the most amount of money and are more able (likely) to offer him multiple years.

Career-wise, we have a rotation that will keep him fresher and more productive. The pressure is not there to carry the rest of the line. He is a good leader and can lead. And he can still set the tone...But the pressure to carry the whole line is not there. He can play more free. The others need him to be the stud he was a few years ago on a full time basis. I don't think that is realistic. He will be good anywhere he goes...but I think he will be more effective and produce better numbers for a longer amount of time with the Browns.

Personal Goal-wise, we are the favorites in the division. And there is a good reason for that. We are the favorites with or without him. Even if he signs with B'more...we will still be the favorites. If he signs with us we move up another level. And out of the 3 teams he has visited. The Browns have the best shot at a Super Bowl if he joins them. I don't see the same or better odds of that happening if he joins the other 2 teams.

This is my opinion and is speculation...but I don't think I am that far off. I can see some familiarity and comfort in joining the Ravens. Or even having a comfort level by staying in the NFC and getting 2 shots at his former team...But I do think it is in his long term interests to join with us and he can satisfy some short term interests as well...

Again...JMO...

We have "enough" money to pay McCoy.

If he's really interested in playing for a winning team, we have "enough" in that tank too.

Our rookie QB threw for 342 & 376 yards against the vaunted Ravens defense that lost some impact players on D. We added OBJ and impact players on D.

We were a missed field goal or a botched ref call at the goal line from beating the Ravens who were playing for a playoff berth while we were playing for the right to move to slightly-better-than-.500

We exposed their QB in the second half, provided the blueprint to stop that QB-as-RB offense, and were (possibly) the cause of them changing up their offense in the off-season to the point it surprised their QB/RB who can't throw the ball like a below-average NFL QB.

Carolina has better weather and a diva QB who is hurt...still. They can't beat the Saints and Brees.

If the following holds true by team, here is my opinion of how he made his choice:

Browns
Money
Winner
QB

Ravens
Money
Winning
Familiarity/More snaps to showcase for bigger contract

Panthers
Money
Weather/location
Chance to stick it to old team 2x/yr
Winning

JMO.

1. If its all about $$$ just curious what is the Ohio state tax like??? That has to be a variable in his decision then.

2. I think nowadays especially in 3 year or less contracts. It has to be about the GUARANTEED money given as the factoid to sign.

What ever we offer him I hope a lot of it is UPFRONT...so that when we got to start signing some of these rookies his $$$ in cap space is available.

Any news??? Did he go back home for his decision?

Its not a make or break player for us but as I said before this signing would be one indicative that we are going gung ho for the POST SEASON!

jmho

Browns cap space: $32.6
Ravens cap space: $13.4
Panthers cap space: $8.5

If it's money we have the room and could offer more.

The rest of the speculation who knows?

While it's true we certainly have more cap room, does that mean we're just going to throw money at the guy? I mean don't we have a set value that a player is worth?

There was a time I think we were so bereft of talent we were desperate to sign players. We were considered a poor destination for a players career. As such we did throw money at players to lure them here. And even at that, they sometimes still left for less. But I no longer see us as fitting either of those two categories.

I think we have a set value for McCoy and beyond that, we won't simply offer more money to win some peeing contest out of desperation to land his talent. Now that may be more than other teams can offer under the cap or it may not. I just don't see us overpaying what this FO perceives his actual value to be to land the player.

No, but it means we can make at least an equal offer to any other team - and if the money is equal and he still doesn't want to be here, then we don't want him because it means he hasn't bought in to what we're doing here.

I'm just not sure all teams see a player at equal value. As I mentioned, there was a time we would have been desperate to land a player of McCoy's talent. Now he's more seen as another piece of the puzzle. Not a desperate need per say.

How highly we value him and the length of the contract we are willing to extend to him may very well be less than another team in a different position than we are.

The bottom line to all of this for me is that I don't think we will or need to get into some bidding war to sign McCoy.

Agreed.

