Welp, we lost. It sucks, and I'm not watching the Super Bowl...but it gets me started with the offseason. Also assuming Scheelhaase gets a HC job with the Browns, so an extra two picks. Also going off of Draftek to see where prospects are going. Here we go:
Futures Signings: Brennan Presley, Tru Edwards, Mario Williams, Elias Neal, Nate Valcarcel, Cam Lampkin, Dylan McMahon, Mark Redman.
(Makes sense to bring all of them back.)
Cut: Darious Williams
(Too slow. Need to upgrade.)
Extend:
Puka Nacua - five years, thirty-nine million per year
Kobie Turner -four years, twenty-five million per year
Steve Avila - four years, sixteen million per year
(All of them make sense for extensions. I'd extend McClendon as well, but I've decided to wait on him. We need to extend one of our guards, though, and Turner and Nacua are non-negotiable.)
Re-sign:
Kam Curl - three years, 11 million per year
Roger McCreary - one year, 6.5 million
David Quessenberry - one year, 2.5 million
Jake McQuaide - one year, 1.5 million
Nick Hampton - ERFA
Harrison Mevis - ERFA
Justin Dedich - ERFA
(Going to really go with the draft, so limiting the signings. Curl's earned a contract with how he's played. McCreary gets a one-year, prove-it deal. Quessenberry competes for our swing tackle job. McQuaide steadies the long-snapping duties. The others are ERFAs.)
Release:
Rob Havenstein
Tyler Higbee
Cobie Durant
Tutu Atwell
Jimmy Garoppolo
Akhello Witherspoon
Nick Vannett
Ronnie Rivers
Keir Thomas
Xavier Smith
D.J. Humphries
Derion Kendrick
Troy Reeder
(Wish them all well, but no, they're not on the team.)
Free Agency:
Isaiah Likely - four years, fourteen million per year
(Stealing from
@jrry32 . This will put our tight end group ahead of the curve. I know Parkinson is good, Ferguson is ascending, and Allen is solid...but both Parkinson and Allen will be UFAs next year. Likely could give us a potentially elite tight end.)
Romeo Doubs - four years, twelve million per year
(We don't just need a speed threat at receiver. We need someone who will make an impact on every down. I think Doubs is that guy. He will only be twenty-six during the season, and he's been very productive for the Packers.)
Christian Harris - two years, four million per year
(Stealing from Jerry again. Purely for special teams.)
Trades:
Byron Young to the Detroit Lions for 2027 first round pick.
(The Lions are in need of an edge rusher opposite Hutchinson. Agent Zero fits perfectly. In return, we get a future first to build our squad.)
Colby Parkinson to the Miami Dolphins for 2026 third round pick (#87 overall).
(Sorry, but that drop was too much for me, and you have Allen, Likely, and Ferguson as well. Miami also needs a tight end for their new quarterback, so this makes sense.)
#13 overall to the Cleveland Browns for #24 overall, #39 overall, and 2027 second.
(Cleveland goes after Makai Lemon to get a target for whichever quarterback they're going with. We trade down and get a lot of picks.)
#29 overall to the Baltimore Ravens for #45 overall, #80 overall, and a 2027 second.
(Baltimore jumps up for Mesidor, we trade out of the first and get picks.)
Draft:
#24 overall (Browns) - Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois.
#39 overall (Browns) - D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana.
#45 overall (Ravens) - Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana.
#61 overall (Rams) - Josiah Trotter, ILB, Missouri.
#80 overall (Ravens - Dontay Corleone, NT, Cincinnati.
#87 overall (Dolphins) - Hezekiah Masses, CB, California.
#93 overall (Rams) - Eric Rivers, WR/PR, Georgia Tech.
#101 overall (Scheelhaase comp) - Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona.
#168 overall (Rams) - Ephesians Prysock, SAF/STAR, Washington.
#206 overall (Texans) - Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame.
#209 overall (Rams) - Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State.
#233 overall (Ravens) - Fernando Carmona Jr., OG/OT, Arkansas.
#251 overall (Robinson comp) - Jager Burton, OC/OG, Kentucky.
#257 overall (Rozeboom comp) - Isaiah Jatta, OT, Brigham Young.
(I understand the shock with Jacas being the first pick, but I think he could be arguably the best edge in this class, and he's a productive and freakish athlete at 6'4", 275. Ponds is one of my favorite prospects in this class, a real scrappy playmaker. Sarratt could be our new Cooper Kupp; that's seriously whom he gives me vibes of, and he can score inside the redzone as well. Trotter could be an elite inside linebacker, and he's super young for the class (won't turn twenty-one until April). Corleone is one of my favorite nose tackles. Masses is long, lengthy, and super productive. Rivers is your main punt returner. Stukes is another long, lengthy corner with production. Prysock is a big, physical corner who might be a better fit as a safety/backup STAR to Lake. Raridon came on late, but he's got oodles of potential as a receiver and a blocker. Payton is really athletic and with a big arm; he's your third string QB. Carmona, Burton, and Jatta all upgrade depth at offensive line, and all are guys I like.)
Roster:
QB - Matthew Stafford, Cole Payton
(Stetson and Payton compete for the backup job, and I think Payton wins, but I'm betting we take a QB in 2027 to help bridge Stafford.)
RB - Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter (KR).
(Hunter will do kick returns, while Williams and Corum form a two-headed monster.)
WR - Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Romeo Doubs, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Elijah Sarratt, Eric Rivers (PR).
(Lots of receivers, but Adams, Doubs, and Whittington all have injury concerns. Rivers is your punt returner while Mumpfield and Sarratt compete for that
TE - Isaiah Likely, Terrence Ferguson, Davis Allen, Eli Raridon.
(Likely is going to propel the room to great heights, while Ferguson, Allen, and Raridon contribute.)
OL - Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, Warren McClendon, David Quessenberry,. Justin Dedich, Fernando Carmona Jr.
(Burton and Jatta both go on the practice squad and are protected. The others are obvious.)
DL - Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Tyler Davis, Ty Hamilton, Dontay Corleone.
(No surprises here. Hoping Fiske is a lot healthier next season.)
LB - Jared Verse, Josaiah Stewart, Nate Landman, Josiah Trotter, Desjuan Johnson, Nick Hampton, Gabe Jacas, Omar Speights, Shaun Dolac
(Yes, Agent Zero's loss will hurt, but I think Jacas has enormous potential, and our edge group looks ferocious. Hoping Trotter at middle linebacker along with Landman can solidify the middle.)
DB - Emmanuel Forbes, Roger McCreary, Quentin Lake, Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, D'Angelo Ponds, Hezekiah Masses, Treydan Stukes, Jaylen McCollough, Josh Wallace, Ephesians Prysock.
(Really turning over the secondary with youth, size (Ponds aside), and production in college. Forbes and McCreary start for now, but don't be surprised to eventually see Ponds take someone's job, and Masses, Stukes, and Prysock won't be far behind.)
ST: Harrison Mevis, Ethan Evans, Jake McQuaide.
(We'll probably bring in a young long-snapper to compete with McQuaide. We'll see how Mevis does his second year and if Evans can do well in a contract year.)
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