Report: Colts in talks for Alex Mack (mega-merge)

[AgentOrange]

Man, I really hope Cleveland signs Revis now.

 

Cleveland can afford to sign Revis and still match for Mack, with money left over.

[#BringBobBack]

Let's trade for Josh Gordon while we're at it.

i would oddly be ok with that

[dw49]

I don't see how the Browns would keep him at a $20M cap hit this year.

 

 

I think by no poison pill , that means you can't put ridiculous things like " he has to be the highest paid O lineman on the team." That would mean that Cleveland could never pay Thomas more than Mack. We did it years ago to the Bills and robbed their LT. But  there's a chance manipulative agent can figure out a way to structure it so Cleveland will puke matching it. His agent is saying he can , but maybe he just saying that to garner more offers. We shall see as no doubt teams will make a play for Mack.

[trueblueblood]

Turn off your ad blocker, got the embedded tweets going for me.

I'm using my iphone, not sure if that has anything to do with it

[Colts_Fan12]

I'm using my iphone, not sure if that has anything to do with it

I'm on my I pod and I can see them so I'm not sure what it could be

[Gavin]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

[Dustin]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

You used to be able to put clauses in contracts that would make it impossible for other teams to match.

For example (in Macks case): Mack gets a $50M bonus if he plays 3 games in Cleavland. There's no way the Browns could agree to that contract.

[coltsblue1844]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

It would be similar to this:   We offer whatever contract that we want, even if it is lower than the $10mil per year that Cleveland's transition tag pays...say for example we offer 5 years at 45 million but then add in the contract that "if Mack plays more than 4 games per year in Cleveland, then 100% of the contract is guaranteed"... well in Indy, the contract wouldn't be 100% guaranteed money, but if Cleveland decided to match, then obviously they would be making 100% of the money guaranteed money, which would ruin them in the event that he got hurt etc

[GoColtsGo5150]

Well- I put this on the Arthur Jones thread before we signed him- so I thought I might aswell try it again:

 

[jvan1973]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

wording like. Alex will be the highest paid olneman the colts have. The browns then would be forced to pay Mack more than Joe Thomas. The colts did that with will wolford years ago.

Also something like a guarantee that mack will play at least three games a year in the state if Indiana. Obviously the browns couldn't match that offer. Those types of things are no longer allowed

[bavanlan]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

 

http://forums.colts.com/topic/27288-colts-in-talks-for-mack/page-3#entry762096

[Le Neon]

Cleveland can afford to sign Revis and still match for Mack, with money left over.

That sort of depends on the offer they need to match. We'll see in the coming days how much room for creativity remains. Might be we see the birth of some new 'poison pill' strategery.

[mvbighead]

Please no

I don't see how Steve Smith is a bad option.  He's older yes, so he should be cheap and could be a nice stop gap/insurance policy for Reggie.  And if both are healthy come playoff time, it gives Luck two very reliable pass catchers with TY taking the top off.

 

Given that Steve Smith is 35, there is no chance his contract hurts us past this year if they were to sign him.

[trueblueblood]

I'm on my I pod and I can see them so I'm not sure what it could be

I think it was my browser. I was using dolphin browser but it works when I use safari

[Jason_]

Someone explain this talk of "poison pill" to me. I dont get what that means

I'm on my phone so not going to type out the whole story but Google the Steve Hutchinson and Nate burleson poison pill deals from I think it was 2005

[JoKeR]

This is a very interesting, and less discussed fact. There HAD to be a reason they didnt just Franchise him. They have a limit on the money they want to spend for that position.

Doesn't a franchise tags = a 1 year contract that's the average of the top 5 highest paid in the players position?

Yeah I think they just want to see if they really have to pay that much. Maybe they are willing to but since there's a possibility they don't have to, they will explore what he's worth to others. Plus they can lock him in for a longer deal without letting him test FA next year when his worth will be more due to salary cap expansion.

[dgambill]

I think our chances of landing him are very slim...and the cost will be really expensive....paying him as much if not more than Cherilus and then we would still need to re-sign our LT who typically is your highest paid player...that would be tough for us to do. I really don't see how we land Mack...and as we stand right now...our bad OL doesnt look any better.

[DougDew]

I have not read all replies so I apologize if this has been covered.

 

Can the colts trade a draft pick in exchange for Cleveland NOT MATCHING a contract offer?  Is that within the rules?

 

Sign him to a contract with, say, an $11mil signing bonus so he gets paid his 10 mil this year, but make it less in the later years. (He was tagged at 10mil, that doesn't mean the contract has to be 10 mil every year, he will just want to get paid 10 mil this year.  The market value for any center is NOT 10mil per year.) The actual cap hit of the contract could be 7-8 million per year.

 

Trade our 2nd rounder when Cleveland lets the time period for matching expire.  Its the same thing as finding a starting center in this year's draft, except we're paying him veteran money instead of rookie money.

 

Cleveland can have the cap space this year AND the next few years, as well our second rounder.  New regimes like that.

[corgi]

Doesn't a franchise tags = a 1 year contract that's the average of the top 5 highest paid in the players position?

Yeah I think they just want to see if they really have to pay that much. Maybe they are willing to but since there's a possibility they don't have to, they will explore what he's worth to others.

Yeah it's more like a promise ring than an engagement ring.

[Gavin]

Simple enough, I got it

[Colts_Fan12]

I think it was my browser. I was using dolphin browser but it works when I use safari

Yeah I am on safari also

[Bravo]

I'm using my iphone, not sure if that has anything to do with it

I'm also using IPhone but can see them fine.. But I am using the mobile site

[bavanlan]

I have not read all replies so I apologize if this has been covered.

 

Can the colts trade a draft pick in exchange for Cleveland NOT MATCHING a contract offer?  Is that within the rules?