I don't believe there is any chance of us getting into a bidding war. What I see happening is simply us giving him a reasonable contract that lets him still get paid.... we aren't going to try to get some ridiculous low-ball deal, we'll give him a fair value for who he is, what he offers, and how we envision him being used.


I actually fully expect him to be a Browns player and here for minicamp tomorrow.


I hope I'm not disappointed by that expectation, lol

I know the Browns want to get him in under 10 mil. Where we have flexibility that is not as easy for the others is a multi year contract.
Because we are far more capable of offering a multiple years and front loading a contract. He can get his money this year and we can get him for multiple years under an average of 10 mil/yr.

The others might be able to clear room for a nice grab this year, but both have issues going into next year where they will have to make a lot of cuts again...

To me that means if McCoy goes to one of these teams it is a one year prove it deal and he is putting all his eggs into one basket to go to the post season...JMO

From what has been recently published it is between us and the Ravens.

Up to Dorsey to figure the value.

What does he mean to us? What does it mean for him to sign with us and not the Ravens?

If Suh got a one year deal for just under $10 that kind of sets the price. His past contract was for $13.

So those are the parameters.

We can afford a $.500 to $1 mil more than the Ravens.

I doubt the difference will determine his decision.

Years??

McCoy's best chance to go to the playoffs and win is with the Browns, I assume the dude knows whats going on around the league I expect him to sign his offer from the Browns in the AM and report to mini camp.

He may sign elsewhere but I honestly think he is NUTS if he does.

I think he and his agent are being smart and doing their due diligence.

Yup.

Money is ALWAYS a factor, even when it "isn't". Even when the player just wants to play somewhere he has a shot at making the playoffs, the money still matters because nobody but a fool will take less than their value from the table without damn good reason.

My contention is still that two of the three teams are simply fodder as leverage to negotiate a better deal.

We should have something done soon.

I guess the question remains which two teams are the fodder.

"We should have something done soon."

j/c:

Panthers are giving former Buccaneers’ DT Gerald McCoy a one-year deal, per sources. It is likely to be worth about $8.5 million, per sources.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1135666285495369728

I would have liked to have him but I can’t begrudge him wanting to stay in the south and play against his old team.

Looks like in the end we were option #3. I, for one, am perfectly fine with him not signing with us.

Meh, as long as he didn't sign in Baltimore. Moving on.

I'd have liked him for 8.5 million dollars.

But not the end of the world. Supposedly, we like our other DTs, and this will give us more money to carry over to next season (and so on).


I'd really like to find a way to re-sign Demarius Randall.

Ya, its not like he’s any good and would have helped at all ... who needs depth and fresh DL man ...

BIG TIME BUMMER for us ....

good for him ... he got what he wanted ...

One things for sure ... he wow’s easy ... *L* ...

Darn it ...

Ditto.

This is a good note. I certainly prefer McCoy playing for Carolina than Baltimore

8mill base ... worth up to 10.25 with incentives ...


GERALD MCCOY
DL, CAROLINA PANTHERS

Panthers signed DT Gerald McCoy, formerly of the Bucs, to a one-year, $8 million contract.

It can be worth up to $10.25 million. McCoy picks the Panthers over the Ravens and Browns and gets to stay in the familiar NFC South and play against his former Tampa Bay teammates twice a year. The Panthers are switching to a 3-4 front, which the Bucs are also doing, but Tampa didn't consider him a particularly good fit for DC Todd Bowles' version. Coach Ron Rivera and DC Eric Washington in Carolina have other ideas and will slide McCoy in next to NT Dontari Poe and DT Kawann Short to form a lethal front. McCoy will get a better bite at free agency next offseason at 32 years old.

RELATED: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jun 3, 2019, 6:04 PM ET

If not us, I’m fine with this. Have fun with Cam and the boys.

While I am disappointed at losing out on McCoy, at least we didn't lose him to the Rats.

I am going to need some time to get the idea of a "Bears" front out of my head, though ....... Garrett, Ogunjobi, Richardson, McCoy, and Vernon. Ooof. Man, who could you hope to block for long? 1 LB and 5 DB, and go attack the QB.

