Desir

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Pez

I think that is about right, and would put him at the bottom of the top third of CBs. Maybe a little less than that even.

Blows my mind that the redskins are paying Josh Norman $15M a year.

I like Desir as well, but nobody's talking about his age. He'll be 29 next year, which is usually on the downside of a CB's career. So if we resign him, it should be on a Ballard Special contract, where he's paid a good yearly average, but nothing guaranteed after the first year. Not sure he'd take that kind of contract because there might be other teams out there that would be willing to give him more guarantees.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Chaka

I like Desir as well, but nobody's talking about his age. He'll be 29 next year, which is usually on the downside of a CB's career. So if we resign him, it should be on a Ballard Special contract, where he's paid a good yearly average, but nothing guaranteed after the first year. Not sure he'd take that kind of contract because there might be other teams out there that would be willing to give him more guarantees.

It's not the downside of a CB's career, who has not played a lot during his career.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

It's not the downside of a CB's career, who has not played a lot during his career.

Just because he hasn't played in as many NFL games as others doesn't mean he still doesn't have a lot of wear on his tires. The guy has been in the league five years, practicing day in and day out. Regardless, I'm not sure that its really a question of how much wear and tear he's exposed to, but rather just the simple fact that the motor skills necessary to be an top CB are at their peak in a person's mid-to-late 20s.

All I'm saying is that I'd be extremely hesitant to sign guys to big guaranteed contracts who are in their late 20s/early 30s and who play positions that rely upon elite athleticism, since the window for those skills to remain at their peak is fairly short. So as much as I like Desir and how he's risen from nothing to become a good corner for us, its not good business to sign these guys to big guaranteed contracts. We've seen it over and over, but some teams (for example, the Raiders or Washington) never seem to learn. Those are contracts that make everyone happy when they're first signed, but the team and fans later grow to regret. If Desir had played the same but was only going to be 26, things would be different.

This is the same reason (among many others) that it wouldn't be a good idea to trade for Antonio Brown (age 31) or sign Le'veon Bell (though he'll be only 27 next year, RBs peak very early).

[VeveJones007]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Just because he hasn't played in as many NFL games as others doesn't mean he still doesn't have a lot of wear on his tires. The guy has been in the league five years, practicing day in and day out. Regardless, I'm not sure that its really a question of how much wear and tear he's exposed to, but rather just the simple fact that the motor skills necessary to be an top CB are at their peak in a person's mid-to-late 20s.

All I'm saying is that I'd be extremely hesitant to sign guys to big guaranteed contracts who are in their late 20s/early 30s and who play positions that rely upon elite athleticism, since the window for those skills to remain at their peak is fairly short. So as much as I like Desir and how he's risen from nothing to become a good corner for us, its not good business to sign these guys to big guaranteed contracts. We've seen it over and over, but some teams (for example, the Raiders or Washington) never seem to learn. Those are contracts that make everyone happy when they're first signed, but the team and fans later grow to regret. If Desir had played the same but was only going to be 26, things would be different.

This is the same reason (among many others) that it wouldn't be a good idea to trade for Antonio Brown (age 31) or sign Le'veon Bell (though he'll be only 27 next year, RBs peak very early).

Your concerns about his age also limit the type of contract he can expect to get in UFA. He's likely looking at a 3 year deal, which if structured the right way would be like a 1 year deal with two option years. It's low risk.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by VeveJones007

Your concerns about his age also limit the type of contract he can expect to get in UFA. He's likely looking at a 3 year deal, which if structured the right way would be like a 1 year deal with two option years. It's low risk.

Actually, that's exactly the type of contract that the Colts should try to implement. Pay him well for the first year, but don't commit to him for too long if possible The problem (and maybe the reason we haven't locked him up yet) is that Desir may feel he can do better on the free market - where it's likely that another team would be willing to stick its neck out and sign him for lots of guaranteed money - hoping that he'll buck the overall trend and continue to perform at a high level for several years.

Who could blame Desir if this is true? This is probably his best chance to cash in for himself and his family. I'm only looking at it from the Colts perspective - what I think makes sense for the Colts. I'd expect Desir to do what's best for himself.