https://www.nfl.com/news/bears-lb-roquan-smith-requests-trade-out-of-chicago

This year will be his age 25 season, back-to-back 2nd Team All-Pro the last two years, last year he allowed 76.8 QB Rating and 3.6% missed tackle rate. The year before 59.6 QB Rating and 6.7% missed tackle rate. Never had a year without 100+ tackles.

Might be an interesting trade to try to get done. ILBs are pretty affordable, too, contract-wise. 5th highest paid is making $10.25m/yr, 3rd highest is making $14.5m/yr.

(08-10-2022, 07:25 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: https://www.nfl.com/news/bears-lb-roquan-smith-requests-trade-out-of-chicago

This year will be his age 25 season, back-to-back 2nd Team All-Pro the last two years, last year he allowed 76.8 QB Rating and 3.6% missed tackle rate. The year before 59.6 QB Rating and 6.7% missed tackle rate. Never had a year without 100+ tackles.

Might be an interesting trade to try to get done. ILBs are pretty affordable, too, contract-wise. 5th highest paid is making $10.25m/yr, 3rd highest is making $14.5m/yr.

Seems like the want a WR back in return. Would you flip Higgins straight up for him?

(08-10-2022, 11:22 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Seems like the want a WR back in return.  Would you flip Higgins straight up for him?

No way....

(08-10-2022, 11:36 AM)Sled21 Wrote: No way....

I would maybe in the offseason, but not right now with the Bengals not having any decent option to replace Higgins for outside WR duties.

(08-10-2022, 11:22 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Seems like the want a WR back in return.  Would you flip Higgins straight up for him?

No. A LB, even one like Roquan, doesn't have the impact on a team that a WR can have. Also, Roquan is in the last year of his contract and is requesting more money than Darius Leonard. He wants to be paid $20m+ a year. 

There is absolutely no conceivable way I would do this trade. 

I'd give them a 4th rounder.

(08-10-2022, 11:43 AM)KillerGoose Wrote: No. A LB, even one like Roquan, doesn't have the impact on a team that a WR can have. Also, Roquan is in the last year of his contract and is requesting more money than Darius Leonard. He wants to be paid $20m+ a year. 

There is absolutely no conceivable way I would do this trade. 

If true, good luck to him. He is good but he is no Darius Leonard. ILB average salaries...

1st Darius Leonard at $19.7m/yr as 3x 1st AP and 1x 2nd AP in his 4 year career with 11 INT and 17 FF
2nd CJ Mosley vastly overpaid by the Jets in FA at $17m/yr
3rd Zach Cunningham at $14.5m/yr

So I can't imagine $20m+/yr is happening. He's probably going to end up signing somewhere at $15-16m/yr.

(08-10-2022, 07:25 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: https://www.nfl.com/news/bears-lb-roquan-smith-requests-trade-out-of-chicago

This year will be his age 25 season, back-to-back 2nd Team All-Pro the last two years, last year he allowed 76.8 QB Rating and 3.6% missed tackle rate. The year before 59.6 QB Rating and 6.7% missed tackle rate. Never had a year without 100+ tackles.

Might be an interesting trade to try to get done. ILBs are pretty affordable, too, contract-wise. 5th highest paid is making $10.25m/yr, 3rd highest is making $14.5m/yr.

Thought our LB core was decent and young last year.... Id let them continue to grow.

(08-11-2022, 06:13 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: If true, good luck to him. He is good but he is no Darius Leonard. ILB average salaries...

1st Darius Leonard at $19.7m/yr as 3x 1st AP and 1x 2nd AP in his 4 year career with 11 INT and 17 FF
2nd CJ Mosley vastly overpaid by the Jets in FA at $17m/yr
3rd Zach Cunningham at $14.5m/yr

So I can't imagine $20m+/yr is happening. He's probably going to end up signing somewhere at $15-16m/yr.

Salaries rise and 2021 was a down year salary wise (year Leonard was paid). We've already seen a large increase in what players are making so 19 to 22m a year for Roquan Smith is not out of the question.

I'd rather see Jessie Bates at 16m than Roquan Smith at 20m. Safety has a high WAR than LB.

(08-11-2022, 06:58 PM)Synric Wrote: Salaries rise and 2021 was a down year salary wise (year Leonard was paid). We've already seen a large increase in what players are making so 19 to 22m a year for Roquan Smith is not out of the question.

I'd rather see Jessie Bates at 16m than Roquan Smith at 20m. Safety has a high WAR than LB.

Elite players are immune to salary "down years". In 2021...

Trent Williams became the highest paid LT
Darius Leonard became the highest paid ILB
Marshawn Lattimore became the 2nd highest paid CB
Dak Prescott became the 3rd highest paid QB despite missing 11 games in 2020
Corey Linsley became the highest paid C
Frank Ragnow then jumped him to become the new highest paid C
Joe Thuney became the highest paid non-Franchise Tag G
Joel Bitonio then tied him as the highest paid non-Franchise Tag G

I'm sure there's a lot more I am missing, but I felt like 8 is plenty of evidence that down year salary wise means absolutely nothing to elite players.

Darius Leonard is a completely different level of impact player, and is paid accordingly. He's not a comparison point for anyone else. Again, he's at $19.7m, the 2nd highest paid is at $17m, the 3rd highest paid is at $14.5m, the 5th highest paid is at $10.25m... so yes, $19-22m/yr is out of the question unless someone really loses their mind (and later their job) in some FO.

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WAR is barely useful in the MLB, a game where there's giant sample sizes in a 162 game schedule and far better statistical breakdown of player contribution and almost always clear-cut results of plays that can be judged. WAR for the NFL sounds completely useless.