I have heard that Chad Thomas, Carl Davis, and Daniel Ekuale looked good thus far in camp, for whatever that's worth in a camp without contact.

A disappointment but what can you do?

Hopefully we won't miss him. You never know an opportunity opens for someone else and maybe that guy makes the best of it.

So he went to the team with the weakest chance of going to playoffs? Right. Oh well glad that drama is over. Let’s bring on the season already

Asked



And answered ...

All we can do at this point is be glad he isn’t in our our division, our conference or we don’t play them this year ... in that order ...

Thats a big pick up for them and a loss for us ... were still plenty good but as u well know u can never have enough good football players and he’s still a really good one ..

they needed him more so that was nice of us ... *LOL* ...

D linemen as a rule are more athletic than olinemen.There are certain traits that can be ascertained in non combat drills.If your not drafting combine warriors,a coach can get a good feel for what he's got.

That should read non contact,not non combat.

Carolina might be the most Win/Loss bipolar NFL team I have ever seen.

He must be hedging his bets that they will be good last year because they were bad the previous year.


Year Record Finish (Regular / Post Season) Coach
2018 7-9-0 3rd -- NFC South -- Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2017 11-5-0 2nd -- NFC South 0-1 - Lost Wild Card Playoffs Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2016 6-10-0 4th -- NFC South -- Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2015 15-1-0 1st -- NFC South 2-1 - Lost Superbowl Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2014 7-8-1 1st -- NFC South 1-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2013 12-4-0 1st -- NFC South 0-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2012 7-9-0 2nd -- NFC South -- Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2011 6-10-0 3rd -- NFC South -- Ron Rivera Roster / Stats
2010 2-14-0 4th -- NFC South -- John Fox Roster / Stats
2009 8-8-0 3rd -- NFC South -- John Fox Roster / Stats
2008 12-4-0 1st -- NFC South 0-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs John Fox Roster / Stats
2007 7-9-0 T2nd -- NFC South -- John Fox Roster / Stats

I'm fine with this. Browns brass wanted someone who is All In. And he's not.

So, we were 3rd on a list of 3, that sucks. It appears to not be about money either. Did they not put out snacks?

j/c:

I was hoping we would sign him, but I realized that all three teams had something to offer. Looks like location was the biggest determining factor, because the money isn't all that. I also think that Cam had a role in his choice and even more importantly, he can stick it to TB twice this year and play for a better contract next year.

Where did you get 3rd on a list of 3?

I'm from Cleveland, and I love this town, but if I wasn't from here I would certainly rather live in Charlotte. We had sunshine here today for about the 2nd or 3rd time in the last month (or at least it seems), but it was only 54*F. In June.

Probably from this quote from Schefter:

From this quote from Memphis.

I live in Columbia, SC. That is about 90 miles south of Charlotte. It's been in the 90s for days not a day of rain in weeks. Thankfully, the dew point has been low.

I wear shorts on many winter days and the autumns and springs are divine. I am not a fan of the hot summer days when the dew point is in the 70s, but I have a pool. A lot of people down here do. No cover, no heater, no problem.

There is no doubt that the weather is better down here, especially if you like sunshine.

GC. Don't be too sad, my close Bengal Fan has been trying to convince me for 2-3 weeks, that not only did he visit Cincy the same day he visited Cleveland but he was going to sign there,

Yet even when checking online 1 day ago, the only teams mentioned were, Cleveland, Baltimore, somewhere else, Cleveland again, Baltimore again, and that other place again, ( I'm not 100% certain it was Carolina I was reading, perhaps San Francisco, yeah I think it was San Francisco, in reports if you just online checked McCoy's name 1 day ago.)

Somehow Cincy Fan I know thought it was a certainty he was about to go there, (maybe it was a "local" rumor) good luck with that.

One thing I wonder .. especially with the McCoy checking out all three teams, the cities, the fans, the media ... Is if all the tempest in a teapot media drama about OBJ missing OTAs could have soured McCoy on the Browns a little. Not saying it did.. Not saying it didn't .. but I do have to wonder...

