richard pallo

So what.

Ballard could have extended Buckner after the draft and still achieve the same result. But he does it a week before the draft. Therefore giving him more cap space and giving him plenty of flexibility before and during the draft to trade for a player with a meaningful cap hit if he wanted to. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the 1st pick. It could be a 2nd or 3rd rd pick. This seems to be the reason to me. This is the first time he has extended a player this way with a significant cap reduction. And he does it just before the draft. He has never traded up in the 1st rd either. Maybe that is also about to change. I believe he has a press conference this Friday. I would imagine he will get questions about this extension and will probably be vague explaining his reasons for doing it the way he did. That said I think Ballard is going for it this year. I think he feels he has to. I think these coming days are going to be exciting and full of surprises. JMO of course.

I think it makes sense to draft a corner to try and counteract the trend of opening up the wide receivers more with the rule changes.

Unless I’m missing something I don’t see why we would need all of this extra space to move up in the draft. Trading for an established player is a different story. That seems more likely to me given the choices you presented.

Yup. Another good one.

The first impulse is to say Simmons or Diggs. I think Ballard could very well make a bigger move. I have mentioned three trades in earlier posts. Baker, Aiyuk, or Crosby. The Raiders would really want to move up for a quarterback to want our pick 15. But our pick could easily help get them to 3or 4. Some think Crosby is a foundation piece and they would never trade him. But if you really want a certain quarterback you have to sacrifice something to get him. Ballard wanted Hunter no reason he wouldn’t try for Crosby. I like a Baker trade a lot as well because it’s a longer term fix in a position of need. Trading for Aiyuk reminds me of the Bills move for Diggs. I wouldn’t rule that out either. I think the Crosby trade is the only one that would require our 1st pick. The others would not imo. For me something is definitely cooking. Exciting times coming up I would say.

I said this in an earlier post. A trade for Baker makes sense to me. He’s younger than Simmons or Diggs. I think the first knee jerk reaction is we are signing on of the two but I wouldn’t rule out Baker.

You could make that argument that he has been aggressive and overpaid when it came to acquiring Wentz and Ryan. Draft picks and money. Two quarterbacks no less. The most important position on the team. So I don’t think you can say he’s not aggressive. He took big swings on those two and missed. But he also traded a 1st rd pick for Buckner paid him and hit a home run with that swing. I think you could say he has taken aggressive swings. I do think having a franchise quarterback leading your team makes it easier to justify taking one. I think he thinks he has that guy now. So I’m expecting a few more aggressive moves going forward. I think they will be calculated and well thought out. And he and Shane will be in lock step when they happen.

Move up. With no regrets.

Once players think you have the right coach and a franchise quarterback everything changes. Night turns into daylight.

This is the year to trade up. Move up higher in the first four rounds seems like a good strategy.

Apparently he thinks we are Super Bowl contenders.

I’m not willing to assume the risk on Latu. I would rather move up for Turner or Nabors. Increase your chances of getting a difference maker.

TBH Ballard hasn't really drafted edge or corner early. I don't consider Paye at 21 early for an ER. The potential elite go before pick 21. Usually top 10. This is the year to move up for Turner. He is within reach. That said I wouldn't entirely rule out Ballard trading pick 15 for a starting Edge or WR.

I think that's why Ballard tried to sign Hunter. He knows he could use an upgrade there.

I think if Gus has the right experienced players in his defense it is very effective. Starting inexperienced and multiple rookies in the secondary is going to result in breakdowns and problems. Hopefully we see a significant jump from these players this year.

🥜 lol

If we put the 5th year option in place with Paye then he is signed through 2025. If we don’t then he is a FA. His option price is $14m. Pretty cheap for an ER who has improved each year. My guess is they think our new DL coach could hopefully get him to make an even bigger jump. So I’m thinking they will pick up his option.

That is a good point but they have been saying that about our OL for some time and that has resulted in it being a top 5 OL. Not on the same scale but we now have two highly paid DT in their 30’s. If we acquired Hunter we most likely would have had a highly paid DL position group as well. I am not in the camp of worrying about how much we pay a player or position group. That’s for the front office to manage. They have a roster to build to try and a win a championship. That’s a lot of players and talent to deal with. I am in the camp of bringing in the best players we can to get the job done. As long as they manage the cap effectively, which they do, then I don’t care where they spend it. Just bring in the talent and go for that championship.

Good thought. I was also thinking about including Kwity. Maybe they could use an ER. There are options I guess.

It feels like it’s Dejavu time for the 49er’s and Colts right now. The 49er’s issue with Aiyuk and Samuels reminds me of their situation four years ago with Buckner and Armstead. They traded Buckner to the Colts for pick 13 to solve it. I wonder if Ballard would be tempted to call and see if a trade for Aiyuk could work out for both teams again. He’s set to play on the 5th year option so his extension could wait for a year. I know he wants the extension but he might just have to play on the option this year no matter where he ends up if he is traded. If the Colts are really considering moving up for Nabors trading for Aiyuk would undoubtedly cost less. I know the rookie contract is cheaper but Aiyuk is a proven NFL playmaker. Interesting option none the less.

Pittman, Grover, Moore and Blackmon are starters and I think are key core players. He will try to bring back every player who performs to his expectations I believe. You don’t perform he’s going to find someone better. That’s the deciding factor imo.

I think this actually increases the likelihood another meaningful acquisition is on the horizon. Ballard is working.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he does Kelly as well. His contract also expires this year.

You’re wrong but that’s okay. The numbers this year speak for themselves.