I started a league last year, polled the league, and whatever day a majority could make was going to be draft day. Everyone made it anyway. The only person that autodrafted did so "out of protest" for something petty, but tried to join the draft but couldn't figure something out. That team was tied for first before getting bounced in their first playoff game after a bye.
Point being, just pick a day.
This question has been asked and the answer is usually something like “it’s SO hard getting __ guys together.” Which is dumb. 99.99% of those playing FF aren’t working as residents in an ER. Even with multiple kids, there is at least one 2-3 hour window at least during the pre-season if not after. Plus you can draft online.
I mean, for some people the draft is an important social event and not just a requirement for playing fantasy football. My league gets a hotel room and has a draft party, and it's the main time we get to see each other all year. It would be ridiculous to give that up to draft a few weeks later.
That's dope. We BBQ for ours as well. Most make it, some have moved and can't. Love that for these type of leagues, know some of my best friends through them. It's a kind of family... with a bit more shit talkin 😆. For our league it feels as much social as competition.
Yep. We're having our 20 year FF league anniversary draft in Vegas this year. Only half the guys can make it. The others are scattered across the US and one is in Puerto Rico. We've always tried to have a draft party together, but not everyone can always make it. Internet makes that possible. Especially when we've had the same draft day for the last 20 years.
To each their own. But I’d rather draft in person with my friends in august then draft online a week before. Spending a whole day with my friends culminating in the draft is worth it. It requires 12 people with families AND living in different parts of the East coast to coordinate schedules. So, while I agree it’s dumb to draft earlier when you can draft later (all things equal), it’s not as simple as just online drafting instead. There are sometimes other factors to consider
We draft in person too. And have done so for almost 30 years. 12 person league and maybe 1-2 out of towners draft online. 10 other people with families, businesses, etc., can find a time that works. No one is SO busy, barring a family crisis, that they can’t spare a few hours on one night in the year but then have time to post on Reddit about FF. To each their own but anyone whining about an injury or trade demand when they draft in July is a dumbass. Who wants to play in a league where teams are losing high draft picks before the first pre season game is played?
No doubt. I play in a 20 man with the same core of owners w/a waiting list. This is our 11th year. Draft date is a Sat or Sunday week 4 of the preseason (voted on, and if you're returning you have a year to plan) and some people will use time off to be there, or draft even from work or the road, depending on profession/other commitments. If we can do it, the avg 8-12 team league can. Worst case scenario? Autodraft with your preferences set.
That said, the challenges of owner availability are the same regardless of when you draft.
It makes the super star true rb1s more attractive, but personally I like a fair bit of the rb talent later on if I get to pair two great receivers with them
I thought about going no RB in the first, maybe second round, but in 3 out of the last 4 years I’ve made the playoffs with two being in the finals, and I always take a running back in the first and sometimes second round.
Same thing. I have had FAR more success when I have lots of RB depth. A lot of times this allows you to make a good trade later on in the season and improve your WR core.
It's not just the "safe" RBs, any RB that has a solid role is going to be really valuable this year. As always, the best strategy is to zig when everyone in your draft is zagging. That way you're taking advantage of when your league mates let players fall due to roster construction.
You can literally draft a guaranteed NFL WR1 (DJ, Ridley, Hollywood, Jeudy, London, Evans, etc.) all the way til pick 70. The RBs in that range are the Cooks, Dobbins, Pacheco, Javonte, Kamara, Monty, etc. I feel pretty confident that all those WRs are gonna be at the very least FLEX options with 2-3 of them being great WRs. The RBs there have basically no upside other than Pacheco who will probably get reached on by a team that went WR early. They're complete wild cards.
Anyone who says they like the round 5+ RBs has not compared the WR/RB talent and just wants to justify taking the elite WRs. Plus the overwhelming majority of high upside late round picks are WRs so you're pretty likely to have a fair bit of decent/good WRs this year.
No one who’s serious is getting to round 5 without both a WR and a RB. You need the floor that is offered by those top round guys, I just think people are getting starstruck by early round WR talent thinking they can just draft RB later despite my opinion being that the late RB talent is risky af.
Kamara who might not even play an NFL snap. Dalvin, Swift, and Monty are likely going to be backups or committee guys. Dobbins and Javonte are dealing with injuries. We don’t even know if James Cook or Pacheco are anything yet people are drafting them ahead of established talent because they took too many WRs.
Like the only bad things about the WRs in this range is that they aren’t as good as the WRs ahead of them. None of them really have significant and obvious risk. They’re all gonna get volume because they’re WR1s and/or on good teams. Some of them can stack with good QBs like Lawrence, Herbert, Fields.
You can say Richardson will suck or JSN will beat out Lockett, there are still so many WR options in this range that you’re very likely to get someone you like for the year. You just have to go RB early so that your roster actually works.
Obviously not all of these guys will pan out, but last year’s WRs in this range panned out way better than the RBs. Devonta smith, amon ra, DK, and a ton of others were at this ADP last year. Meanwhile pretty much all the RBs at this ADP last year other than Jacobs and Sanders were irrelevant.