Probably not, but that is an interesting thought. My son--who is a Steelers fan--and I were talking yesterday about how the Cleveland media and some of its fan base has a real problem w/certain types of people.

People dogged LeBron all the time even though he is the only guy in the modern era to deliver a chip to the city. A lot of folks don't like a guy like OBJ [I am not allowed to say why in this forum.] Yet, they will defend another guy whose incidents are much more severe.

We are far from being the among the most open-minded city to play in.

Yeah as hear the Cleveland media can be. And really they need to give players like that of LeBron at the time instead of others who do not get the attention. Or not enough of it.

No offense, but I really am not sure what you are trying to say.

Sorry, but that's just silly.

I'm disappointed the Browns couldn't sign McCoy. I don't think it should derail our season. The team has goals and it has talent. Our starters are fine. Our IDL depth is thin but I'm confident Dorsey will continue to explore options. Gotta coach'm up!

I never thought he was going to leave the NFC South, but 10 mil is a hefty amount. Good for him

I don't know how Lebron and OBJ are similar.

Second-best outcome, for us Browns fans.

They are black men who don't know the meaning of "stay in your lane, bro."

Sorry, I don't know what that line means either, I guess i'll have to leave this to the smarter people.

Somehow, I doubt that the "smarter people" will reply. LOL

Dawg, Imma pick a little bone with ya, here... but with respect and a smile.


I'm with you that it would have been great to have McC here, but I just think about this as consolation:

Him signing elsewhere doesn't diminish our current 'embarrassment of riches' one little bit.

Since '99, this team has never been so well-stocked. On both sides of the ball.

And so, I'm also with Memphis, if you can understand my split personality on this one. McCoy would have been some truly sweet icing on our D's cake... but we already have the necessary ingredients for a pretty damned good cake without him.

_____________

In years past, losing out on a Gerald McCoy would have been potentially devastating. If not devastating, certainly deflating. Why?
Because we were so lousy/talent-starved we NEEDED guys like him for our team to even sniff "respectable's" azz.

(Remember how geeked we all were to get FA C LeCharles Bentley back when our OL was the laughingstock of the league? And how destroyed we were when he went down on Day One of TC?)

It's certainly disappointing to miss out on a great player, but it would hurt more- if we were less of a team.

Truth: This is the very first time since '99 that a story like this got nothing more than a shoulder shrug from me. That's how much better I think we are.

I ain't just yet ready to buy a Royal Caribbean cruise ticket to your island... but I'm also not borderline suicidal all the time any more.

It's been a fun offseason after a surprising, entertaining year... and I'm unwilling to let this McCoy story place a little dark cloud in my otherwise blue skies.

Gerald McCoy gets $4 million guaranteed, deal heavy on incentives
Michael David Smith,ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports 2 hours 30 minutes ago

Gerald McCoy would have had a $13 million base salary this year if he hadn’t been released by the Buccaneers. He’ll make a lot less than that in Carolina, but how much less will depend on how well he plays.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, McCoy gets just $4 million guaranteed, although he can make up to $10.25 million if he hits all his incentives.

In addition to the signing bonus, the deal includes a $3 million base salary, $500,000 roster bonus at training camp, a total of up to $500,000 in roster bonuses for being active on game days, a $500,000 bonus if he records 6.5 sacks and a $1.5 million bonus if he records eight sacks, plus $250,000 if he makes the Pro Bowl and $250,000 if the Panthers make the playoffs.

There’s no reason McCoy shouldn’t get the $3 million base salary and $500,000 roster bonus, which will bring him up to $7.5 million on the season, but the incentives will be tough to reach. If McCoy were to have an identical season in 2019 to the one he had in 2018, he’d make $437,500 in per-gram roster bonuses (for playing 14 out of 16 games), and hit none of the incentives: Last year McCoy didn’t get 6.5 sacks, didn’t make the Pro Bowl and the Panthers didn’t make the playoffs.

McCoy and his agent may have been looking for a way to spin the contract as comparable to or even better than the deal that Ndamukong Suh got to replace McCoy in Tampa, and by structuring it so that he can make up to $10.25 million, they’re allowing for the possibility that McCoy will make more than the $10 million maximum Suh can make this season.

