Simms to Test Market

[mjs020294]

If Gradkowski goes down next year then who will be our backup??

McCown was meant to be this years back-up, and they expected him to pressure Simms in TC.  Hopefully an extra year in the system will make him a viable starter and decent back-up.

[Lord Freesus]

If Gradkowski goes down next year then who will be our backup??

Lol.. imagine is Peyton god injured.. who do the Colts have?

[BucfaninDC]

If Gradkowski goes down next year then who will be our backup??

McCown was meant to be this years back-up, and they expected him to pressure Simms in TC.  Hopefully an extra year in the system will make him a viable starter and decent back-up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather have a veteran that actually has game experience as the backup, than McCown who has seen the field only a handful of times.  I really think going into next season with Gradkowski and McCown as the #1 and #2 options would be a huge mistake.

[BTownBucFan]

no big suprise ... think most of us knew that would happen ... he'd be stupid not to test the waters.  You know his wife is going to make him look for the big money - how do I know that? - easy, all women are greedy and evil

[Larry Brackins]

It would be VERY, VERY bad if Simms gets to the open market. You'd either have to break the bank for him (which I wouldn't do), but if you don't you are going to have to either sign a guy like Plummer (EWW), start Gradkowski (EWW), or draft a rooke and start him.

Needless to say I hope we can re-sign him before he gets to the open market.

[keeponbucn]

With over $25 million in cap space there would be no justifiable reason not to give up 7 or 8 million dollars to sign a young, talented QB who could be a great player in this league if he can finish getting the mental part down.

Sure there would be and 7ints to 1 TD is a pretty good reason you let him walk.

Good-bye Simms, don't let the door hit ya!

[mjs020294]

If Gradkowski goes down next year then who will be our backup??

McCown was meant to be this years back-up, and they expected him to pressure Simms in TC.  Hopefully an extra year in the system will make him a viable starter and decent back-up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather have a veteran that actually has game experience as the backup, than McCown who has seen the field only a handful of times.  I really think going into next season with Gradkowski and McCown as the #1 and #2 options would be a huge mistake.

It will be thin picking in FA for QBs, and the only ones worth having will be looking at starters contracts.

[mjs020294]

With over $25 million in cap space there would be no justifiable reason not to give up 7 or 8 million dollars to sign a young, talented QB who could be a great player in this league if he can finish getting the mental part down.

Paying a guy $7+ million that has been struggling would be a terrible move.  There are two possible scenarios; he sits on the bench and becomes a FA again in 2008; or he wows and becomes a FA again in 2008.

[bradentonian]

With over $25 million in cap space there would be no justifiable reason not to give up 7 or 8 million dollars to sign a young, talented QB who could be a great player in this league if he can finish getting the mental part down.

Only if they planned to hand him the starting job and felt he would earn it all year.  Which I honestly doubt is the case.  It would allow us to trade him with no cap hit, though.

[BucsPirate]

With over $25 million in cap space there would be no justifiable reason not to give up 7 or 8 million dollars to sign a young, talented QB who could be a great player in this league if he can finish getting the mental part down.

[mjs020294]

I am willing to bet money that Simms will get hit with the transition tag if he does not sign with us. Really, this seems like the exact type of situation that the transition tag is made for. You have a player who has shown some promise and who you can't really afford to lose, but he has not shown enough to warrant a big contract or the franchise tag. You have a player in transition. No one is going to give Simms a 15 million dollar signing bonus. What he is going to get on the market is the same thing we are offering, the same type contract that Drew Brees got this year, a one year deal followed by huge escelators that require a decision to be made. If he doesn't want to sign that contract with us, then let someone else make up the contract and we'll match. The NFL outlawed the poision pill after the Hutchinson signing, so we don't have to worry about that.