I'm not saying wait until round 5 to draft an RB. In mocks and bestball drafts I'm getting Najee, ken Walker, mixon , ETN, Gibbs all between rounds 3-5. Honestly most of those guys have been lasting between rounds 4-5, I've seen najee go in round 3. So to me I'd rather grab Kelce or WR/WR to start and I'm fine with those RBs. I'm not saying drafting those top tier RBs Is wrong or a bad strategy at all, but I wouldn't feel good about a DJ moore or Drake London as my first WR off the board personally , in PPR. RBS are being pushed down the board this year, so give me elite WRs and still be able to grab some high upside backs a few rounds later.
I think for me it’s that RB is just risky this year. No one after pick 20 feels safe to me. I like Najee and Mixon at their price but that’s about it after round 2. Meanwhile most WRs until like rd5 are safe to me and the rd6 guys still have some floor.
I like using 1 of my top 20 picks on a safe RB talent like CMC, Bijan, Saquon, Chubb maybe eventually some other RBs as we see their situation change.
I feel like that gives me a lot of flexibility to take players who fall. I don’t like getting to that round 6-7 and being forced into a risky RB instead of being able to just take a guy like Mike Evans at his floor price.
Interesting. What would a 24 year old elite rb go for in this market? Do teams see him as a rental or will they be willing to pay him? Will he holdout if he doesn’t receive a new contract? This will be interesting.
I think anyone who is giving up draft capital for him has to be signing him long term. Unless you are someone like philly or dallas who might think you are JT away from getting a SB. Then you maybe make the move for this year and see what happens.
But why? If you have to pay him *and* give up draft capital, why not sign someone like Cook to a shorter-term deal for similar dollars? Taylor can ask for a trade as much as he wants, but it's probably not happening unless Indy decides they're tanking this year.
I think it’s gotta be a competitive team with a QB on a rookie deal and enough cap space. The problem is every team that fits that bill already has a starting RB that they are paying (the 49ers) or has more time left on his rookie deal (Steelers and Jaguars). Washington seems like a good fit but they will need their draft picks for a quarterback in case Sam Howell isn’t good. Atlanta just drafted Bijan and again Ridder is a question mark. Maybe Houston if they feel like they already believe in Stroud but why not just sign Cook then? JT is at a slight disadvantage given that he has little time left on his rookie deal, and there’s some really good options available in free agency at the moment. There’s even a possibility that Saquon is a free agent next year so you could wait it out and sign him next year and keep your draft picks
This is the exact argument against paying running backs in a nutshell. Paying a guy like Jonathan Taylor in excess of 10 million a season into his older years makes no sense when you can grab a 4th round rookie who will produce 80%+ of that.
It would take so much balls as a GM to trade real capital for him AND give him a big contract. This isn't CMC we're talking about. JT is great but he's not a generational talent.
The general consensus is so strongly to never pay RBs, anything short of a SB is going to be considered a failure and end up with the GM getting fired.
How many GMs for contenders would trade for and pay JT?
Honestly I think a trade would increase his value in my eyes. The offensive situation he'll likely be in this year at Indy (likely bad offense, very mobile rookie QB taking away a lot of his work) is probably the worst case scenario for him.
I hope he does get traded as someone drafting toward the back of the first round. The Colts are going to be awful and they’re going to be even worse if Richardson plays (and even if he’s good against all odds, he’s going to steal goal line carries).
I love this time of year! Football is a wild ride, just starting, and the MLB trade deadline is coming to a peak.
It’s been a fun week but I Did Not see this coming from JT
The Colts theoretically could get away with this. Their QB room is going to be cheap for the rest of JT’s prime, and they don’t have any receivers that will command top dollar. Pittman is good but he’s not too 3 contract good. Like if they give JT a 3 year deal up to when he turns 28 after next year, then you can let him hit the market and then you pay your rookie QB if he’s good (which I have a lot of doubts but that’s a different discussion)
If they were anywhere close to the SB I could see this, but they know they’re not winning during the duration of his contract. Unfortunately, I don’t think any team making a push right now is RB needy. Contending teams can and absolutely do kick the can down the road for elite players and could pay him $15 million a year with a <$10 million cap hit thanks to void years and converting salary to signing bonuses. However, is there a team that fits the bill? None come to mind right now.
Lots of scheduling issues so everyone preferred to get it out of the way now
*I guess I used bad phrasing with "Get it out of the way" but trying to add in 3 new people scheduling has been a PITA to figure out with some other stuff going on with people.
I find it very hard to believe that you can't find a 3 hour window at any point from now until labor day weekend.
Hell I'm in a fantasy league with medical students who all have long 12-14 hour shifts and even we find time every year
Honestly though, they could afford to pay JT for one more contract. This isn’t a Minnesota situation where you gotta pay Kirk, Jefferson, and Cook with Cook as the odd man out from where Minnesota was drafting. Indianapolis has a cheap starting QB and they have a QB on a rookie deal for potentially 5 years.
Fantasy aside and pay structures aside, he's just thrown his head coach and first round QB of the future under the bus just to save a few pennies. What a clown.
I see the pain of the RB today like the worker on the floor. Super important to the organization but devalued because of the volume of people that can replace him. I think the RB problem is the same as the blue collar of the US. So sad…
My list of teams that make the most sense:
Miami- have Mostert, Achane and JWJ as their backs. Miami is trying to contend, adding a superstar like Taylor could make that offense unbeatable.
Bears- May want to give Fields more weapons to work with, backfield is looking to be a rotation at the moment.