The difference, however, is that Suh gets a $9.25 million salary, and only $750,000 of his pay is in incentives. McCoy is unlikely to hit enough incentives to reach $9.25 million. If McCoy were to have the same season this year that he had last year, he’d make just under $8 million — meaning getting cut by the Bucs will cost him more than $5 million.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/gerald-mccoy-gets-4-million-230443352.html

He'll be the richest guy in the NFL!

He weighs a lot of grams!

Him choosing to sign there seems to have had little to do with the Browns or Cleveland. Article makes him sound salty towards Tampa Bay.

He's dead to me.


😂😁

yep .. It wasn't about money .. It wasn't about making the Playoffs .. It was about making Tampa Bay pay for releasing him and signing Suh.

Dorsey can only sign so many studs an off-season...:)

Mr. Clem

Did u miss this reply in regards to how good we are even though he would have been a huge pick up for us ...it was posted after my reply to Memphis ...

IMO we still have more talent than anyone else in the league ... adding him would have widened that gap not created it ...

Like i been saying since last Sept ,,,, this is DIFFERENT ...

I think this was a BIG LOSS in that he would have made us a better football team ... like i said to bone ... u can never have enough good players and he’s still one of them ... but in no way does not signing him change the fact that IMO we have the most talented team in the league ...

3 high quality DT’s are better than 2 .... and 5 high quality DL man are better than 4 ... theres that math again ... *L* ...

Turns out with your analogy u were just being mean ... *L*

j/c:

This is interesting.....

As I said before, he is now just another guy to beat. Next.

I'm not so sure. Most people seemed convinced it was a done deal until McCoy's visit with Carolina. I think the odds changed after the Buccs signed Suh - who'll be wearing McCoy's number, and the Panthers were able to leverage playing the Buccaneers twice.

Frankly, that seems to be what made his decision.

It cannot be money - the deal he's being offered is one the Browns and Ravens both would have happily matched. It cannot be winning as I'd argue the Browns and Ravens are both more likely to win the AFC North than the Panthers are to overcome the Saints and Falcons.

There are a lot of factors that we cannot know, to be sure, but I think the success of his visit with the Browns was overshadowed by the urge to get back at his former team.

I'm not bothered by not signing him. I love the duo of Richardson and Ogunjobi. Some nice depth options between Coley, Davis and Lawrence. But I do think the early indication was that he was almost certain to join the Browns.

He'd be signed and here right now if OBJ hadn't skipped OTA's and made a mockery of everything.

Also, the wipers on my car were acting up today... Damn You, OBJ!!!

I didn't know being in the same division was considered leverage. I thought everyone in the same division played each other twice.

He's dead to me to. Can we close this thread now?

I honestly can't figure out what you're trying to do with this post. Either the point that the Panthers are the only team to offer McCoy the opportunity to play his former team twice was lost on you, or you just literally think it needs to be pointed out that all teams play divisional opponents twice.

He knew the Panthers played the Bucs twice a year when he went there. It wasn't something the Panthers used as leverage.

Maybe the Panthers really played up that angle during the visit?

He beat his brains out weekly to get to FA and he did what he earned...tested the waters. Have a good time in Carolina. I personally dont see choosing some sort of revenge over winning and money but hey, he earned the choice. Moving forward...

As I said, you never know what motivates a guy...he wanted to stay in conference and division to play against the Bucs.

Better his division than ours. (if not with us)

Would have been a nice signing, but I'm not really disappointed.

J/c...

Freddie on McCoy

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, McCoy gets just $4 million guaranteed, although he can make up to $10.25 million if he hits all his incentives.

In addition to the signing bonus, the deal includes a $3 million base salary, $500,000 roster bonus at training camp, a total of up to $500,000 in roster bonuses for being active on game days, a $500,000 bonus if he records 6.5 sacks and a $1.5 million bonus if he records eight sacks, plus $250,000 if he makes the Pro Bowl and $250,000 if the Panthers make the playoffs.

