Colts reportedly sign Matt Hasselbeck (update)

[southwest1]

1) How was Jeff Garcia similar to Matt Hasselbeck? What, they both balded early??? They were completely different kinds of players...

 

2) Ideally, Hasselbeck never plays a meaningful down for us, making his presumed decline irrelevant.

 

3) If he does get pressed into service, isn't is disingenuous for you to use his numbers from the last five years? He wasn't a backup for three of those, dealt with some injuries and played with a pretty sorry team for his last three years in Seattle. (Despite that team being pretty bad, they made the playoffs in 2010 with Hasselbeck as the starter, and he threw 7 touchdowns and one interception in two games, winning one.) As a backup and part-time starter the last two years, his numbers were better across the board than they were his last three years in Seattle, and the team went 11-10 with him as the starter. Isn't that split relevant?

 

4) Kyle Orton isn't a free agent. And he signed for $3.5m/year as a backup.

 

5) Jason Campbell doesn't have the intangibles Hasselbeck has, and isn't as ideal a fit for our team. And his deal as a backup was $3.5m for one year. Both he and Orton support this approximately $4m/year market for a veteran backup quarterback. And neither is as good as Hasselbeck.

Nice post Superman. Your 1st line made me laugh. Receding hairlines are no joke my friend. Just Kidding! I used to chuckle at Bald Hair Club for Men Commercials. "I'm not a member; I'm the President." Not anymore. Growing older it happens to everybody I guess right? No exceptions. 

[Superman]

I do think he has a vision, but it just feels run by seat of the pants at some times.  He also seems to be hedging his bets by front loading the contracts.  That way if it all goes bad in 2 years he can blow it all up and and start from scratch with a minimal cap hit.  But at some point, the young kids he hit on in the draft(s) will command a big FA salary too.  I'm fairly ok with the other signings, just hope a good many play to/above their payday.  But we do disagree on Hasselbeck's abilites now, and his value to the team in comparison to the 8 million dollars he commands.

 

To the bolded, that's cool. That's a different discussion from what Grigson's vision is.

 

Speaking of which, I think the contracts he's doing right now are very "pay as you go," not front loaded. RJF's is backloaded as a matter of fact. Maybe the majority are slightly front loaded in terms of cash, but not cap hits. Cherilus' contract is rather interesting (cap hit goes down to $3m next year, then $6m in 2015, and $9m in the final two years, if Spotrac is correct), but the rest are pretty even. And that's really the best way to do it, to have your cap and your cash in sync as much as possible.

 

But all these contracts would have minimal cap penalties if they don't work out. And that's smart, too. I don't think it's hedging your bets as much as it is making the players continue to prove their worth throughout the life of the contract. And if Grigson is dead wrong on any of these deals, we can cut bait and run. For all the noise about Walden, it's no big deal if he sucks.

 

Grigson did go in a different direction than I expected him to. But the way all the moves hit so quickly on day one convinced me that he was doing what he wanted, not settling. I thought he wanted Vasquez, and maybe he did, but if so he had a decent backup plan, and Thomas was on board five minutes after Vasquez was gone. So I believe that he's doing what he wants to do, not just playing it by ear. And I'm willing to let his plan crystallize, rather than critique every little aspect that I disagree with.

[husker61]

I tried to like your post I quoted here-

 

http://forums.colts.com/index.php?/topic/16660-colts-reportedly-sign-matt-hasselbeck-update/page-7#entry446870

 

and that is what greeted me in a pop up when I tried. So I gave you a thumbs up instead.

 

Sorry for any confusion.

 

sorry, i thought you wrote it. i have seen people make derogatory posts similar to that. i would love to know that the benefit of having that stupid limit on likes is. it's a great feature to get rid of clutter. more people should use it.

[ColtsBlueFL]

To the bolded, that's cool. That's a different discussion from what Grigson's vision is.

 

Speaking of which, I think the contracts he's doing right now are very "pay as you go," not front loaded. RJF's is backloaded as a matter of fact. Maybe the majority are slightly front loaded in terms of cash, but not cap hits. Cherilus' contract is rather interesting (cap hit goes down to $3m next year, then $6m in 2015, and $9m in the final two years, if Spotrac is correct), but the rest are pretty even. And that's really the best way to do it, to have your cap and your cash in sync as much as possible.

 

But all these contracts would have minimal cap penalties if they don't work out. And that's smart, too. I don't think it's hedging your bets as much as it is making the players continue to prove their worth throughout the life of the contract. And if Grigson is dead wrong on any of these deals, we can cut bait and run. For all the noise about Walden, it's no big deal if he sucks.

