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#71: Christian Kirksey, LB, Iowa

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Ebenezer Ekuban's absence has never truly been addressed. Really glad Sanchez Brown was able to throw a lasso around the talent already on the roster and yell NIMBY. The defensive coaching staff has its work cut out for it in developing the young talent in front of it, but i think this is the best hand a coaching staff has had to play in a while. The only spot on that side of the ball in which there's a blatantly obvious dearth is the secondary, imo.
 
Yeah, he's not too bad for a 4 inch tall linebacker.

I remembered him being a shade over 6'0, but I looked it up and he's 6'2. That height isn't ideal, but it's not as undersized as I remembered. You got a point there.
 
Yeah if we can't have Slushee Brown for these upcoming hot summer days, what does that even leave us with?

Mike Halumgram?

mike-holmgren-2jpg-a866a3a2d45d5e3a.jpg


He looks like the kind of guy who swirls his finger around the tray wondering what kind of donut to pick before picking up a jelly and then licking the excess straight off the finger when he finishes.
 
When I saw the news that we'd extended him, I figured that whatever we paid, it was a good deal for us. He's really good.
This is the thing. Anyone who complained about losing Schwartz, Ward, Mack, etc can't be one of the ones complaining about the contract value of the guys we are re-signing now.

We were 1-15. The worst team in the league for the last 20 years. Yeah, we might have to pay a slight premium for some guys with out mountain of hoarded cap space. It's a hell of a lot better than previous regimes who just let every FA go if they didn't draft them (I know Mack and Schwartz were this FO, but it was also their first offseason and I think they learned the importance of getting these deals done early)
 
This is the thing. Anyone who complained about losing Schwartz, Ward, Mack, etc can't be one of the ones complaining about the contract value of the guys we are re-signing now.

We were 1-15. The worst team in the league for the last 20 years. Yeah, we might have to pay a slight premium for some guys with out mountain of hoarded cap space. It's a hell of a lot better than previous regimes who just let every FA go if they didn't draft them (I know Mack and Schwartz were this FO, but it was also their first offseason and I think they learned the importance of getting these deals done early)

Is it really even an overpay? It isn't fair to judge contracts like this in the first year, because other guys will end up getting paid more in subsequent years and his salary will slide closer to the average. In terms of talent/performance, he's better than Jamir Miller was at the same point in his career.
 
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This is the thing. Anyone who complained about losing Schwartz, Ward, Mack, etc can't be one of the ones complaining about the contract value of the guys we are re-signing now.

We were 1-15. The worst team in the league for the last 20 years. Yeah, we might have to pay a slight premium for some guys with out mountain of hoarded cap space. It's a hell of a lot better than previous regimes who just let every FA go if they didn't draft them (I know Mack and Schwartz were this FO, but it was also their first offseason and I think they learned the importance of getting these deals done early)

Alex Mack will turn 32 during this upcoming season. As much as I didn't want him to go, I understand them not dishing out top dollar for an aging lineman. I would believe that the front office views our competitive window (competing to make the playoffs) to start in the 2018 season, I would think. Mack didn't fit that window.

The model was clearly to strip down to the foundation and play young guys--see who sticks and who doesn't. Build through the draft. We weren't going to be competitive. Hue is a developer of talent--he was hired to turn a very young roster into football players.

Now, we are about to start the 2017 season. It's time to start retaining the young talent that has developed on this team, and Kirksey is a prime example. The front office has now had a chance to evaluate these guys and be around them--see how they are in the locker room. Thus, we see them spending. A 24 year old stud more than fits our window, as opposed to a guy like a Mack. As does Jamie Collins, a 27 year old former All-Pro who wants to be here.

I don't think it was as simple as them learning to get these deals done early. I think they were cutting fat on purpose. Now we see them entering Phase II.
 
Is it really even an overpay? It isn't fair to judge contracts like this in the first year, because other guys will end up getting paid more in subsequent years and his salary will slide closer to the average. In terms of talent/performance, he's better than Jamir Miller was at the same point in his career.

We gave him a bigger deal than Hightower in New England.

It was an overpay.

Like stated above though. We're backed into a corner at 1-15.
 
We gave him a bigger deal than Hightower in New England. It was an overpay.
I don't think that's correct.

Kirksey got 4 yrs, $38M.

http://brownswire.usatoday.com/2017/05/30/browns-sign-christian-kirksey-to-contract-extension/

Hightower got 4 yrs., $43.5M

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18915061/donta-hightower-returns-new-england-patriots

Kirksey got $1M more guaranteed ($20M/$19M), but that's pretty irrelevant given that both would be expected to play out those contracts anyway. Also, Kirksey is 2+ years younger, and entering his fourth year in the league to Hightower's sixth.

In 2015, at age 25 and in his 4th year, Hightower had 3.5 sacks, 51 tackles, 10 assists.
In 2016, at age 26 and in his 5th year, Hightower had 2.5 sacks, 31 tackles, 34 assists.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HighDo01.htm

In 2016, at age 24 and in his 3rd year, Kirksey had 2.5 sacks, 93 tackles, and 50 assists.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KirkCh00.htm
 
Is it really even an overpay? It isn't fair to judge contracts like this in the first year, because other guys will end up getting paid more in subsequent years and his salary will slide closer to the average. In terms of talent/performance, he's better than Jamir Miller was at the same point in his career.

People were saying Bitonio's deal was an overpay, because he got 10m average but when the details came out it showed the Browns front loaded the first year with a big roster bonus and the rest of the deal was just under $8m average. I'll be surprised if the Kirskey deal isn't front loaded like that, they have all this cap room, might as well use it to boost his 2017 pay and get a reasonable deal for the next 4 years. The only problem with that approach is if these guys play well they will be underpaid towards the end of their deal, but that's a good problem to have.
 
The only problem with that approach is if these guys play well they will be underpaid towards the end of their deal, but that's a good problem to have.

Right. Either you continue to underpay them and use that money elsewhere, or you use that as leverage to extend a guy who is playing great.
 

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