There’s no reason McCoy shouldn’t get the $3 million base salary and $500,000 roster bonus, which will bring him up to $7.5 million on the season, but the incentives will be tough to reach. If McCoy were to have an identical season in 2019 to the one he had in 2018, he’d make $437,500 in per-gram roster bonuses (for playing 14 out of 16 games), and hit none of the incentives: Last year McCoy didn’t get 6.5 sacks, didn’t make the Pro Bowl and the Panthers didn’t make the playoffs.

McCoy and his agent may have been looking for a way to spin the contract as comparable to or even better than the deal that Ndamukong Suh got to replace McCoy in Tampa, and by structuring it so that he can make up to $10.25 million, they’re allowing for the possibility that McCoy will make more than the $10 million maximum Suh can make this season.

The difference, however, is that Suh gets a $9.25 million salary, and only $750,000 of his pay is in incentives. McCoy is unlikely to hit enough incentives to reach $9.25 million. If McCoy were to have the same season this year that he had last year, he’d make just under $8 million — meaning getting cut by the Bucs will cost him more than $5 million.

I agree with how the Browns were thinking.. I don't understand the one year pay a guy a bunch.. It might work, but seems it never did in Cleveland. I'd rather see guys who want to be there for at least 3 -4 years to help with creating a winning culture and to help the young ones coming up to learn that

Imo a 31 yr old who is going to be there for one year isn't a helpful way of bringing up a young team whose players may be part of something for several at least.

As others stated, McCoy was a luxury. Great if we get him, not a disaster if we don't.We've beefed up our DL already, let's see what the younger guys can do on the interior.

I'm a bit surprised we apparently did not offer at least this much. Our DTs were abused in the running game last year and Richardson is better known as a pass rusher than a run stopper. I know people love Ogunjobi and rightfully so, but he has a hard time getting off of blocks in the run game. We could have used McCoy.

I thought we would have offered him a 2 year deal that was front loaded and would have allowed the club to part ways w/him after 1 year. I thought he might get $9.5 to $10 million for that first year.

Do we know what the Browns offered McCoy?

Ultimately, regardless of what any team offered McCoy, it does not mean that the highest bidder "wins".

Gerald McCoy has a wife and 5 children and I would think they have opinions that may have figured into the decision to go with Carolina.

No, we don't. Of course, most of us know that money is almost always the single greatest determining factor in such situations.

Bottom line this is why you try to trade for a guy you want, even if you know hes going to be released. I think a 5th could have gotten it done, give TB something to build with and Mccoy is better than any 5th rounder we've drafted. Sometimes you try to get cute and miss out. Not saying thats what happened, but the rumors of us wanting him happened long before he was released.

Lol if we offered him 13 mil, he would've signed here. The problem was never with McCoy's talent, but his price tag. I even said, I think his price was worth 8.5 mil tops, and that's not even my money. Which brings me to my point, just because you have money doesn't mean you should spend it.

Sure, but we certainly didn't want him at 13 million a year.

I thought Richardson, at this point in his career, is now more of a run-stopper instead of a pass rusher. I think it's been a few years since he was the QB terrorizer that he was with the Jets.

Agreed. I was surprised the McCoy threads got as much action as they did. Well maybe not so surprised, it is the slow part of the off-season after all.

What's a Gerald McCoy?

true, but my point was if we indeed really wanted him, that was the way to go as opposed to leaving things to chance as a FA

That's fine, I'd much rather have Richardson anyway.

I put this down to the man being hell bent on revenge which has little to do with winning. He is obviously not so bright.

Everyone has their pride, and I do not doubt that McCoy will be a one man wrecking crew against Tampa Bay. If not .. he is still cheap for the Panthers.

That is why when many were saying it was a no brainer, I said while it seems that way, we don't know what motivates the guy. Obviously going back to Raymond James and playing against his old team and in front of his old fans was a big motivating factor. At least we don't have to face him twice a year.

j/c...

As noted by Richardson, McCoy was not going to be top dawg here...maybe not even #2. Shame cause that would have been a heck of a tag team. Larry, Richardson and McCoy.