 

Grigson did go in a different direction than I expected him to. But the way all the moves hit so quickly on day one convinced me that he was doing what he wanted, not settling. I thought he wanted Vasquez, and maybe he did, but if so he had a decent backup plan, and Thomas was on board five minutes after Vasquez was gone. So I believe that he's doing what he wants to do, not just playing it by ear. And I'm willing to let his plan crystallize, rather than critique every little aspect that I disagree with.

I always have been, and am still, cautiously optimistic.  Just a little less enthused we brought MH on board.  I really do hope he is the 8 million dolar coach... ;)

[dw49]

Also lost in the shuffle is the possibility -- however remote -- that Harnish beats Hasselbeck out for the QB2 job. I haven't seen the details on Hasselbeck's deal, so I don't know what's guaranteed or what the signing bonus us, but it's possible that we don't carry Hasselbeck for the season anyways.

 

So, if you're anticipating the precipitous decline that Weatherman ColtsBlueFL says is going to hit Hasselbeck because he turns 38 this season, then maybe he gets released after camp anyways.

 

 

Here's all I can find so far on his deal. If this is correct , looks like we will not pay Hassleback 4 mill for 2013. Instead we get to pay him 5 mill. But we do get him for only 3 mill per when he hits 39. Can't help being a wise guy , but I really hate this with a passion. Sign a nice guard for 5 mill and maybe the chance of needing a 5 mill backup won't look so paramount.

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: The Colts announced Hasselbeck's signing on Tuesday morning. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the contract is worth $8 million over two years, and Hasselbeck will earn $5 million during the first year of the contract.

[crazycolt1]

If Bruce Arians was still here, I'd hate this move. But sense that was Luck's Mentor who is now in ARI, I don't mind this move. I just hope Hasselbeck is prepared to play the Jim Sorgi/Curtis Painter role. And understands the only time he'll touch the field is in preseason

Hass is 37 years old. He knows that Luck is the starter as long as he can stand. I think it will be good to have a seasoned vet on the sidelines. You have no worries about what he thinks his roll is. I could be wrong but I think the last time we had a seasoned vet on the sidelines with a lot of history was Mark Rypien. 

[ColtsBlueFL]

Why do you think we'd pay Hasselback $5-6 MIllion?

 

Last year with the Titans,  he made.....  $2 MIllion.    My hunch is he'll get roughly the same from the Colts.

 

$2 Million.   The Colts can afford that.

 

http://forums.colts.com/index.php?/topic/16660-colts-reportedly-sign-matt-hasselbeck-update/page-2#entry445555

 

Well, that is what (5 mil) he got.  Nothing more to say. 

[NewColtsFan]

http://forums.colts.com/index.php?/topic/16660-colts-reportedly-sign-matt-hasselbeck-update/page-2#entry445555

 

Well, that is what (5 mil) he got.  Nothing more to say. 

 

 

You are correct.    

 

My belief that he'd get much less was based on my incorrect reading of the Spotrac link.    I thought Hasselbeck earned $2 Mill last year.    Thought he'd get roughly the same this year.

 

I assume your reference to $5 Mill is his 2013 salary + bonus,  because my understanding is that the overall deal is 2 years and $8 MIll....

[jvan1973]

Oh wow.

Have you considered that maybe Grigson values a veteran backup quarterback more than you do?

or that he actually runs an NFL team

[ColtsBlueFL]

You are correct.    

 

My belief that he'd get much less was based on my incorrect reading of the Spotrac link.    I thought Hasselbeck earned $2 Mill last year.    Thought he'd get roughly the same this year.

 

I assume your reference to $5 Mill is his 2013 salary + bonus,  because my understanding is that the overall deal is 2 years and $8 MIll....

 

Spotrac says all salary is base, no bonus.  5 million 2013.  If not released, then the other 3 million in 2014 as a 39 y/o backup QB.  not sure if any is guaranteed, but seems silly to sign if not.

 

MH presence may benefit Luck this season. But, and I ask you, and anyone, honestly, can you clearly without hesitation say this 5 million dollars cannot be better spent on any other action the Colts can or could make, without any doubt?  I know I cannot.

[NewColtsFan]

Spotrac says all salary is base, no bonus.  5 million 2013.  If not released, then the other 3 million in 2014 as a 39 y/o backup QB.  not sure if any is guaranteed, but seems silly to sign if not.

 

MH presence may benefit Luck this season. But, and I ask you, and anyone, honestly, can you clearly without hesitation say this 5 million dollars cannot be better spent on any other action the Colts can or could make, without any doubt?  I know I cannot.

 

 

That's an interesting question....      

 

Problem is,  I don't think that I,  or anyone else can give you an informed answer....    we don't know how the front office sees the remaining Free Agents that are available.