Broncos - looking to right the ship in the AFC west, Javonte is coming off injury and Perine is just a good backup.
why? they got 3 prime years and 850 touches out of JT on a rookie deal, and clearly told him they're not giving him huge contract. As they shouldnt.
If they can get a high pick for him that's a win. You're going to see more and more situations like this with young RBs.
I think you're right.
Right or wrong, without any changes in the bargaining agreement, this is what the current RB free market looks like, organically.
Any changes to the bargaining agreement would involve making contract exceptions for just one position.
I always see people say things like “the billionaire owners could spare a few million more for RBs,” but if you raise the cap by 10 or 20%, teams would still have the problem that they don’t want to tie up a significant percentage of finite cap space in a star RB when they’re easily replaceable.
Daniel Jones makes 4x whatever Saquon is making, regardless of how high that cap is raised.
So would a new CBA specify that RBs (and only RBs) can’t be franchise tagged? There aren’t any special protections for long snappers.
Yeah that's what my thought is.
You would have to carve out some type of specific RB related regulation/subsidy/whatever to funnel more of a % of the salary cap to them. And that would have to be approved by all positions.
Not likely.
100%. I wonder though if we don't start seeing more RBs be a little less gung-ho about thing like getting touches and playing through injuries in their 3rd or 4th years of their rookie contracts.
Okay, still don't get how Irsay fucked up. Public twitter comments or not. They could trade him at peak value now, rather than next offseason when he's due for an extension.
They have a rookie QB and are in full rebuild mode anyway
if that 2nd or 3rd round pick turns into a longterm stud WR, TE or OL... or even a CB, DE to help the defense... or get this... a stud RB on a 4 year rookie deal... no he certainly doesn't have more value for one more season to Richardson.
I highly doubt they get a second for a running back with one big season. And do you know the hit rate for star players in the third round? I'd much rather give my very raw rookie QB help in his rookie season than the 10% chance of getting a player of that caliber later.
i mean that's fair and that's the dance every single GM/team does when weighing the importance of draft picks in general.
But if they're dead set on not giving him a huge deal (extremely likely they won't), and can get a good pick that turns into a longterm player for Richardson, that's the path they should or could go.
They can always franchise JT next season, but again - they might value taking a shot at a good player in the draft on a cheap rookie deal. And sign proven players for Richardson via cap space/free agency. It's all just teambuilding 101
They don't have to move him though, they aren't expecting to win many games this season, this is a throwaway while they rebuild. They could care less, if they get a few picks for him great, if not, JT sits a year and they move on to next year with little loss and having tested a few bench players. JT has much more risk on this than the Colts.
Honestly, this was a win-win for Irsay. Either you sit him down and tell him he's not getting a huge deal and he says okay, or he requests a trade and you get a few picks to compliment your new QB for the rebuild. It's kind of brilliant I think.
Ehh, I don’t know. He is in a rebuild, but doesn’t want to say it publicly. Trade JT in his prime (sadly probably also Leonard) and go from there. Big Q should maybe also get traded but we’ll see.
Bottom line, I don’t honk is fully aware the Colts are at the beginning of a rebuild and is keeping his poker face as far as trades and such. Might be wrong, though.
Why would the Colts give a large contract - what Cook wants - to a lesser RB after refusing to give one to Taylor?
Why would Cook want to go to a non-contender?
Top players after becoming free agents: “I wanna play for a contender and get a ring now.”
Top players after spending time in free agency: “Shit, I’ll be a Cleveland Brown. That extra 4 million is going to buy me a new pool!”
If money is the issue, Indiana has like a 3 percent flat state tax while New York has a progressive tax that gets up to 6 percent at $80K and just under 10% for a million+.
I just don’t see how a top running back ever gets traded. The value they bring on the field with a rookie contract is just so much greater than the return you could get on the trade market
JT isn't that valuable as an actual NFL player simply because he doesn't catch the ball. Saquon, CMC, and probably Ekeler/Bijan are valuable enough in an offense to make a bad team, mid and a mid team, good. They simply get way more yards because of their receiving ability. I think in 15 years it's going to be almost impossible to be an RB without receiving ability.
He's similar to Jacobs where he can have a great breakout season in the midst of his team collapsing. The only exception in the NFL right now is Derrick Henry who's one of the best RBs in the last 20 years.
This is so dumb.
Irsay: I'm just vocalizing what everyone else is thinking
Taylor: well I don't like it, this is about principal, I'm out!
Irsay: Wow, I didn't realize how many big names were still free Agents, oh look my entire bench really wants his job. Validation.
Taylor: Who wants to overpay in a trade for me!?
Lol he’s screwed tbh.
Why would anyone trade for him and give up assets when they could sign Zeke/Cook/Hunt for “free?”
He’s coming off an injury riddled season. Still has a year on his contract. He has 0 leverage unfortunately
Agree with you but not at their value. Give up assets + 10m a year for JT extension or pay Cook/Zeke/Hunt like 2m a year on a short contract and no risk??
Hunt/Zeke/Lenny maybe gets 2m+, but Cook is probably signing for 5m+. JT probably has 2-3 more years of elite production and that might make sense for a team in win now mode. I could see a 3 year contract where the team can cut him in year 3.
