DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum 2022 Browns Free Agency Signings/News

Or Seahawks just roll with Lock for a year, avoid taking on Baker's $18.9M cap hit and use the draft capital in the Wilson trade to target a QB in the 2023 draft. Maybe they do decide to bring in Baker to compete for a starting job though. We'll see.

https://www.espn.com/blog/seattle-s...son-why-the-seahawks-have-a-ton-of-faith

I think Carolina is rolling with a QB in the draft (ie. Pickett).

Baker (and his contract) has turned into the old maid

Again, don't listen to steve0255 about the cap. Or if players will want to play for Stefanski.

If I'm not mistaken they are on the hook for Darnolds fifth year option. Trade for Baker and now you're paying $36m for Maynold.

That would suck.

Yep. It looks like the only way the Panthers get can out of from under Darnold's $18.8M cap hit is a post-6/1 trade and that's not happening.

What could happen is, to facilitrate a trade, for the Browns and Baker to restructure his contract to a 1 year deal, with $7 million or so converted to a signing bonus, thus making his salary more palatable to other teams.

Bagging on someone's opinion without ANY explanation as to why you are bagging on it is soooo pathetic.

The cap is an issue...it's oftentimes "manageable" but it IS an issue. The center of our "vaunted" OL is now gone due to the cap. Cooper Hooper is - and will be - the gift that keeps on dropping the ball while pounding the cap.

Stefanski has had two diva/stud WRs bail on him...it's not something to be completely ignored.

Guys... Wentz got the Colts a 3rd and (probably) a 2nd.

Maybe we just need to win a game of chicken, but Mayfield, IMO, is better than Wentz. Berry will figure it out.

I agree 100% Baker is better than Wentz - but the timing and perceived value for Baker has gone. Colts sold early with the perception that multiple teams would all be in the running. There are only 2 perceived teams that need a QB now ... I doubt we get near what Wentz got. . . . At this rate if Seattle doesn't trade for him I would not be surprised if Baker ends up with the Steelers.

Bart Scott is an idiot then. But he's a talking head so what do we expect?

Well, when someone previously calls the entire rest of the board low IQ, then completely ignored facets of an issue, they should expect some pushback. The new TV deals go into effect next year, they will have a big effect in how much the cap goes up. Using an old salary cap number to look at future percentage of cap is mistaken at best. Thus, don't listen to him about the cap. He talked about players not wanting to play for Stefanski with regards to Watson when it looked like he was going elsewhere. Watson ended up here. Thus, don't listen to him on whether players will want to play for Stefanski.

cfrs wasn't bagging on an opinion. steve's info has been wrong. I thought the quoted post was rather matter of fact about it.

Tretter isn't gone simply due to the cap. He's over 30 and hardly practiced because his body is breaking down. His replacement was deemed ready. Yes, there's a value component with regards to the cap, but I believe it had more to do with the basic realities of playing in a capped league than it did with our particular cap situation. You want to be replacing old, expensive players with younger, cheaper players when possible.

The team had one receiver bail. Was it due to Stefanski or Baker? OBJ's dad seemed to blame the QB. Landry was willing to stay. His complaint was about the contract. It's been reported that he wanted a longer contract than the team was offering. Why would you want a longer offer if you didn't want to play for the coach?

Somebody should tell them that he's a terrible QB and nobody will give that.

Bakers market is zilch. We are probably stuck with the guy. I just saw something that Seattle is going with Drew Lock on a 1.5 mil contract.

If we can even trade the guy, we will probably have to eat most of his salary. The odds are good we will keep him as a non active player. I wouldn't expect to get much if anything for him. I doubt we can give his salary away.

I'm not sure Baker will like the contracts offered to him next year when he held out after having a bad season.

He might not even get Drew Lock money. Teams likely won't want a guy that sulks in the corner when things don't go his way.

We will hold onto Baker until he reworks his deal. That's how I see it.

Well we heard Berry and KS say multiple times Baker was their guy --- so the Seattle announcement or however that is being released could just as easily change. But it could just as easily be the case.

What probably doesn't help - teams like Seattle might be in full tank mode due to the anticipated excellent draft class for QB's next year .... Panthers might be there too. I would have thought Pete Carol was too old to go through that chit ... and Rhule in Charlotte is very much under the gun and probably won't be a HC next year, so you'd think there would be some pressure to win this season for both organization? Drew Lock is a far worse option than a healthy Baker. But we'll see.

Could be. Seeing how other teams aren't showing much interest he may be feeling like this is his last big payday for a while and not have interest in doing so. He will be losing the Progressive gig for whatever that was worth so the 18 mil we will owe might sound pretty good.

I hope something can be worked out, but I am not very hopeful. The best bet is some QB gets hurt in camp.

Barring an injury to another starting QB that forces a team to trade for him, I envision us sitting him at home and then he becomes a free agent next year.
We get nothing, he loses a year. We pay $18million for nothing.

The best move for the Browns would be a new two year deal that lowers his annual price tag to make him more tradeable.... but, that's not a great deal for Baker's camp except that it gets him out of here. He's getting $18 million this year and then he's a free agent. That's a better deal for him.