Bruce Allen and JG really have to take the necessary steps to bring back Simms, just to cover themselves. If they don't move towards bring him back, then all ownership sees is a 10 loss team going into the next year with an unheralded, unproven second year QB. If thats the case why not bite the bullet and rebuild completely with a new coaching staff and an early first round QB? There is a chance that a Brady Quinn or a Brian Brohm are failures, but anyone on the outside, even potential free agents, would say that the chances of a 6th round QB failing are even higher. I like Gradkowski, and I think he'll win a competition with Simms in camp, but I still think it is vital to this team to find a way to get Simms back for next year.

The transitional tag rules changed slightly with the new CBA, and the money is now guranteed if the QB signs the offer.  I am not sure exactly how much the average for the top ten QB is right now, but the top five average is $8.8 million.  So if Simms decides to sign the transitional tender at any point the Buccs would be in the hole for over $7 million next year.  Another bad thing about the tender is if SImms signed it on day one of FA that $7+ million would be gone from the cap space imiediately.


For the Transition Tag, the wage is the average of the top 10 players at the player's position. The tagged player is free to negotiate with any other team. Although the original team is not entitled to any form of compensation from the new team, the original teams does maintain the Right of First Refusal, which in essence means that a Transition Player is like a RFA with the lowest tender offer.

If the player signs the one-year tender for the Franchise Tag, then that salary is guaranteed. Historically, that was not true of the Transition Tag; however, under the latest extension to the CBA, the one-year salary for the Transition Player is also a guaranteed one-year contract.

[BucsPirate]

I am willing to bet money that Simms will get hit with the transition tag if he does not sign with us. Really, this seems like the exact type of situation that the transition tag is made for. You have a player who has shown some promise and who you can't really afford to lose, but who has not shown enough to warrant a big contract or the franchise tag. You have a player in transition. No one is going to give Simms a 15 million dollar signing bonus. What he is going to get on the market is the same thing we are offering, the same type contract that Drew Brees got this year, a one year deal followed by huge escelators that require a decision to be made. If he doesn't want to sign that contract with us, then let someone else make up the contract and we'll match. The NFL outlawed the poision pill after the Hutchinson signing, so we don't have to worry about that.

Bruce Allen and JG really have to take the necessary steps to bring back Simms, just to cover themselves. If they don't move towards bring him back, then all ownership sees is a 10 loss team going into the next year with an unheralded, unproven second year QB. If thats the case why not bite the bullet and rebuild completely with a new coaching staff and an early first round QB? There is a chance that a Brady Quinn or a Brian Brohm are failures, but anyone on the outside, even potential free agents, would say that the chances of a 6th round QB failing are even higher. I like Gradkowski, and I think he'll win a competition with Simms in camp, but I still think it is vital to this team to find a way to get Simms back for next year.

[karen anderson]

Please dont resign simms, take another route or something, he is no the answer, he is part of the problem

  Really! I mean he has really stunk up the joint the last 8 games!

[dalbuc]

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9837126

 SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

Even though Tampa Bay recently extended a contract offer to free-agent-to-be Chris Simms, it was not enough to get the quarterback to sign on the dotted line.
    
In fact, those who know Simms are predicting the quarterback will not re-sign with Tampa Bay any time before he is first allowed to test the free-agent market, which he will this winter.

The prevailing feeling is that the Buccaneers still are the favorites to retain the rights of their quarterback. Simms would like to remain in Tampa. But if another team wants Simms badly enough -- and demonstrates it through its contract offer -- then Tampa Bay easily could find itself searching for another quarterback.

For now, Tampa Bay has to continue to lean on rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who has something of a homecoming this week against Pittsburgh. Gradkowski grew up in Pittsburgh, attended high school there and broke Dan Marino's high-school conference passing records.

And even with his production, the only Division I-A school that seriously pursued him was Toledo.

The same article also says  "The Ravens have resigned themselves to the probability that their standout strongside linebacker Adalius Thomas, who is second in the AFC and fifth in the NFL with nine sacks, is going to test the free-agent market this winter." Which is good news.

[ZenBuc]

That makes sense as far as Simms goes. I'd be surprised if he stays here. I'm sure some team will throw cash at him and/or assure him the starter's spot.

I think Thomas would be a good fit here.