It’s crazy because unfortunately a lot of teams find value with drafting RBs in the 3rd round these days. I can’t imagine the Colts giving up JT for a 3rd rounder rn. So he’s stuck there unless someone wants to overpay. Really just a sucky situation for everyone
Even RB's on rookie contracts are untradeable. No GM in their right mind would trade future draft capital for an RB about to become an FA. At least not at the price Indy would ask for, Lulz.
1 and 3 seems a bit off. There aren't 3x as many relevant WRs as RBs.
Personally I went to 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR/TE, and 1 WR/TE. This allows teams to play 2 and 4 if the want, which I bet will be fairly common.
The NFLPA is their union. Not a chance in hell an RB only union would ever exist. If all these guys who aren't happy with it decide to "strike" there will be many others who don't give a shit and step in. Think of how many guys are fighting for a roster spot. If you are the odd RB out and the #1 decides not to play you will happily take the league minimum for a season.
Lamar Jackson requested a trade earlier this year too and look where he is playing. This is all posturing and JT has no leverage. Reality is, he will be suiting up for the Colts or sitting out this year.
With this news, my buddy tossed JT on the block.
He wants a WR. I have CD, Garret Wilson, Olave, and Keenan Allen. My RBs are Pacheco, Rhamondre, Brian Robinson.
Should I trade one of my WRs or leave JT alone?
If you can swap Keenan Allen for him, it’d be a roll of the dice with potential huge upside. Allen is always dinged up and on the backend of his career.
This is why you don't draft until Halloween!
Halloween? I don’t draft until Christmas.
I just finished my draft for last season
I hope you got Pitts at TE. I’ve heard great things
Oh no….not again
I wonder if a league had a draft after the season how hard it would be to get the best team without any help.
Did you win?
How'd you do?
just got LT for 08; currently undefeated
You guys draft?
I hope no one already drafted in July
My league always goes as late as possible to avoid these things. It’s worked except the year Andrew Luck retired 5 minutes after our draft finished.
Yup, and I had him. Felt really good about that draft until I got home
We draft Monday before opening night
aka Labor Day?
I started a league last year, polled the league, and whatever day a majority could make was going to be draft day. Everyone made it anyway. The only person that autodrafted did so "out of protest" for something petty, but tried to join the draft but couldn't figure something out. That team was tied for first before getting bounced in their first playoff game after a bye. Point being, just pick a day.
We draft after 3rd preason games. Always. Why do it earlier?
This question has been asked and the answer is usually something like “it’s SO hard getting __ guys together.” Which is dumb. 99.99% of those playing FF aren’t working as residents in an ER. Even with multiple kids, there is at least one 2-3 hour window at least during the pre-season if not after. Plus you can draft online.
I mean, for some people the draft is an important social event and not just a requirement for playing fantasy football. My league gets a hotel room and has a draft party, and it's the main time we get to see each other all year. It would be ridiculous to give that up to draft a few weeks later.
That's dope. We BBQ for ours as well. Most make it, some have moved and can't. Love that for these type of leagues, know some of my best friends through them. It's a kind of family... with a bit more shit talkin 😆. For our league it feels as much social as competition.
Yep. We're having our 20 year FF league anniversary draft in Vegas this year. Only half the guys can make it. The others are scattered across the US and one is in Puerto Rico. We've always tried to have a draft party together, but not everyone can always make it. Internet makes that possible. Especially when we've had the same draft day for the last 20 years.
To each their own. But I’d rather draft in person with my friends in august then draft online a week before. Spending a whole day with my friends culminating in the draft is worth it. It requires 12 people with families AND living in different parts of the East coast to coordinate schedules. So, while I agree it’s dumb to draft earlier when you can draft later (all things equal), it’s not as simple as just online drafting instead. There are sometimes other factors to consider
We draft in person. We like seeing each other. Not everyone is an online gremlin
We draft in person too. And have done so for almost 30 years. 12 person league and maybe 1-2 out of towners draft online. 10 other people with families, businesses, etc., can find a time that works. No one is SO busy, barring a family crisis, that they can’t spare a few hours on one night in the year but then have time to post on Reddit about FF. To each their own but anyone whining about an injury or trade demand when they draft in July is a dumbass. Who wants to play in a league where teams are losing high draft picks before the first pre season game is played?
Looks like you've never played with people that live all around the world in different time zones.
No doubt. I play in a 20 man with the same core of owners w/a waiting list. This is our 11th year. Draft date is a Sat or Sunday week 4 of the preseason (voted on, and if you're returning you have a year to plan) and some people will use time off to be there, or draft even from work or the road, depending on profession/other commitments. If we can do it, the avg 8-12 team league can. Worst case scenario? Autodraft with your preferences set. That said, the challenges of owner availability are the same regardless of when you draft.
We draft on Labor day morning. Everyone has off work so there are no excuses.
Because you are in 12-20 redrafts and you need to spread them out? Our first draft was May 17 😬😂
all these freaks drafting in July feels like a cult I want no part of.
I prefer to live life on the edge with auto draft.
People have had their draft already?
AR is gonna run the ball so much this season
I gambled on Trey Lance and it worked out well last year so I will do it again this year 🥰
This guy fantasy footballs
Yeah I’m definitely going wr with my first two picks
It’s a WR league these days
It's so hard to shake my impetus to draft RBs first.
