WFT to part ways with Alex Smith (merge)

[chad72 7,367]

 

 

 

I always felt I would rather pay him for a vet backup over JB behind Wentz, if they do bring a vet to go along with Eason, IMO.

[RollerColt 2,667]

Understandable situation with Washington's future plans, but still kind of sucks. He's a great guy, and had one heck of an inspirational comeback player of the year story. 

[DaColts85 496]

I would bring him in for pennies. But other than that I stick with Eason as back up IMO. 

[chad72 7,367]

10 minutes ago, DaColts85 said:

I would bring him in for pennies. But other than that I stick with Eason as back up IMO. 

 

You ain't getting him for pennies. If they do bring in a vet, it would be because of Wentz's injury history and if they bring in a vet like him and pay him $7-8 mil. for being a backup, that would say more about Eason.

 

We will see. You cannot time the loss of a starter, Hoyer lost to a bad Dolphins team in 2019 when we thought JB's loss may not be felt for 1 game, so you need a capable backup not just to stay competitive but to win a couple of games in a season for you.

[DaColts85 496]

44 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

You ain't getting him for pennies. If they do bring in a vet, it would be because of Wentz's injury history and if they bring in a vet like him and pay him $7-8 mil. for being a backup, that would say more about Eason.

 

We will see. You cannot time the loss of a starter, Hoyer lost to a bad Dolphins team in 2019 when we thought JB's loss may not be felt for 1 game, so you need a capable backup not just to stay competitive but to win a couple of games in a season for you.

Based on QB contracts from last year and teams not wanting to mess with an older freshly injured guy I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets pennies. Now if he wants more I say no that’s all I am saying here. 

[LJpalmbeacher2 1,941]

Let's kick the tires.

[tvturner 470]

Eason is just fine as the QB2

[NewColtsFan 9,142]

23 minutes ago, tvturner said:

Eason is just fine as the QB2

Can you share how you know this?  

[tvturner 470]

33 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Can you share how you know this?  

Because he'd know the system more, have learning under Rivers, Brissett, and eventually Wentz and be much cheaper than signing a FA QB? Alex Smith isn't going to sign for pennies

[NewColtsFan 9,142]

10 minutes ago, tvturner said:

Because he'd know the system more, have learning under Rivers, Brissett, and eventually Wentz and be much cheaper than signing a FA QB? Alex Smith isn't going to sign for pennies

Well....   I basically agree with this.   But does anyone know at this point if the kid is even ready?
 

Remember, mid-Jan Ballard,  said he didn’t know if Eason was ready to be the backup.  That’s the big concern.   Can Eason play well if he has to play a few games?   

[Jeremy Waldon 197]

26 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well....   I basically agree with this.   But does anyone know at this point if the kid is even ready?
 

Remember, mid-Jan Ballard,  said he didn’t know if Eason was ready to be the backup.  That’s the big concern.   Can Eason play well if he has to play a few games?   

I beleive Ballard is playing the mind game with other teams, hoping they will look at Brissett since CB is considering keeping him as backup. But i feel by his body language in interviews it will be Wentz, Eason and the the other QB he picked up maybe on practice squad. Just my opinion tho

[tvturner 470]

39 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well....   I basically agree with this.   But does anyone know at this point if the kid is even ready?
 

Remember, mid-Jan Ballard,  said he didn’t know if Eason was ready to be the backup.  That’s the big concern.   Can Eason play well if he has to play a few games?   

I think that Ballard answer is read into a bit too much on this forum

[cdgacoltsfan 621]

54 minutes ago, tvturner said:

I think that Ballard answer is read into a bit too much on this forum

I'd like to see Eason take a snap or two before we declare he should be our backup. Some on here wanted him to be our starter which is laughable.

[lollygagger8 3,352]

Given Wentz's injury history, I would love to bring Smith in as a backup to Wentz and Eason stay QB3 

[DeathByEagle 54]

I would stay away from from Alex Smith. He is one hit away from ending his career. You don't want to back up Wentz with someone who is an injury concern as well. Not to mention Smith and Wentz are different style QBs. I still think the best choice for the Colts would be Jacoby who is very similar playing style to Wentz. Knows the recing core, the coaching staff and the system already. Not only can he step in at any time and be comfortable right way but he can help Wentz get use to the system. You will get Jacoby for the same if not less contract wise. 

[chad72 7,367]

4 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Well....   I basically agree with this.   But does anyone know at this point if the kid is even ready?
 

Remember, mid-Jan Ballard,  said he didn’t know if Eason was ready to be the backup.  That’s the big concern.   Can Eason play well if he has to play a few games?   

 

Eason needs the pre-season more than anyone else. The Colts need to see Eason in pre-season vice versa as well. I do feel they might wait it out to sign a FA QB after seeing how Eason does in training camp, to be honest because post pre-season may be a bit late for a vet QB to jump into the offense.

[NewColtsFan 9,142]

45 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Eason needs the pre-season more than anyone else. The Colts need to see Eason in pre-season vice versa as well. I do feel they might wait it out to sign a FA QB after seeing how Eason does in training camp, to be honest because post pre-season may be a bit late for a vet QB to jump into the offense.

