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Signings, Cuts, Trades

I don't either really (but, as I said, that's a GM problem) but nor do I feel confident that he'll be able to do it for years to come at a level that justifies a high price tag.

I like Zay. I don't want to sound like I don't but his key skill is his ability to separate quickly and that fits really well with a QB who doesn't like to throw to WRs if he doesn't see that they're open. but will that twitchiness survive through age and injury?

A big contract is banking a lot on that one thing that makes Zay special because, if that goes, there's nothing else for Zay to really rely on. He doesn't really have size, strength, particularly good hands, or YAC ability, or run blocking. His route running isn't special outwith that twitchiness either.

He's been on the uptick since he got into the league
 
I don't either really (but, as I said, that's a GM problem) but nor do I feel confident that he'll be able to do it for years to come at a level that justifies a high price tag.

I like Zay. I don't want to sound like I don't but his key skill is his ability to separate quickly and that fits really well with a QB who doesn't like to throw to WRs if he doesn't see that they're open. but will that twitchiness survive through age and injury?

A big contract is banking a lot on that one thing that makes Zay special because, if that goes, there's nothing else for Zay to really rely on. He doesn't really have size, strength, particularly good hands, or YAC ability, or run blocking. His route running isn't special outwith that twitchiness either.
In all my years as a ravens fan obsessing over wrs, I’ve learned that quicks don’t fade early, speed might but quickness tends to last a little while. And beyond that, zay is getting more intelligent with his route game every year, last season he took a huge leap forward with how he set up DBs through the stem, influencing coverage before the break, that’s gonna continue getting better.

I don’t think we have much to worry about with a zay contract, I think we get another STRONG 4-5 years out of him
 
I’ll be very upset if we don’t re-sign Zay.
 
Weird question. I'm in the camp saying keep Zay... BUT say we won it all this year. Would you all say run it back or trade him?
 
I don't either really (but, as I said, that's a GM problem) but nor do I feel confident that he'll be able to do it for years to come at a level that justifies a high price tag.

I like Zay. I don't want to sound like I don't but his key skill is his ability to separate quickly and that fits really well with a QB who doesn't like to throw to WRs if he doesn't see that they're open. but will that twitchiness survive through age and injury?

A big contract is banking a lot on that one thing that makes Zay special because, if that goes, there's nothing else for Zay to really rely on. He doesn't really have size, strength, particularly good hands, or YAC ability, or run blocking. His route running isn't special outwith that twitchiness either.

he's only 25 years old
are we really expecting him to decline athletically any time soon?
and how many top WRs really don't rely on their twitchiness and athleticism as a key part of their skillset?
 
In all my years as a ravens fan obsessing over wrs, I’ve learned that quicks don’t fade early, speed might but quickness tends to last a little while. And beyond that, zay is getting more intelligent with his route game every year, last season he took a huge leap forward with how he set up DBs through the stem, influencing coverage before the break, that’s gonna continue getting better.

I don’t think we have much to worry about with a zay contract, I think we get another STRONG 4-5 years out of him
He has been improving and I hope you're right about his longevity because I get the feeling we are going to extend him.
 
he's only 25 years old
are we really expecting him to decline athletically any time soon?
and how many top WRs really don't rely on their twitchiness and athleticism as a key part of their skillset?
Overall, WRs don't tend to produce a whole lot past the first year or two of their second contracts. The very top guys are the exception and I think they obscure the fact that the position is a lot more like RB and corner than we usually consider it. (As in, most players are already declining as they approach their late 20s.)

So I am a little worried, yes.
 
Overall, WRs don't tend to produce a whole lot past the first year or two of their second contracts. The very top guys are the exception and I think they obscure the fact that the position is a lot more like RB and corner than we usually consider it. (As in, most players are already declining as they approach their late 20s.)

So I am a little worried, yes.
Now that you mention it, i think only worthy wr thats around 30 is maybe sutton? I think aj brown is only like 27 i believe but everyone else 27 or younger
 
Now that you mention it, i think only worthy wr thats around 30 is maybe sutton? I think aj brown is only like 27 i believe but everyone else 27 or younger
That's why I think the 5th year then the Tag is the way to go. On average you can get most of a WR's best years without paying for his decline.
 
That's why I think the 5th year then the Tag is the way to go. On average you can get most of a WR's best years without paying for his decline.
Problem is the cap hits. You're talking basically $60M over two years. On a long-term extension, they wouldn't be nearly that high over the same period.
Plus, if Lamar doesn't sign an extension, and decides to play out '27, I'm not sure the Ravens can even afford the 5th year option alone to begin with. They may opt to trade him at that point with no long-term assurances from Lamar.
 
Problem is the cap hits. You're talking basically $60M over two years. On a long-term extension, they wouldn't be nearly that high over the same period.
Plus, if Lamar doesn't sign an extension, and decides to play out '27, I'm not sure the Ravens can even afford the 5th year option alone to begin with. They may opt to trade him at that point with no long-term assurances from Lamar.
Good strategy if you have cap space to work with, to avoid future cap pain, but yeah it’s not feasible to have fully guaranteed one year deals at market rate on a team like ours
 
Good strategy if you have cap space to work with, to avoid future cap pain, but yeah it’s not feasible to have fully guaranteed one year deals at market rate on a team like ours
That's why I think the 5th year then the Tag is the way to go. On average you can get most of a WR's best years without paying for his decline.
Well and keep in mind that, in this example, you've effectively given him a 2 year extension @ $60M, fully guaranteed. While that looks fantastic from an AAV perspective, there's only six WRs with $60M+ in guarantees at signing. If you were to sign him to a standard like 4 year extension this offseason (putting him under team control for five years), he would likely get something around $70M gtd at signing, which would likely be over a two year period. The remaining two years on his deal would likely be bloated salary numbers that aren't guaranteed, meaning you could move off of him before he's 30 either way, or in some sort of rolling guarantees that are effectively team options.

So in that scenario, you're probably just deciding between one additional year for $10M more in guarantees, and salary cap flexibility for a multi-year period. Something the 5th year option + Tag doesn't allow for.
 
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