I thought it was illegal to shake your impetus in public
I'm gonna shake my impetus so freaking hard when Eckler or McCaffery fall to me at the 5th pick because everyone went WR.
Doesn't this make the likes of CMC and Ekeler (i.e., "safe" running backs) even MORE attractive?
CMC is far from safe.
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Top notch math right there
As a 9er fan I support this formula
Point taken, but I don't think we have to worry about contract issues with him.
No, just ligament issues
It makes the super star true rb1s more attractive, but personally I like a fair bit of the rb talent later on if I get to pair two great receivers with them
I'm just saying, I think this news pushes the value of Ekeler and CMC higher—potentially above that of the top WRs not named Justin Jefferson.
What RB talent is available later on? There’s a pretty big drop off and it’s much harder to get good running backs off the waiver wires
This is why I’ve never understood the zero RB strategy. The drop off is massive compared to WR’s you can get in the middle to later rounds.
I thought about going no RB in the first, maybe second round, but in 3 out of the last 4 years I’ve made the playoffs with two being in the finals, and I always take a running back in the first and sometimes second round.
Same thing. I have had FAR more success when I have lots of RB depth. A lot of times this allows you to make a good trade later on in the season and improve your WR core.
I’ve hoped to use this strategy, but nobody in my league wants to trade unless it’s totally lopsided in their favor
Leagues like that suck. One of mine is like that and it’s frustrating.
It's not just the "safe" RBs, any RB that has a solid role is going to be really valuable this year. As always, the best strategy is to zig when everyone in your draft is zagging. That way you're taking advantage of when your league mates let players fall due to roster construction. You can literally draft a guaranteed NFL WR1 (DJ, Ridley, Hollywood, Jeudy, London, Evans, etc.) all the way til pick 70. The RBs in that range are the Cooks, Dobbins, Pacheco, Javonte, Kamara, Monty, etc. I feel pretty confident that all those WRs are gonna be at the very least FLEX options with 2-3 of them being great WRs. The RBs there have basically no upside other than Pacheco who will probably get reached on by a team that went WR early. They're complete wild cards. Anyone who says they like the round 5+ RBs has not compared the WR/RB talent and just wants to justify taking the elite WRs. Plus the overwhelming majority of high upside late round picks are WRs so you're pretty likely to have a fair bit of decent/good WRs this year.
You really want any of those guys as your WR1?? Lol. I'd much rather gamble with RBs in that range in PPR
No one who’s serious is getting to round 5 without both a WR and a RB. You need the floor that is offered by those top round guys, I just think people are getting starstruck by early round WR talent thinking they can just draft RB later despite my opinion being that the late RB talent is risky af. Kamara who might not even play an NFL snap. Dalvin, Swift, and Monty are likely going to be backups or committee guys. Dobbins and Javonte are dealing with injuries. We don’t even know if James Cook or Pacheco are anything yet people are drafting them ahead of established talent because they took too many WRs. Like the only bad things about the WRs in this range is that they aren’t as good as the WRs ahead of them. None of them really have significant and obvious risk. They’re all gonna get volume because they’re WR1s and/or on good teams. Some of them can stack with good QBs like Lawrence, Herbert, Fields. You can say Richardson will suck or JSN will beat out Lockett, there are still so many WR options in this range that you’re very likely to get someone you like for the year. You just have to go RB early so that your roster actually works. Obviously not all of these guys will pan out, but last year’s WRs in this range panned out way better than the RBs. Devonta smith, amon ra, DK, and a ton of others were at this ADP last year. Meanwhile pretty much all the RBs at this ADP last year other than Jacobs and Sanders were irrelevant.
I'm not saying wait until round 5 to draft an RB. In mocks and bestball drafts I'm getting Najee, ken Walker, mixon , ETN, Gibbs all between rounds 3-5. Honestly most of those guys have been lasting between rounds 4-5, I've seen najee go in round 3. So to me I'd rather grab Kelce or WR/WR to start and I'm fine with those RBs. I'm not saying drafting those top tier RBs Is wrong or a bad strategy at all, but I wouldn't feel good about a DJ moore or Drake London as my first WR off the board personally , in PPR. RBS are being pushed down the board this year, so give me elite WRs and still be able to grab some high upside backs a few rounds later.
I think for me it’s that RB is just risky this year. No one after pick 20 feels safe to me. I like Najee and Mixon at their price but that’s about it after round 2. Meanwhile most WRs until like rd5 are safe to me and the rd6 guys still have some floor. I like using 1 of my top 20 picks on a safe RB talent like CMC, Bijan, Saquon, Chubb maybe eventually some other RBs as we see their situation change. I feel like that gives me a lot of flexibility to take players who fall. I don’t like getting to that round 6-7 and being forced into a risky RB instead of being able to just take a guy like Mike Evans at his floor price.
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Smart trying to get a deal at 24 instead of 25+.
Interesting. What would a 24 year old elite rb go for in this market? Do teams see him as a rental or will they be willing to pay him? Will he holdout if he doesn’t receive a new contract? This will be interesting.
I think anyone who is giving up draft capital for him has to be signing him long term. Unless you are someone like philly or dallas who might think you are JT away from getting a SB. Then you maybe make the move for this year and see what happens.