Which decent FA QB is available Sept 1 if JE is determined NOT to be ready?   I think we need to know sooner than that. 

[chad72 7,367]

3 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Which decent FA QB is available Sept 1 if JE is determined NOT to be ready?   I think we need to know sooner than that. 

 

Probably right. It is too much of a risk to take to get caught with your pants down on the backup QB front.

[NewColtsFan 9,142]

3 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Probably right. It is too much of a risk to take to get caught with your pants down on the backup QB front.

Sorry...   I suddenly had nightmare flashbacks to Scott Tolzein!      

[Defjamz26 2,112]

On 3/2/2021 at 4:08 AM, tvturner said:

Eason is just fine as the QB2

We really don’t know anything about Eason. That’s what Ballard said as well. No OTA’s or pre-season makes it really difficult to evaluate a player.

[JoeThornburg 81]

On 3/2/2021 at 9:40 AM, DeathByEagle said:

I would stay away from from Alex Smith. He is one hit away from ending his career. You don't want to back up Wentz with someone who is an injury concern as well. Not to mention Smith and Wentz are different style QBs. I still think the best choice for the Colts would be Jacoby who is very similar playing style to Wentz. Knows the recing core, the coaching staff and the system already. Not only can he step in at any time and be comfortable right way but he can help Wentz get use to the system. You will get Jacoby for the same if not less contract wise. 

Dude, I like JB, but I don't see him or Smith as a viable option for this team because of the cap situation. I just can't see Indianapolis tying up $40M+ this year and who knows how much going forward when you've got key players due for extensions and still other needs to address on both sides of the ball.

[DeathByEagle 54]

1 minute ago, JoeThornburg said:

Dude, I like JB, but I don't see him or Smith as a viable option for this team because of the cap situation. I just can't see Indianapolis tying up $40M+ this year and who knows how much going forward when you've got key players due for extensions and still other needs to address on both sides of the ball.

Wondering where 40+ mill is coming from? Smith who I said would not be a good choice and JB might get in the 5-6 mill or even less range for 1 year. This years FA wont be crazy in big deals. A lot of players will take 1 year prove it deals. With the QB market I think you see that, esp with Smith and JB. 

[JoeThornburg 81]

36 minutes ago, DeathByEagle said:

Wondering where 40+ mill is coming from? Smith who I said would not be a good choice and JB might get in the 5-6 mill or even less range for 1 year. This years FA wont be crazy in big deals. A lot of players will take 1 year prove it deals. With the QB market I think you see that, esp with Smith and JB. 

Ok well you're talking about a backup QB. Indy's already paying Wentz ~$25M annually. I'm simply looking at what JB's cap hit was last year ($21.3M) and not sure how that number comes down so precipitously to $5-$6M in 2021. The problem is even with the lowered cap, the money and draft capital QBs are commanding is still insane. JB isn't exactly chopped liver. His market value was still projected at around $15M last I looked. Smith may actually end up being the cheaper of the two options since Washington looks like they are planning to eat the $8.6M in dead money on him for this year and $4.3M next year.

Still, I do agree with you that Smith would be a high risk proposition. Especially given the fact that Wentz is already somewhat of a reclamation project, Smith's injury history for me would be a non-starter given the circumstances already in place in Indy.

Edited March 4 by JoeThornburg
$4.3M not $4.6M

[DeathByEagle 54]

26 minutes ago, JoeThornburg said:

Ok well you're talking about a backup QB. Indy's already paying Wentz ~$25M annually. I'm simply looking at what JB's cap hit was last year ($21.3M) and not sure how that number comes down so precipitously to $5-$6M in 2021. The problem is even with the lowered cap, the money and draft capital QBs are commanding is still insane. JB isn't exactly chopped liver. His market value was still projected at around $15M last I looked. Smith may actually end up being the cheaper of the two options since Washington looks like they are planning to eat the $8.6M in dead money on him for this year and $4.3M next year.

Still, I do agree with you that Smith would be a high risk proposition. Especially given the fact that Wentz is already somewhat of a reclamation project, Smith's injury history for me would be a non-starter given the circumstances already in place in Indy.

You think JB will get around 15 mill to be a backup ? lol. You know the contract he had was because they were expecting him to be the long term starter when he signed it right? I can bet his 2021 number is a lot closer to my est over your market value. 

[JoeThornburg 81]

8 minutes ago, DeathByEagle said:

You think JB will get around 15 mill to be a backup ? lol. You know the contract he had was because they were expecting him to be the long term starter when he signed it right? I can bet his 2021 number is a lot closer to my est over your market value. 

There are quite a few teams out there with a good amount of cap space that have some serious question marks at QB1. I don't think Indy, or anyone else would or should pay anywhere near that much for a backup. Even Mariota is an expensive backup at $11.35M this year. What's to guarantee though that JB in fact is in a backup role in 2021? It just doesn't make any sense that his market value goes all the way down to $5-6M. I'm just looking at the market and yes, at one point within the past 2 weeks, Spotrac had his projected market value at $15M. He's also 29, and is probably looking at getting that last contract somewhere. If I'm an agent, I shop him somewhere else.