So all this talk about winning was not the #1 variable there was ego involved I'm sure.

Coley 6/1" 310 24 years old
Carl Davis 6'5" 320 27
Daniel Ekuale 6'3" 300 25
Devaroe Lawrence 6'2" 295 25
Brian Price 6'3" 322 24

One of these kids are going to have to step up!

jmho opportunity will be there. Coming in fresh and an offense on their heals cause we are kicking butt! Take advantage of it!

j/c

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...ve-about-tampa/

In what many saw as a sign of disrespect, the Buccaneers handed Gerald McCoy‘s jersey number to McCoy’s replacement, Ndamukong Suh, only days after releasing McCoy. They ushered McCoy out the door after nine seasons, saying he “just didn’t fit” their defense.

McCoy signed with the Panthers, giving him two chances to play his old team this season and however many seasons he’s in Carolina.

But McCoy, proving again what a class act he is, made it clear Tuesday that he has nothing but respect for the Bucs and appreciates the chance they gave him in drafting him in the first round in 2010.

“I don’t want it to be misconstrued the respect I have for the Buccaneers organization and how much I appreciate what they’ve done for me,” McCoy said on Ian Rapoport’s podcast, via a transcript from Greg Auman from TheAthletic.com. “A lot of people think I’ve turned my back on them or disrespected them. I’ll never do that.

“I’ll never say anything bad about Tampa. I’ll never say anything negative about Tampa. It doesn’t matter how much negative was said about me. It’ll never be reciprocated, because I know that organization changed my life. The time I had there was great.”

That is one classy dude. He always has been. TB did him dirty.

He is a classy guy, but I don't know Tampa did him dirty. Things change is how I will leave it.

Not to diminish what McCoy said in any way, but he probably lives in Tampa or surrounding area and wants to continue to do so...Tampa is a great place to live. A really nice town/area. The Tampa Bay area which includes St. Pete and Clearwater, and really, Sarasota...that is the place you want to be if living in Florida is what you want. That 100 mile stretch of coast is pretty perfect.

I agree that he's a classy dude. That said, I have to agree with Ballpeen here and say that I don't know that Tampa did him dirty. Things change, the Bucs and McCoy mutually agreed to part ways, and I'm not trying to take sides in that.

One could bring up the number thing, but you could also say that the Bucs released a player who wanted to be released when they had no obligation to. Call it a wash.

I haven't been to the Tampa area but I'll take peen's word for it. Sounds like an area I might enjoy sometime in the future actually.

j/c

I don't get the 'salary cap savings' angle of this trade. The diff between McCoy and Sue contracts is...what...3 million?

I understood the $13 million as an issue...but to back-fill it at $10 million seems odd to me.

Agreed, and the fact they gave Suh his number tells me there is more to the story.

j/c:

Can someone please tell me if McCoy wanted TB to release him because he didn't want to play for them anymore? I hadn't heard that before Haus made that claim. I was under the impression that TB released him due to his high salary. Is that wrong?

I don't remember ever reading that McCoy wanted out. He talked some about wanting to "win" though...although I think AFTER he was released. Who knows for sure? If you are wrong about TB releasing him because of his salary, then so am I.

I don’t remember that, either. I thought it was a salary move by TB.

Same.

Add me to that list.

Reports after he were released were that the Bucs and McCoy mutually agreed to part ways. For example: https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/sports...ually-part-ways


Could it have been the team and/or media spinning things in such a way to downplay releasing one of the few bright spots on the team in the recent past? Maybe.

I don't think McCoy ever directly commented on the situation. As we said, he's a classy dude. He did make comments about wanting to win though, and I don't think Tampa with their new coach and coming off a 5-11 record was the place for that.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/05/26/gerald-mccoy-i-want-to-win/

Just for the record Suh wore #93 last year with the RAMS to possibly it was not to insult McCoy but give him the number that he wanted. Pretty Logical I think.

A lot of this stuff is overblown because it's the off-season and there isn't much to talk about.