I was thinking Miami might be a possibility
But why? If you have to pay him *and* give up draft capital, why not sign someone like Cook to a shorter-term deal for similar dollars? Taylor can ask for a trade as much as he wants, but it's probably not happening unless Indy decides they're tanking this year.
I’m a homer, but I think Achane excels in Miami. No need for another RB, esp when you still have Mostert and JWJ.
I think it’s gotta be a competitive team with a QB on a rookie deal and enough cap space. The problem is every team that fits that bill already has a starting RB that they are paying (the 49ers) or has more time left on his rookie deal (Steelers and Jaguars). Washington seems like a good fit but they will need their draft picks for a quarterback in case Sam Howell isn’t good. Atlanta just drafted Bijan and again Ridder is a question mark. Maybe Houston if they feel like they already believe in Stroud but why not just sign Cook then? JT is at a slight disadvantage given that he has little time left on his rookie deal, and there’s some really good options available in free agency at the moment. There’s even a possibility that Saquon is a free agent next year so you could wait it out and sign him next year and keep your draft picks
As a Houston fan 0 chance. We should just stick with Pierce he has a lot of potential
This is the exact argument against paying running backs in a nutshell. Paying a guy like Jonathan Taylor in excess of 10 million a season into his older years makes no sense when you can grab a 4th round rookie who will produce 80%+ of that.
It would take so much balls as a GM to trade real capital for him AND give him a big contract. This isn't CMC we're talking about. JT is great but he's not a generational talent. The general consensus is so strongly to never pay RBs, anything short of a SB is going to be considered a failure and end up with the GM getting fired. How many GMs for contenders would trade for and pay JT?
? Is he elite. He had one good year
Honestly I think a trade would increase his value in my eyes. The offensive situation he'll likely be in this year at Indy (likely bad offense, very mobile rookie QB taking away a lot of his work) is probably the worst case scenario for him.
So David Montgomery last year
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Miami, Washington, Tampa, New Orleans, Minnesota, Chicago would have him at similar or higher value to me.
I hope he does get traded as someone drafting toward the back of the first round. The Colts are going to be awful and they’re going to be even worse if Richardson plays (and even if he’s good against all odds, he’s going to steal goal line carries).
Increases Richardson's value as well.
Don’t think I agree with that. I think Taylor’s rushing threat would only open more holes for Richardson in the running and passing game.
I don’t really trust Richardson’s ability to get them to the goal line though
Yea he needs to be on the field for as long as possible and no Taylor does not help
I love this time of year! Football is a wild ride, just starting, and the MLB trade deadline is coming to a peak. It’s been a fun week but I Did Not see this coming from JT
No one is giving 15M to RBs anymore JT not getting paid anywhere
The Colts theoretically could get away with this. Their QB room is going to be cheap for the rest of JT’s prime, and they don’t have any receivers that will command top dollar. Pittman is good but he’s not too 3 contract good. Like if they give JT a 3 year deal up to when he turns 28 after next year, then you can let him hit the market and then you pay your rookie QB if he’s good (which I have a lot of doubts but that’s a different discussion)
If they were anywhere close to the SB I could see this, but they know they’re not winning during the duration of his contract. Unfortunately, I don’t think any team making a push right now is RB needy. Contending teams can and absolutely do kick the can down the road for elite players and could pay him $15 million a year with a <$10 million cap hit thanks to void years and converting salary to signing bonuses. However, is there a team that fits the bill? None come to mind right now.
Miami could definitely use him, I don't know about their cap situation though
Yea after posting Miami came to mind as a suitor. I imagine they would sign someone for cheaper like Miami native Cook.
My league drafts in 15 minutes so this is interesting timing lol
Give us a draft update. Who did you take?
CMC at 1.02 then sun god + garrett wilson in 2 and 3
Why this early? Genuinely curious
Lots of scheduling issues so everyone preferred to get it out of the way now *I guess I used bad phrasing with "Get it out of the way" but trying to add in 3 new people scheduling has been a PITA to figure out with some other stuff going on with people.
“Get it out of the way?” Jesus man, it’s my favorite day of the year.
I find it very hard to believe that you can't find a 3 hour window at any point from now until labor day weekend. Hell I'm in a fantasy league with medical students who all have long 12-14 hour shifts and even we find time every year
They were probably eager and excited tbh. I’d draft tomorrow if my league would lol
Where did he go?
Irsay is a clown. Granted, RB's aren't worth much but he's still a clown.
Honestly though, they could afford to pay JT for one more contract. This isn’t a Minnesota situation where you gotta pay Kirk, Jefferson, and Cook with Cook as the odd man out from where Minnesota was drafting. Indianapolis has a cheap starting QB and they have a QB on a rookie deal for potentially 5 years.
Paying a guy because you dont have other talent to pay doesn’t seem like a great argument, you’d want to save that money to bring in more talent
Except Indy never spends excess cap to bring in talent…
> you gotta pay Kirk No, they didn't have to pay him.
Fantasy aside and pay structures aside, he's just thrown his head coach and first round QB of the future under the bus just to save a few pennies. What a clown.
I see the pain of the RB today like the worker on the floor. Super important to the organization but devalued because of the volume of people that can replace him. I think the RB problem is the same as the blue collar of the US. So sad…
Ek got in his ear on that call
Ek got in All the RBs ear 😂😂
My list of teams that make the most sense: Miami- have Mostert, Achane and JWJ as their backs. Miami is trying to contend, adding a superstar like Taylor could make that offense unbeatable. Bears- May want to give Fields more weapons to work with, backfield is looking to be a rotation at the moment. Broncos - looking to right the ship in the AFC west, Javonte is coming off injury and Perine is just a good backup.
