If you read the NFL news sites this week, you’ll hear about how all of the big deals that have been on the table or under negotiation are slowly but surely going by the wayside. But if there are two things we’ve learned in our years around the league, it’s that, first, you can’t believe anything you read the week before the draft, and second, it’s amazing how many of those “dead” deals can get done when the clock is ticking down on a team’s pick.
Our feeling is that most teams still have plenty of cap room this year, as opposed to past drafts when many teams were working with little more than their rookie pools when April rolled around. The financial restrictions have been removed, leaving compensation as the main hurdle to most of these deals, and while no one wants to be the fish that jumps on the first worm, you can only look at that meal for so long before you snap at it. The pressure of the draft has a way of bringing out the middle ground in everyone.
So we are confident when we tell you that Randy Moss will not be a Raider come May 1. Not only has the former Pro Bowler been unproductive, but he has become a huge distraction to what Lane Kiffin wants to accomplish in Oakland. The last thing a young coach needs is a veteran detractor. The Raiders would gladly ship him out to a team for a second-round pick, reasonable compensation for a player of Moss’ talents. The problem is they haven’t gotten many phone calls. Moss has stated his willingness to rework his contract and understands he won’t get the same money he’s being paid now, but still, teams have been hesitant to take on the Moss sideshow.
That’s where the Green Bay Packers have shown their smarts. The team inquired early about Moss, then sat back and waited. As the days roll off the calendar with no market for Moss, the Pack will be in a great position to negotiate the price for taking Moss off Al Davis’ hands come draft weekend. It was a risk on the Packers' part. If there had been more interest in Moss, the price could have gone up. But as it turns out, the Pack played it right and may be able to get Moss for as little as a third-round choice. Green Bay could potentially come out of the first day of the draft with a much-needed pass rusher in Round 1, a viable starting RB in Round 2 and Moss. Now that’s a fish Brett Favre can hang on his wall!
And how about Trent Green? The Chiefs are said to be asking for a second-round pick, while the Dolphins, a team that desperately needs a starting QB, are willing to part with a seventh. Now, the Browns and Lions have shown some interest, but it’s interesting to us that Kansas City came back to Miami for a second go-round even after the so-called talks with those teams. Clearly, the Chiefs are not getting their asking price. You can’t blame them for shopping their goods around, but at the end of the day Green is 37 years old, didn’t play well in 2006, and his health is a huge wild card given the nature of concussion injuries.
This one is easy. The teams will split the difference and come to an agreement on a fourth- or fifth-round pick within hours of the draft, which the Dolphins should jump at, considering the Chiefs were asking for players off their roster a week ago. Cam Cameron can’t be excited about taking his first shot as a head coach with the hobbled Daunte Culpepper or the inexperienced Cleo Lemon under center.
Michael Turner is another one. We know, the deal is “unofficially dead.” Tell us, why are the Bolts going to hang on to this guy? He’s a free agent next season. He’s not going to play this season. San Diego wants to get something for him, specifically a first-round pick. But you can bet that as draft weekend rolls around, a second-rounder will look just as good to them. Look at some of the players the Chargers have taken in the second round in recent years — OT Marcus McNeill, WR Vincent Jackson and DE Igor Olshansky are all reliable starters on the current roster. Even S Terrence Kiel, drug busts aside, was a very good player. Would you trade Turner for another starter? We’d certainly consider it.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson pulled the private jet out of the hangar for Turner. That’s Jim Kelly-Thurman Thomas country we’re talking about. And Anthony Thomas, despite his solid showing last season, can't be relied on to carry the load effectively for an entire season. And Tennessee need a running back or Vince Young is a dead man walking. If the Titans believed LenDale White was the answer, especially with Norm Chow, his former college coach, running the offense, Travis Henry never would have gotten the chance to resurrect his career in 2006. Now Henry is gone and the Titans are running out of options. Corey Dillon is still out there, but his days as a feature back may be behind him.
You can’t tell us the Bills and Titans aren’t buying, and you can’t tell us the Chargers aren’t listening. They may be waiting for the phones to ring once more on draft weekend in San Diego, but one of these deals will get done and Turner will finally have the chance to show what he can do when given the ball on a regular basis.
Other deals that could get done include Kris Jenkins, Carolina's former Pro Bowl DT who has drawn interest from as many as three teams; Kansas City WR-KR Dante Hall, and Seattle WR Darrell Jackson, who can still be a viable No. 1 WR for a team when healthy. The Seahawks have a glut of talent at the position in Deion Branch, D.J. Hackett, Nate Burleson and veteran Bobby Engram. Jackson could bring a pick or a player that could address the Hawks’ needs on the O-line or at TE.
As we have seen during the free agency period, teams have the room to make these deals and are willing to trade under the current financial climate. There’s no reason to believe that trend will end come next weekend.