Funny how they hated Cowherd for dissing Baker. Now they're promoting every Cowherd wannabe be that bags on Baker. Some Browns fans seem as two faced as Benedict Arnold.

I don't disagree with anything in your reply. When I read Steve's post on these matters, I see what I underlined above.

Tretter was a top (x) C last year and showed no drop-off...IMO if his contract was 6mil instead of 10mil, he'd be here for 2022 (final year). I see that as a cap casualty.

Watson signed the biggest contract in QB history, right? He was reportedly "out"...then this crazy GUARANTEED contract hit the inter-webs. Could be Ski...could be the $$$. Could be both. I wasn't thinking Landry when Steve brought up Diggs...then OBJ...then stats to backup the reduction in throws/targets...just considered his opinion. Reportedly, Landry wants multiple years and the Browns want(ed) a ONE year deal. Who really knows?

I find Steve's posts to be informative...he makes his points very well. That doesn't mean I agree with every comment he makes, but chicken dropping response like cfrs had up there deserves a bigger backlash response than Steve deserves for throwing out an actual opinion with a lot of thought behind it/them. JMO

-Jc-

If I’m the browns, I give Baker the Carson Palmer treatment. I let him sit, you already have to pay him even if you cut him, so let him sit. In the event that some playoff contending team loses their QB, perhaps you can get a 3rd/conditional 2nd for him.

I like Baker but his ceiling is 11-15th, I don’t think he would ever be a top 10, definitely not a top 5 QB. I don’t agree with Bart Scott, A healthy Baker is a viable QB option.

Any news on Clowney and Landry!? I had heard we were going to try and resign both of them. Assuming that Watson’s impending suspension will probably be 4-6 games, bringing back pretty much last year’s team with Watson and Cooper would put us in the SB contender seat, IMO.

Hopefully Landry and Clowney agree and want to come back.

Why do you think the suspension will "probably be 4-6 games"?

No thanks.

Hell no.

I'm definitely fine with Jarvis. With Watson on the team, I don't really feel I have a leg to stand on if it came to complaining about adding OBJ. I doubt it happens, though. Pretty sure that bridge is burned, stirred, re-burned, and hauled away.

Why not? We brought in a new QB who threw a tantrum to get out of Houston because they wouldn't let him pick his own HC and many fans are welcoming him with open arms? We see what OBJ can do with a QB he wants to play with. So why is it when OBJ throws a tantrum he's shunned but when Watson threw a tantrum to get out of town he is the savior? And remember, the QB we brought in made it clear he didn't want to be here until we offered to bribe him by making him the highest paying player in the NFL.

OBJ has been injured the last 6 years and probably wants near the same kinda of money NYG gave him per year. Nah, I'm good.

Landry is a slot WR and really nothing more. I don't think we need to be paying even half the amount of money for a below average speed guy nearing, or at, 30.

I think it's simply time to move on from both of them.

When it looks lie DPJ is your #2, I'd be lobbying for all the help I could get too.

Here are current projected depth charts. Where does he fit outside of potentially Car or Sea? Backup to Jax, Ten, Oak or Dal maybe? None of them will give a 1st rounder (or even a 2nd) to be backup.

https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchartpos/QB

I suspect he'll be a post June 1 cut so we can put half his 18m to next year.

14 WRs in the 2022 Top 100 Free Agents list originally were available - only 4 left - 2 are former Browns and one is almost 34 years old. 75 out of all the Top 100 Free Agents have signed everywhere but Cleveland. IMHO, there's a reason the free agents aren't considering Cleveland as a destination. Still missing 2 starting DT's, 1 starting DE, an upgrade at LB, and 1 starting WR with no 1st round pick and a 4th rounder gone. Even with the addition of Watson, nobody seems to be beating down the door to get to Cleveland. Thoughts?

Granted...not many options left...The one that no one is talking about that could possibly be good for him is Detroit. Who has Jared Goff. (anyone know how they feel about Goff after last year? He didn't really light anything up) They are still building...they have 2 First Rounders...Honestly, 18 mil for a solid QB is a decent price to pay...He is a better option than any QB in this draft class and after the Matt Patricia years...then going 3-13 this year...can Dan Campbell afford to tank in order to try to get a shot at next years class??? It could be argued that they could give Baker a shot...and he might give them reason to not go for QB next year...If he doesn't it means the Lions will probably be still in the running for one of next years QB class...and Baker's salary is a non issue as he would be a FA.

I think Carolina could do a similar thing...if it works out...great...if not...they aren't taking a salary cap hit to get rid of him and should still be in play for one of the Star QB's.

Seattle...not sure why they are putting their eggs in Drew Lock's basket...except that it was a means to stay stable because they knew they were not going to have Russel Wilson...I think they should make a play and maybe they will but I think they feel they can wait till the price is lower...

One thought or two--- Why does it have to be in one direction from the player to team? The Browns traded for their #1. Maybe we aren't beating down the door to sign any of the remaining FAs? I think the Browns are pretty decent at playing the waiting game for certain players and/or position groups once the first wave or two of FA has been completed.

Also, it's possible that until the $18M guaranteed contract is settled for Baker, the Browns are waiting for that money (or a portion of it) to be freed up?

#FreeBakersContract

or they plan on drafting a WR or 2 with their 2nd and 3rd round picks, this year.