Lets Make A Deal: Rams & Eagles, Lions & Ravens, Saints & Seahawks
Tuesday’s NFL free agency period kicked off in unusual fashion. Just before 4 pm eastern time, the St. Louis Rams made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Monday night on DrivewithJack.com’s ‘Monday Night Live’ webcast, I reported that the Eagles were actively shopping QB Nick Foles around and that the Rams were the likely landing spot. The one thing we did not know is what the conditions would be for the Rams in exchange for Foles. Well today we got our answer…
The Eagles traded Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round draft pick, and a 2016 second-round draft pick for Rams Sam Bradford and a fifth-round draft pick. Now that is the simple part of the trade; here’s where it gets tricky with the added stipulations of the conditional part the deal.
If Bradford plays less than 50% of the snaps in 2015, the Eagles will get a 2016 fourth-round draft pick from the Rams
If Bradford does not play this season, the Eagles get a 2016 third-round draft pick from the Rams.
If Bradford plays more than 50% of the snaps in 2015, the Eagles get no additional picks.
Needless to say this has to be one of the most complex trade conditions I’ve ever seen. But quite honestly, that isn’t even the most perplexing part. What I don’t understand, and many other NFL observers don’t understand, is why Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles would want quarterback Sam Bradford? He has been one of the most disappointing first-round draft picks at the quarterback position in the past decade. He cannot manage to stay healthy, which is the main reason I say he is disappointing. Just when you think Bradford is finally coming around (which I think I’ve only ever said/saw once), he goes down with an injury. In fact, he missed the entire season due to injury.
If I am Chip Kelly and the Eagles, this is one the riskiest moves you can make as an franchise. As an NFL coach or executive you are constantly weighing the risk factors in players before acquiring them for your team, I’d really like to know what was going through Kelly’s mind when he said, “Ahhh, this is our guy.” With that being said, Chip Kelly may ‘wow’ us and make all of us sports writers and broadcasters eat our words. I am not going to sit here and hold my breath on that. I think the proof is in the pudding on this one.
On the other hand, in this trade the Rams made out as the winners in my book. In Foles, they got a quarterback they can really work with. Granted, he isn’t a Jeff Fisher quarterback in the Steve McNair mold. But, if the Rams put Foles into the right system, he has yet to peak and has tremendous room to grow. I’m excited for Foles and the Rams franchise.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s look at what happened shortly after the Foles/Bradford trade was announced. The Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens executed a trade, in what I am a calling a ‘home run’ for the Lions team as a whole. The Lions traded their 2015 fourth-round and fifth-round draft pick for Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle, Haloti Ngata.
The Lions lost Ndamukong Suh, and good riddance, because the team just landed themselves a 5-time Pro Bowl selection who is as versatile as they come in the league. He is going to be a great fit for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, considering that Ngata can play, and play well, at 3-4 defensive end, 4-3 defensive tackle and he be a pure nose tackle as well.
In talks the past two weeks on ‘The Drive with Jack’ and ‘Monday Night Live’ the biggest worry of this offseason is how will the Lions replace Ndamukong Suh on the defensive line if he exits. Well Lions fans, you got the best possible replacement you could hope for. So toast to Lions-nation, you guys are my winners of the day because this deal has bigger implications than most imagine. Now it’s time to lock in a running back, among many positions that need to be filled.
There is a terrific, underrated running back in Jacquizz Rodgers who played last year in Atlanta. He’s a 25-years old, a4-year pro out of Oregon State, and I am telling you he has tremendous ability. Rodgers is the ideal back that can excel any team’s screen game. He has a quick set of wheels, a very high motor, and work ethic like no other. Now it’s time for the Lions to go out and make a move to get him. He’s going to be the best bargain back a team can find all offseason long.
Another deal that came to light was again, right in that 3:50 pm eastern time window when the New Orleans Saints reported that they would be shopping players around, including their coveted tight end Jimmy Graham. Less than 3 minuets later, a trade was made between the Saints and the Seahawks. Here’s the details of the trade;
New Orleans Saints: TE Jimmy Graham and 2015 fourth-round draft pick for
Seattle Seahawks: C Max Unger and 31st pick in the 2015 draft
Now the trade does not become official until both players pass their physicals which are scheduled for Tuesday. I am still on the fence about who my winner of the deal is in this situation. The Saints give up probably their best offensive weapon, BUT now have two-first round draft picks which they could use in any number of ways. On the flip side, they gain one heck of a center in Max Unger, who the Seahawks viewed as a significant leader in their locker room.
The Seahawks on the other hand land themselves arguably the best tight end in the game, who’s posted almost 5,000 yards and 50+ touchdowns since coming into the league in 2010. Somewhere, wherever Russell Wilson is, he is certainly smiling and plotting his revenge from the past February’s Super Bowl loss. Besides, it’s not like Seahawks GM, John Schneider, needs his first-round picks, as he has yet to make a first-round selection since he’s taken over in Seattle in 2010.
