Benny Cunningham Signs RFA Tender With Rams.

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I too have hopes for Tre. So glad Benny was retained. I'd love to see the three headed monster clear 2,200 yards next year! (Gurley 1,400 12 tds, Mason 500+ 5tds, Benny 300yds 3tds plus a kick return!)
 
Open camp competition for the #2 is what i'd like to see. Benny, Tre, Trey, Malcolm.
 
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Benny honestly might be one of the best players on our team. He shows up and makes plays in all areas of the game. You just can't take him off the field. I honestly wouldn't mind phasing out Mason completely and giving Benny a larger role.


This. He made the play of the game in Seattle by picking up a 3rd down by pure will by getting low and driving 2 yards through contact. He's a great team player and good depth in the backfield. His only issue is ball security, he will put the ball on the ground every now and then. I'd take a 7th for Mason right now and move on, he reminds me of Daryl Richardson with off the field issues now.
 
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Good news espicailly since we don't know whats going to


You guys are writing off Tre way too early, yea he messed up off the field and was being stupid, in addition to having a bad year full of injuries last year. But the guys had a great rookie year and is very explosive. He also adds great help in the screen and short passing game which i'm sure we will be relying on if Keenum stays the starter. Tre mason is a great backup and has speed to take it to the house on any play.

Tre was done the second they drafted Gurley.He got his pride stepped on and did not respond well.
he averaged 2.8 yards per carry last year.I know he had a hammy act up at the beginning of last year,
but the way he ran the ball was not even close to the way he ran it in 2014.I honestly believe that it had more to do with
attitude than injury.Some people can handle being number two.I don't believe that tre is one of those people.
At this point Benny is far and away the better option as number two.I believe Gurley will be on the field more on third down
than last year and Benny will his backup.
 
The RFA tender system is generally bad for the players and good for the RFA's team. It mostly applies to undrafted free agents who actually perform well enough to be valuable to their teams. Teams can tender a RFA and 1st round, 2nd round or original round level. The tenders require the team to offer the player a 1 year non-guaranteed contract with compensation depending on tender level; compensation is artificially low. The contract also has ZERO guaranteed money, so the player can be cut at any time. Little job security. Other teams have a window to try and sign the player by offering him a new contract. The tendering team has 5 days to match the offer. If the tendering team does not match, the other team can sign the player but must give the tendering team draft pick compensation. At 1st and 2nd round level, that's the draft pick that must be surrendered by another team that wants to sign the player. It the original round level, the round of the pick that must be surrendered is equal to the round the tendered player was originally drafted in. Since RFA's are almost always undrafted, the offering team is not required to give up a draft pick to sign the RFA.

In the real world, other teams rarely succeed in signing away RFA's tendered at the 1st or 2nd round level. They don't want to give up the draft pick. Many teams don't even bother making offers to tendered RFA's because they know the tendering team will match their offer.

The worst part is what happens to some tendered RFA's after the window where other teams can make offers and sign them ends. Per overthecap.com:

"Often once the RFA free agency period is complete teams will use the leverage to reduce the costs of these contracts, specifically for the low tendered players, since they know the players’ options are limited. What they will do is offer the player a minimum salary and a guaranteed bonus somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000. The total compensation is lower but at least there is some job security."

For some RFA's that means trading a crappy original round tender contract ($1.6M) for a multi-year low dollar crappy contract with some guaranteed money/signing bonus.

Cunningham was tendered at the "original round" level. Patriots had some interest but declined to offer him a contract since they knew the Rams would match their offer. Cunningham has more value to the Rams than the Pats since he figures to be the Rams' primary #2 RB/3rd down back. Rams had plenty of cap space needed to match and sign as well.

Like most NFL players (and all fringe ones) Cunningham is going to want a bit of job security/guaranteed money. Will Cunningham cut a deal (multiyear?) with the Rams for substantially less than $1.6M in exchange for a little guaranteed money? The Rams leverage to get Cunningham to take less $ is their ability to (i) bring someone else in to replace him if an opportunity presents itself, or (ii) cut him in training camp after teams have spent their free agent money. At that point Cunningham would be looking at league minimum offers from other teams with zero signing bonus.

Compare Cunningham's situation to Brian Quick's. Fortunately for Quick, he was not a RFA. Rans gave him basically a $1.75M guaranteed 1 year contract. Fair?
Geeze man, pay the man! He earned it. Unlike foles for crying out loud.
 
This. He made the play of the game in Seattle by picking up a 3rd down by pure will by getting low and driving 2 yards through contact. He's a great team player and good depth in the backfield. His only issue is ball security, he will put the ball on the ground every now and then. I'd take a 7th for Mason right now and move on, he reminds me of Daryl Richardson with off the field issues now.
Indeed, pay the man !!! He earned it, unlike foles. Makes no sense to me.
 

I was thinking conspiracy. Patsies don't mess with Rams RFA and vice a versa. The Hogan deal is between division rivals so that type of deal wouldn't apply. I guess your right that the Patsies and Benny could not reach an agreement. It would be interesting to see the numbers if the Patsies were making offers. I mlast year discussions on RFA and the teams be able to cut them and not have any financial obligations. That doesn't seem right to the player.
 
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I'm guessing Benny feels blessed to be in the league for 4 years and making all that money. He's not carrying the load or even in the discussion to be the leading back so he won't feel disrespected.

.
 
Yep. 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. It took him straight to the little big house
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Everything about this post is perfect....accurate....funny....and some Buddy.
 
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Well, if we're going by touches, Tavon is the #2. Even if he is technically a receiver, I think he could still be a top RB in this league. But Benny should come in to give Gurley a rest.
If Gurley goes down....or tires, Tavon won't be lining up in the I-formation. You know what i meant.
 
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Well, if we're going by touches, Tavon is the #2. Even if he is technically a receiver, I think he could still be a top RB in this league. But Benny should come in to give Gurley a rest.
I love what Tavon brings to the running/screen/reverse game, but as a feature back he'd be on the fast track to IR every year.
 
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Teams need the guys that when they get the ball, good things happen. Cunningham is one of those guys for us.
 
I love what Tavon brings to the running/screen/reverse game, but as a feature back he'd be on the fast track to IR every year.
I disagree. He's shown to withstand hits up the middle. Plus, he was much more productive then Tre was vs the 49ers. And most of his runs were handoffs. ALSO, his middle name is the same as my first name. So he's automatically better.
 
Ok, so I over reacted a bit... I am really glad he's back, I think his value is much higher to this team than just a 3rd back.
 
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