 

The other part of this is, how do you offer a UFA a contract knowing he's likely going to be expected to ride the pine since Indy has the money that they do wrapped up in Wentz for the next 2 years, when he could get a more player friendly deal somewhere else? On top of that you've got at least 5 players who are going to be due extensions and options sooner than later that have outplayed the value of their contracts.

[DeathByEagle 54]

21 minutes ago, JoeThornburg said:

There are quite a few teams out there with a good amount of cap space that have some serious question marks at QB1. I don't think Indy, or anyone else would or should pay anywhere near that much for a backup. Even Mariota is an expensive backup at $11.35M this year. What's to guarantee though that JB in fact is in a backup role in 2021? It just doesn't make any sense that his market value goes all the way down to $5-6M. I'm just looking at the market and yes, at one point within the past 2 weeks, Spotrac had his projected market value at $15M. He's also 29, and is probably looking at getting that last contract somewhere. If I'm an agent, I shop him somewhere else.

 

The other part of this is, how do you offer a UFA a contract knowing he's likely going to be expected to ride the pine since Indy has the money that they do wrapped up in Wentz for the next 2 years, when he could get a more player friendly deal somewhere else? On top of that you've got at least 5 players who are going to be due extensions and options sooner than later that have outplayed the value of their contracts.

Mariota has already been rumored to be on the chopping block in Oakland because of his cap number. 

 

I also think you might be over est JB value to teams. Dont see a team that will sign him as a starter. Only chance would be a team that has a QB injured. 

[JoeThornburg 81]

Just now, DeathByEagle said:

Mariota has already been rumored to be on the chopping block in Oakland because of his cap number. 

 

I also think you might be over est JB value to teams. Dont see a team that will sign him as a starter. Only chance would be a team that has a QB injured. 

I'm not saying you're wrong man. One thing about JB though is he's careful with the football and still has legs. The guy can still ball. The other thing is Las Vegas only has about $4M in effective cap as it stands now and there are teams out there with much worse QB rooms right now. Not saying JB would be a bad fit for the Colts, but again, if he's going to land a contract as a backup he's probably going to want a similar deal with P5 money or a signing bonus. As a backup, he's probably not going to get a prorated bonus because nobody wants to deal with dead cap over a backup QB. The Colts would just be repeating what they did this year when they brought in Rivers, but it made more sense because I think everyone knew this was his swansong.

I don't understand the logic that says JB will command less money than a 37 year old QB; who basically is going to make an extra $8.6M from a team he's not even going to play for, that people are scared to death to put on the field. Not to mention there are a few teams out there that could absolutely see him playing a handful of games for and who are chasing unknown commodities at the position in the draft. I think he's at least worth more to a team like that as an insurance policy, particularly with future cap considerations on the oline, LB and any potential FA signings Ballard wants to make. I would absolutely not make JB any sort of priority. You're not really going to know for sure until June 1 if he's going to take a deal like the one you're suggesting in my view.

The other part of that is I'd almost rather grab Smith for a song and put a high character guy like him, a freaking hero, behind a kid like Eason and even Wentz just for a locker room presence.

[Shafty138 1,430]

On 3/1/2021 at 11:19 AM, chad72 said:

 

 

 

I always felt I would rather pay him for a vet backup over JB behind Wentz, if they do bring a vet to go along with Eason, IMO.

Every time I see "WFT" all I can think of is "wth" which, all things considered, is very appropriate for a Dan Snyder organization...... and no, I don't mean what the heck.... darn thing even filters acronyms lol

[JackOLantin 52]

As per bleacher report Alex Smith has been released.

 

On a reasonable rate he could be valuable behind Wentz. Alex has been around a long time and maybe able to support his mental game as well.

 

What say you team?

[IndyEric07 119]

Would be a great backup! Hes another dink and dunking qb which seems like what the Colts want do! I think his contract is like $14mil or something, which is more than enough to hold a clipboard!

[chad72 7,367]

@w87r @NFLfan - another merge candidate for the NFL Draft, Scouting and Free Agent Talk section where there is a thread about WFT parting ways with Alex Smith.  

 

Thanks!!!

[JoeThornburg 81]

On 3/5/2021 at 11:44 AM, IndyEric07 said:

Would be a great backup! Hes another dink and dunking qb which seems like what the Colts want do! I think his contract is like $14mil or something, which is more than enough to hold a clipboard!

His cap hit was $20.3M last year, but with Washington eating $8.6M in dead money, he basically got that paid up front for 2 years that he won't play for WFT. There's probably not going to be a ton of interest in him going forward, let alone at that price. WFT kept him on his contract because "it was the right thing to do". 

 

But, he's clearly lost a step, to put it kindly. I agree that could be a budget singing for a great guy to have in the QB room, especially if you negotiate from the standpoint of, hey you got an extra $8.6M to rehab and get your team out of the building. I think everyone, including him, realizes he is not the answer going forward as a starter. So again he also would not be a real threat to take over for Wentz. Also would be a great guy to have around Eason.