Just Another Hypothetical BS Fantasy Post

[Pandion Haliaetus]

I feel like I'm good for one once a month:

As we all know Colin Kaepernick just signed for some big money, his team has some contract issues right now with Vernon Davis and Alex Boone wanting pay raises, Crabtree and Iupati entering free agency, and if the 49ers keep Aldon Smith he'll be worth $10 million in 2015.

Speculation is that Kaepernick wants Crabtree back and that Iupati will most likely see free agency.

And I want Mike Iupati and move him to LG. For the Seahawks to make him the highest paid OG in the league, he'd only need to average about $8 mil per year. And I feel like a dominant LG is huge because he influences both the OC and the LT. James Carpenter comes off the books at $2.4 mil. Okung's salary goes down from 11m to 7m. Already that's 6.4m potentially available... and with signing bonuses the first year cap hit is usually low.

With Iupati and Sweezy's continued progression, Seahawks should be able to have a dominant interior offensive line no matter who is center.

Basically, the team could trade Max Unger after this season (presumably to the Jaguars) for a 3rd/4th round pick and just re-sign Lemuel Jeanpierre and experience no drop-off with a dominant guard like Iuputi. Seahawks would save even more money plus get some draft ammo. Win-Win.

Then there is Russell Okung, who will be entering the last year of his deal in 2015 and likely seeking 10-12 mil per year in 2016. He would be a valuable commodity if he can put together a injury free season, and there is a team out there with enough cap to trade for him and then franchise him if need be to work out a longer deal. This is also a team that just lost an LT and could use one to protect recent investments at the position. That team is the Oakland Raiders. Okung could probably net a 2nd rounder but probably a 3rd rounder + future pick in '17 because of injury history.

The 2015 in my horrible (its what you will call it no doubt) fantasy of an O-Line would be:

LT: Alvin Bailey, entering 3rd year
LG: Mike Iupati, entering 6th year
OC: Lemuel Jeanpierre, entering 5th year
RG: JR Sweezy, entering 4th year
RT: Justin Britt (presumably) entering 2nd year

But here's the kicker: Michael Roos, born in Vancouver, Wa, and Eastern Washington alum is set to be a free agent in 2015 when he'll be 32 years old. If Bailey doesn't seem like the answer, Roos would be the perfect stop-gap and could come cheap like $5 m per, while the Seahawks pursue and develop a more legitimate option. However, I feel Bailey's floor is league average, and with Iupati at LG, Bailey should/could do even better.

In this scenario I'm trading the cost of both Okung/Unger about $13 m in 2015 for draft picks and then signing a guy for like $8 mil per but should be a smaller cap hit we'll say $5. Seahawks would then add about $8 mil. Re-signing LJP would probably be $2-3 mil per. We'll say $3. Still saving $5 mil in 2015 plus whatever money Okung would have wanted in 2016.

That $5 mil if not Michael Roos could be KJ Wright and Malcolm Smith, it could be a Bobby Wagner extension, it could be Byron Maxwell, it could be difference is re-signing Cliff Avril.

Again this is just a hypothetical, I highly doubt any of these thing will happen but it doesn't mean it wasn't fun imagining this crap up to waste your time and hear your criticism in the slow dread of a Championship (truly) off-season.

 

[kearly]

Iupati would fit Seattle well.

But after the Baldwin extension and Wilson's pricetag rising a few million thanks to Kaep, I'm not sure we could make enough room.

The Seahawks have avoided non-bargain signings since Rice and Miller in 2011. If Iupati signs in the first 24 hours like most A-list free agents do, it probably won't be Seattle signing him. If he languishes some and is available for a little less money a few days into free agency, I could see Seattle kicking the tires there. We currently do not have an obvious long term solution at LG.

There's a sense that Seattle likes to build their O-line on the cheap, at least from a dollars perspective. We're starting to hear rumblings about Seattle thinking about life after Okung and you wonder how long Unger will last on that contract if 2013 wasn't an outlier.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Pete and John have always been a "build through the draft, but if a spectacular player comes along that fits what we're trying to do........we'll break the bank" type of front office.

Not sure if Iupati fits that statement. He certainly would be an amazing addition to the line, but I just don't see our FO giving a guard that kind of money, not when we have Russell to sign, as well as some other key free agents next year.

Iupati also broke his fibula, so not sure I WANT to give a guy that much money.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

That's the point though.

I rather the Seahawks pay Iuputi $8 mil per year than Okung $10 mil per.

Walter Jones was great no doubt but we saw with Hutchison how a dominant left guard can anchor a line and make everyone's job easier because he influences both the LT and OC (the two most important positions on the line) greatly.

If we signed Iuputi, and I was JS I would not hesitant to trade both Okung and Unger and take their $13 million off the books in 2015, gain draft picks and cap space. In that trade off, Iuputi would be worth it also considering that Iuputi's first year cap hit would be a low base salary + protrated signing bonus because he'll get the bulk of his guaranteed money in his signing bonus.

And I know we have a Russell Wilson to sign, he'll make his money, he'll definitely get much better signing bonus, but I feel Russ will 1.) Structure it to keep this Superbowl window as open as possible, so he'll take less money early on and 2) I also feel he's the type of guy who will accept a high incentive performance based deal.

What I'm saying is if Wilson signed a 7 year restructure and extension, and he made 15-18 is first 4 years, and like 23-25 his last 3. He can bargain for a huge signing bonus as well as more guaranteed money in his first 4 years.

If Wilson got paid like this 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 = 138/7 = 19.71 per.

Kaepernick deal at max value = 127/7 = 18.15 per.

Not much a difference but Wilson's contract will see better stipulations like much bigger signing bonus and more guaranteed money that would make it worth more in comparison but just as team friendly.

I just don't see how what Kaepernick got will make Wilson more expensive... Wilson could sign for the same 126/6 deal Squidworth got but if you took out the options, gave Wilson a $30 mil signing bonus (as opposed to $12) + another $30 mil in another guarantees (that arern't injury guarantees)...

Wilson's contract would be much much much much better than what Kaepernick got even though they would average the same per year.

I don't think Wilson will sign a deal that will straight kill the teams ability to make the team better at least not right away.

 

[justafan]

Pay Okung he is the best player on the Oline.People use Carps injuries as an excuse for him being fat and slow.people use Okungs injuries as a reason to get rid of a very good LT
Bailey might turn out to be a good player but he is unproven right now.If he was such a dominant force he would have taken Carps place last season.

 

[SonicHawk]

I don't see SC letting go of Iupati. I think Crabtree will be the one who's available. There's OL, then there's OL and he's in that second category of irreplaceable's.