2017 Cap Space

[Hoofhearted]

(06-02-2017, 04:33 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: The first issue is answered by the tilde (~) I put in the $10m bit. Be it $10m or $10.8m.. it'll be around there.

The second issue is answered by the fact that if Eifert is healthy for all of 2017 and 2018 (which is what he'd need to be in order to reach that $12m) then there's absolutely no problem paying Eifert like one of the highest paid TE, because that is what he'd be if he could just be constantly healthy.

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As for your contract suggestion, just because it makes sense for a team financially doesn't mean that it makes sense for a player. There's almost no way that Eifert signs for $6.5m/yr base. Much like the Guard market, the TE market has been absolutely destroyed as far as reasonableness goes.

-Charles Clay just got $7.6m/yr and has a yardage high of 605 yards in the last three years, while catching no more than 4 TD in any of the last three years.
-Kyle Rudolph reached 500+ yards for the first time in his 6 year career and got $7.3m/yr.
-35-year-old Jason Witten just signed a $7.4m/yr deal.
-Dwayne Allen hasn't had more than 406 yards in the last 4 years and got $7.35m/yr.
-Jermaine Gresham got $7m/yr!!!

Eifert isn't going to accept a $6.5m/yr deal, even if there's incentives to raise it, because the market has dictated that mediocre TE now get $7m/yr+ in FA without incentives. If Eifert hits FA, even with his injury history, he will make a lot more, and he knows it.

Comparing his situation to Gronkowski is different because Gronkowski has openly admitted he doesn't care about maximizing his contract in favor of staying with the Patriots in order to win Super Bowls. He has never won less than 12 games in the NFL, he has never missed the playoffs, he has played in 6 AFC Championship games, played in 3 Super Bowls, and won 2 of them... and he get passes thrown to him by Tom Brady. The Bengals can offer none of that to Eifert. Plus Gronkowski was still under contract for multiple years, compare to Eifert's contract year. They're just different situations.

Yep. It drastically increases his value off the football field. The dude is in just everything; energy drinks, TV shows, fitness, etc. he uses what you stated above to do that and it's actually brilliant. Tyler will have to pretty much rely solely on football money for his career. So, yeah, Eifert will want the most guaranteed money. There's just nothing else they can offer him.