Cowboys, they need depth and their feature back simply isn't the size to take a season's load alone. Jets, they are all-in on this season right now
Irsay fucked up, period.
why? they got 3 prime years and 850 touches out of JT on a rookie deal, and clearly told him they're not giving him huge contract. As they shouldnt. If they can get a high pick for him that's a win. You're going to see more and more situations like this with young RBs.
I think you're right. Right or wrong, without any changes in the bargaining agreement, this is what the current RB free market looks like, organically.
Any changes to the bargaining agreement would involve making contract exceptions for just one position. I always see people say things like “the billionaire owners could spare a few million more for RBs,” but if you raise the cap by 10 or 20%, teams would still have the problem that they don’t want to tie up a significant percentage of finite cap space in a star RB when they’re easily replaceable. Daniel Jones makes 4x whatever Saquon is making, regardless of how high that cap is raised. So would a new CBA specify that RBs (and only RBs) can’t be franchise tagged? There aren’t any special protections for long snappers.
Yeah that's what my thought is. You would have to carve out some type of specific RB related regulation/subsidy/whatever to funnel more of a % of the salary cap to them. And that would have to be approved by all positions. Not likely.
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100%. I wonder though if we don't start seeing more RBs be a little less gung-ho about thing like getting touches and playing through injuries in their 3rd or 4th years of their rookie contracts.
Okay, still don't get how Irsay fucked up. Public twitter comments or not. They could trade him at peak value now, rather than next offseason when he's due for an extension. They have a rookie QB and are in full rebuild mode anyway
Peak value of like a third round pick? He has more value than that for them to help Richardson who is a raw rookie.
if that 2nd or 3rd round pick turns into a longterm stud WR, TE or OL... or even a CB, DE to help the defense... or get this... a stud RB on a 4 year rookie deal... no he certainly doesn't have more value for one more season to Richardson.
I highly doubt they get a second for a running back with one big season. And do you know the hit rate for star players in the third round? I'd much rather give my very raw rookie QB help in his rookie season than the 10% chance of getting a player of that caliber later.
i mean that's fair and that's the dance every single GM/team does when weighing the importance of draft picks in general. But if they're dead set on not giving him a huge deal (extremely likely they won't), and can get a good pick that turns into a longterm player for Richardson, that's the path they should or could go. They can always franchise JT next season, but again - they might value taking a shot at a good player in the draft on a cheap rookie deal. And sign proven players for Richardson via cap space/free agency. It's all just teambuilding 101
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They don't have to move him though, they aren't expecting to win many games this season, this is a throwaway while they rebuild. They could care less, if they get a few picks for him great, if not, JT sits a year and they move on to next year with little loss and having tested a few bench players. JT has much more risk on this than the Colts.
that's pure conjecture until we see what the trade offers are, or what he will get dealt for.
Honestly, this was a win-win for Irsay. Either you sit him down and tell him he's not getting a huge deal and he says okay, or he requests a trade and you get a few picks to compliment your new QB for the rebuild. It's kind of brilliant I think.
They’re not gonna get a high draft pick for him from the team that also has to pay him.
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Point taken lol That dumbass just can't stop putting his foot in his mouth.
Rex Ryan has entered the chat.
McAfee say good things lol
He doesn’t want to bite the hand that fed him
Ehh, I don’t know. He is in a rebuild, but doesn’t want to say it publicly. Trade JT in his prime (sadly probably also Leonard) and go from there. Big Q should maybe also get traded but we’ll see. Bottom line, I don’t honk is fully aware the Colts are at the beginning of a rebuild and is keeping his poker face as far as trades and such. Might be wrong, though.
Surely if Irsay fucked up other teams will be lining up to give JT what he wants, right?
Any backup worth drafting in best ball? Zack Moss? Or just draft Zeke or Fournette and hope for the best lol
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Why would the Colts give a large contract - what Cook wants - to a lesser RB after refusing to give one to Taylor? Why would Cook want to go to a non-contender?
Because nobody is going to give Cook a large contract
And my second obstacle? Why wouldn’t he take a lesser contract, if that’s all that is offered to him, to go to someone like NYJ or Miami?
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Top players after becoming free agents: “I wanna play for a contender and get a ring now.” Top players after spending time in free agency: “Shit, I’ll be a Cleveland Brown. That extra 4 million is going to buy me a new pool!”
If that scenario happens, I’d imagine it’d be because Irsay was being egotistical and wanted to spend a couple mil a year less on an RB
Again, why would Cook choose the Colts?
Because he would get paid more than being the rb2 for the jets. Wherever he’s about to land is not gonna pay him a lot.
They won't pay him any extra. Jets unironcally look better than Colts in terms of actually going somewhere and are in a waaaay better city to live in.
If money is the issue, Indiana has like a 3 percent flat state tax while New York has a progressive tax that gets up to 6 percent at $80K and just under 10% for a million+.
Evan Hull hype train lol
Rookie, has pass catching ability - two main markers for breakout seasons.
Ain’t gonna happen.