 

Sign him to a contract with, say, an $11mil signing bonus so he gets paid his 10 mil this year, but make it less in the later years. (He was tagged at 10mil, that doesn't mean the contract has to be 10 mil every year, he will just want to get paid 10 mil this year.  The market value for any center is NOT 10mil per year.) The actual cap hit of the contract could be 7-8 million per year.

 

Trade our 2nd rounder when Cleveland lets the time period for matching expire.  Its the same thing as finding a starting center in the draft.

 

Cleveland can have the cap space this year AND the next few years, as well our second rounder.  New regimes like that.

 

Yes, but it works backwards.

 

You trade the pick for a transition-tagged Mack and then sign him to a new deal.

[Dustin]

Yes, but it works backwards.

You trade the pick for a transition-tagged Mack and then sign him to a new deal.

...and another team can still make him an offer?

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

I don't see how Steve Smith is a bad option.  He's older yes, so he should be cheap and could be a nice stop gap/insurance policy for Reggie.  And if both are healthy come playoff time, it gives Luck two very reliable pass catchers with TY taking the top off.

 

Given that Steve Smith is 35, there is no chance his contract hurts us past this year if they were to sign him.

Because then we are 7 mil indebted to him this year which would hurt our chances of gettting a good Fs and especially Olinemen. 

[trueblueblood]

Yeah I am on safari also

I'm gonna go back to using safari lol. I always thought chrome was better but safari is much faster on my iphone

[bavanlan]

...and another team can still make him an offer?

 

No, it would be like the Browns signing him to a long-term deal now.

[AgentOrange]

That sort of depends on the offer they need to match. We'll see in the coming days how much room for creativity remains. Might be we see the birth of some new 'poison pill' strategery.

 

 

Not really, Cleveland still has over $40mil in cap space.

Revis isn't getting more than $12-13mil.

[mvbighead]

Because then we are 7 mil indebted to him this year which would hurt our chances of gettting a good Fs and especially Olinemen. 

Where do you get that number?  He was released outright.  I doubt he could command anything more than 4-5.

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

Where do you get that number?  He was released outright.  I doubt he could command anything more than 4-5.

He got released? This is news to me, my apologies. 

[DarkHorseColts]

You used to be able to put clauses in contracts that would make it impossible for other teams to match.

For example (in Macks case): Mack gets a $50M bonus if he plays 3 games in Cleavland. There's no way the Browns could agree to that contract.

 

Interestingly, Jim Irsay is largely responsible for the poison pill rule. The Colts stole Will Wolford from the Bills in 1993 by contractually guaranteeing that he would be the highest paid offensive player on his team. Bills had Jim Kelly, so no way they could match.

[BlueCollarColts]

He got released? This is news to me, my apologies. 

Steve Smith has not been released, at least not yet

[NewColtsFan]

Cleveland could still match that though. This is my point, there really isn't a way for his agent to construct a deal with us that Cleveland couldn't match so I don't see why his agent would say something like that.

 

Mack's agent is Marvin Demoff.    That's the legendary Marvin Demoff.    He's been a great agent for well over 30 years.

 

He's the agent in the outstanding ESPN 30 for 30 feature on the incredible '83 QB class that included Elway, Kelly and Marino.

 

Demoff had Elway and Marino.

 

So.....   while I don't know HOW Demoff can say he can structure a deal for his client,  I certainly believe him.   As agent's go he's got a pretty good reputation.   Just because we don't know how,  doesn't mean it can't be done.......

[TKnight24]

How many times has Mack been injured in his career?

Indy is known for injuring people. Sadly

[unvrsty07]

We won't offer that much. That would be asinine. I'd love to have him, but if we offer anywhere near market value, he's staying in Cleveland.

 

What's your cap hit limit to sign him?

[DougDew]

Yes, but it works backwards.

 

You trade the pick for a transition-tagged Mack and then sign him to a new deal.

Then do it NOW. 

 

The 10mil tag doesn't mean a contract HAS to be 10 mil pr year.  It won't be.  He's a center.  Colts can afford 7-8 mil.

 

Jones is young. Vontae is young.  Hughes is young. Chapman is young. The entire offense is young.  Mack is young.

 

How many more young players do we need from the draft? 

 

He**, give Cleveland the entire draft (not really serious here).  5 low position picks with no 1st or 4th.   We can draft a receiver or pass rusher next year.  We won't be a player in FA next year, so we'll need the picks then.  

[jmac_48]

I smell another 1st round pick, or multiple picks going bye-bye...

GGGGaaaaaahhhhh!!!

 

:HFire: :HFire: :HFire:  

[Maniq]

As long as we're listed as potential landing spots, I'm not worried HOW.

Grigs has done a great job with the contracts (perhaps besides Landry's aggressive contract). They've been thought through and really only been hampered by injuries, not b/c of desperate moves.

[CroatianColtsFan21]

At this point i'm more interested to see what trick mack's agent has up his sleeve than if we sign him or not

[AgentOrange]

Mack's agent is Marvin Demoff.    That's the legendary Marvin Demoff.    He's been a great agent for well over 30 years.

 

He's the agent in the outstanding ESPN 30 for 30 feature on the incredible '83 QB class that included Elway, Kelly and Marino.

 

Demoff had Elway and Marino.

 

So.....   while I don't know HOW Demoff can say he can structure a deal for his client,  I certainly believe him.   As agent's go he's got a pretty good reputation.   Just because we don't know how,  doesn't mean it can't be done.......

 

I think you're reading too much into his comments.

Cleveland put the tag on Mack and has a ton of cap space. He's araid teams won't even bother to make offers because of this.

By saying he can work around the tag, he thinks he keep teams interested (and he's obviously right about that), which will drive up the price of his client.