 

Clearly,  we could've afforded Kruger, or Avril, or Vasquez, or LeVitre, or Long,  or anyone else on the market if we had desired.   But, apparently,  we either didn't like them,   or,  only liked them up to a certain point,  a certain salary,  and beyond that,  we didn't want them.

 

So,  are there still some big, sexy names out there?    Yes.   But, I just don't know what management thinks of them.

 

While I like the people we brought in, and am NOT ready to say that we over-paid for them,  I DO think we paid full price.  And we paid full price for some guys who are somewhat under the radar.    So, my view is we liked them enough to pay full price.

 

It's hard to make objective views when you're on the outside looking in and are not privy to what the front office knows.

 

We're just going to have to wait and see how the new guys fit in and perform.   If the defense is better, and the credit can be pointed to the new players,  then props to Grigson.    But, if the defense is lack-luster and we're not getting much from the new FA's,   then the seat will get hot under Grigson's bottom.

 

Not trying to be evasive here...   that's just my view of things....

[Superman]

Spotrac says all salary is base, no bonus.  5 million 2013.  If not released, then the other 3 million in 2014 as a 39 y/o backup QB.  not sure if any is guaranteed, but seems silly to sign if not.

 

MH presence may benefit Luck this season. But, and I ask you, and anyone, honestly, can you clearly without hesitation say this 5 million dollars cannot be better spent on any other action the Colts can or could make, without any doubt?  I know I cannot.

 

Quote from Irsay:

 

Tuesday, the Colts signed veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a two-year, $8 million contract. Irsay insisted it was critical to have a proven backup behind quarterback Andrew Luck.

“We were lucky all those years with Peyton (Manning) and the backups we had,’’ he said. “If Andrew sprains a knee or something like that, we have to protect the team.

“We wanted to invest in a top-notch backup quarterback.’’

 

He also said the team got everyone they targeted. Some of that is obviously PR spin; like you said, they didn't do anything regarding the backup spot before Hasselbeck was released, and they let Stanton leave without making an offer (so far as I know). It's also hard to believe that they weren't interested in Vasquez or Kruger at all. Maybe no offers were made, but they definitely spoke with the agents for those players.

 

But it does seem like the team values Hasselbeck's potential contributions more than you do, even at $4m/year.

 

The team made several moves before doing anything with Hasselbeck. I don't think his signing is going to cost us the opportunity to do anything that they really wanted to do. It's looking like it was a question of using the cap space now or rolling it over to next year. Not Hasselbeck vs. another free agent.

 

And it also seems like the team is either still in play for the receiver, or that deal fell through before Hasselbeck signed. Irsay said:

 

“It was going along pretty decent,” Irsay said, “but you know how it goes. It’s a roller-coaster ride.”

 

So it might be a dead deal. Or they might still have an offer on the table.

 

Anyways, I'm content to view the Hasselbeck deal in a vacuum. They wanted him, and they didn't get him at the expense of anyone else they wanted.

[ColtsBlueFL]

Quote from Irsay:

 

 

He also said the team got everyone they targeted. Some of that is obviously PR spin; like you said, they didn't do anything regarding the backup spot before Hasselbeck was released, and they let Stanton leave without making an offer (so far as I know). It's also hard to believe that they weren't interested in Vasquez or Kruger at all. Maybe no offers were made, but they definitely spoke with the agents for those players.

 

That's the team explanation   But I am asking each person do they feel that 5 million this and 3 million next for MH is the best way the Colts could or can spend it?  Jusy that, forget everything else...

 

But it does seem like the team values Hasselbeck's potential contributions more than you do, even at $4m/year.

 

So I'll be interested who replaces Hasselbeck in 2015... or possibly 2014.  Verrryyyy interested.  

 

The team made several moves before doing anything with Hasselbeck. I don't think his signing is going to cost us the opportunity to do anything that they really wanted to do. It's looking like it was a question of using the cap space now or rolling it over to next year. Not Hasselbeck vs. another free agent.

 

And it also seems like the team is either still in play for the receiver, or that deal fell through before Hasselbeck signed. Irsay said:

 

 

So it might be a dead deal. Or they might still have an offer on the table.

 

Judging from the FA and RFA list, I hope it is dead and they go the draft route... IMHO.

 

 

Anyways, I'm content to view the Hasselbeck deal in a vacuum. They wanted him, and they didn't get him at the expense of anyone else they wanted.

 

Yes, so far, but at 5 -8 mill less.  less cash, less cap. Less to use elsewhere just in case, less to carry over to help extend others in future years.  Less.  What is received in return, and will  it  be commiserate to the salary paid.  That is TBD.  Thinking and questioning and talking about it is not a bad thing.

 

No team makes all the right calls, no GM makes all the right moves all of the time, every time. They are not infallible   

[dw49]

Ya like it or ya don't.  I don't.