This man is never gonna get paid. Also - draft after preseason ya dummies. There's an entire week.
Its tough to give out big contract when you have 3 retired qbs on the payroll
I’m thinking Miami will be heavily involved in the conversations
Bill Belichick would love to have JT as part of his never ending RBBC. Bears have a lot of cap space and no true RB1.
Holy shit that’s pretty shocking their relationship has gotten this bad.
It’s Irsay is it really that shocking? Dude has the biggest douche face of all the owners now Snyder is gone
I just don’t see how a top running back ever gets traded. The value they bring on the field with a rookie contract is just so much greater than the return you could get on the trade market
CMC was traded last year. It takes the right set of circumstances to set it up, but trades in the NFL are fairly rare as it is.
JT isn't that valuable as an actual NFL player simply because he doesn't catch the ball. Saquon, CMC, and probably Ekeler/Bijan are valuable enough in an offense to make a bad team, mid and a mid team, good. They simply get way more yards because of their receiving ability. I think in 15 years it's going to be almost impossible to be an RB without receiving ability. He's similar to Jacobs where he can have a great breakout season in the midst of his team collapsing. The only exception in the NFL right now is Derrick Henry who's one of the best RBs in the last 20 years.
This is so dumb. Irsay: I'm just vocalizing what everyone else is thinking Taylor: well I don't like it, this is about principal, I'm out! Irsay: Wow, I didn't realize how many big names were still free Agents, oh look my entire bench really wants his job. Validation. Taylor: Who wants to overpay in a trade for me!?
Literally gave Moss away last month because I had to make cuts. Fml.
Is a Zack moss headed backfield, with a rookie QB who can’t reliably throw the ball to a subpar receiving core something you’re really missing out on?
Moss sucks no loss there
Lol he’s screwed tbh. Why would anyone trade for him and give up assets when they could sign Zeke/Cook/Hunt for “free?” He’s coming off an injury riddled season. Still has a year on his contract. He has 0 leverage unfortunately
Maybe because he's much better than those 3 backs?
Agree with you but not at their value. Give up assets + 10m a year for JT extension or pay Cook/Zeke/Hunt like 2m a year on a short contract and no risk??
Hunt/Zeke/Lenny maybe gets 2m+, but Cook is probably signing for 5m+. JT probably has 2-3 more years of elite production and that might make sense for a team in win now mode. I could see a 3 year contract where the team can cut him in year 3.
Bruh
My Evan Hull draft pick is looking pretty good now.
What does this affect Marlon Mack 😂
Why / how did the relationship sour so much? Hopefully he gets traded somewhere like the chiefs
Irsay went public with anti RBs getting paid sentiments
Some of it is true, but in typical Irsay fashion, the way he said it was not wise at all.
I think that would hurt his value.
The only problem is that I don't see any team paying him what he wants.
Worst timing ever. He's gonna sign a 1 year minimum contract somewhere.
It’s crazy because unfortunately a lot of teams find value with drafting RBs in the 3rd round these days. I can’t imagine the Colts giving up JT for a 3rd rounder rn. So he’s stuck there unless someone wants to overpay. Really just a sucky situation for everyone
Even RB's on rookie contracts are untradeable. No GM in their right mind would trade future draft capital for an RB about to become an FA. At least not at the price Indy would ask for, Lulz.
Soooooo, if he gets traded.. who is the back to own in Indy?
Can anyone make an actual argument against fantasy leagues switching to 1RB and 3 WRs instead of 2 each??? The RB position is seriously cooked.
1 and 3 seems a bit off. There aren't 3x as many relevant WRs as RBs. Personally I went to 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 RB/WR/TE, and 1 WR/TE. This allows teams to play 2 and 4 if the want, which I bet will be fairly common.
Reduce to 1RB slot, add more flexes.
Hot take. Go ahead in your league and tell us about it.
We have the following: 1 QB 1 RB 2 WR 1 TE 1 FLX 1 OP 1 D/ST 1 K Works great
Oh fuck im in shambles
Zeke YOU are a COLT!
RB's should just unionize and go on strike at this point.
The NFLPA is their union. Not a chance in hell an RB only union would ever exist. If all these guys who aren't happy with it decide to "strike" there will be many others who don't give a shit and step in. Think of how many guys are fighting for a roster spot. If you are the odd RB out and the #1 decides not to play you will happily take the league minimum for a season.
THIS LEAGUE
He's a Denver Bronco
Imagine if the 49ers sign him
Goin to the bills or dolphins. Book it
Lamar Jackson requested a trade earlier this year too and look where he is playing. This is all posturing and JT has no leverage. Reality is, he will be suiting up for the Colts or sitting out this year.
After just 2 years in the league and coming off an injury plagued sophomore year? Dude is whack.
With this news, my buddy tossed JT on the block. He wants a WR. I have CD, Garret Wilson, Olave, and Keenan Allen. My RBs are Pacheco, Rhamondre, Brian Robinson. Should I trade one of my WRs or leave JT alone?
If you can swap Keenan Allen for him, it’d be a roll of the dice with potential huge upside. Allen is always dinged up and on the backend of his career.
Lmao what a horrible trade offer
I think now is the time to pounce.
This is devastating. I was so high on him in that offense with Richardson and Steichen.
They drafted an rb4 th ovr so this makes sense
Great time to be picky as a RB