Franchise tag of $15,365,952 and not close to a deal. Doesn't sound like Long will be giving Miami the Soliai discount. Say good-bye to our franchise LT? Long gone? Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jake Long is out for the year with a torn triceps, and the real question is whether he'll return to theMiami Dolphins. For the second straight year, a former No. 1 overall pick is going to be so pricey for the franchise tag that he could wind up leaving the team. Last year, it was former Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, and this year it could be Long. Long's salary-cap number this season is higher than the $9.5 million to $10 million projected franchise number for offensive linemen, so the Dolphins would have to franchise him at 120 percent of this year's salary-cap number, which is $12.8 million. Thus, his franchise tag this offseason would be a whopping $15,365,952, according to league sources. Because the number is so high, some around the league believe that the Dolphins cannot afford to tag Long and that he will be able to test the free-agent market, just as Williams did last season. Houston lost Williams to the Buffalo Bills, and it's one reason the Dolphins have attempted, unsuccessfully, to sign Long before he can hit the market and leave Miami. They recognize that their best chance to keep him might be to sign him now. But so far, the two sides haven't gotten close to a deal, which means it's just about fourth-and-Long in Miami. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page...e-picked-russell-wilson-adam-schefter-10-spot
If Long feels as though Miami hasnt invested enough money in him already that he would be willing to give back by taking a lower salary and opening up cap space to bring in more talent. Then let him walk. Finacially the guy is set for the rest of his life and for what he got paid and what he produced I'ld say he owes the team a refund.
Personally I think he had the torn tricep all year, which was contributing for his poor play, and he "reported" it just as soon as he realized the season was over, which was right at the point in the New England game when he (and we) knew we weren't going to win it.
So you think he had it all year and chose to pull himself in the middle of the NE game? Highly doubt that. It'd make more sense if he had a partial tear early in the year then made it worse.
I would need a lot of convincing to get on board paying him that type of money, even for just one year. It only takes one person on the line to screw things up. And I'm not sure the difference between an elite LT and an average LT is worth the price you pay.
a shadow of his former self . it seems his standard of play has slipped each and every year i say let him walk and then we can become players/active in FA
I expect him to go. Not thrilled if that's the case. As long as Matty Ice is throwing TDs as a Falcon.
15 mil against the cap? No. That's 3-4 other solid players. That could be our new secondary we so desperately need
What type of compensation pick would we get from the league if he goes elsewhere? I have never understood how those work.
Really, since he's oft-injured, I won't lose any sleep. I'd bet good money his career keeps going downhill slowly each year and he misses games every season, but I think we need to invest a 2nd or 3rd rounder on a a tackle
Hurt or not Long is not coming back. Never was. He will be replaced with 3 to 4 players. Not only on the line but receiver to. This is a good move and planned by Ireland all along.
There's no doubt that we will not sign him or tag him at that price, however, I still don't believe we're a better team without him. You can complain about his injuries and even with them, he's better than most LTs in the league. The problems on our OL have not come from his side... Wait till we see how Martin is treated in SF by those buzzsaw DEs they have before you talk about how bad Long is... At any rate, I too believe he is gone at that price. The thing is, when he goes, we have to replace him. If that's Martin, fine, we have to replace a RT too. We don't have anyone on the roster at this point. I know there has been talk about Yeatman and Garner, but they aren't replacements yet...just temporary fillins. The thing that concerns me the most is the inconsistency in filling that OL. This season has seen them the best they've been since.....I can't remember but still not great. Now we lose arguably our best player along that line and everyone is kicking him out the door ??
The franchise tag is too expensive for Jake, but Ireland doesn't want to franchise him; he wants to sign Jake long-term. I highly doubt that Ireland lets his crown jewel walk so easily.
It's a formula involving the players lost vs gained. If we let Jake Long walk and sign someone else to a big contract we get nothing.
He might have been playing with an injury, which he seems to be injured every year, but I doubt he just decided half way through game to just report it. He might have aggravated it. Either way, hope we don't sign him, proven he can't stay healthy and that he is overpaid.
I don't care how this magical switch to left tackle is going to make Martin a better player, he's a big downgrade from Long imo.. Of course the dolphin doctors will have a lot of say in this, if that checks out I would offer him a reasonable contract that has stipulations on his health written into it..it's up to him, if he wants to be here, then I would sign him.. But if there weren't concerns on either end then he would of never reached free agency..should be interesting to follow.
If there was any injury he was playing with, it's whatever happened with his MCL sprain from training camp. The triceps injury happened during that game; you could see his arm hanging that way as he came off the field on 3rd down the drive before Martin switched to left tackle.
Because when people keep repeating their favorite argument/complaint/gripe/b*tch about past actions at every opportunity ad nauseum, whether that argument be truth, error, or of no material consequence regarding the matter in question, then those upon whom this favorite argument/complaint/gripe/b*tch about past actions are afflicted could begin to wonder if there is any other mental activity present that resembles sentient thought, or if this is just a reflexive repetition of a theme and variation of the favorite argument/complaint/gripe/b*tch to support the complainer's own sense of self worth. Such incessant comments as the oft repeated catch phrase at every opportunity without further consideration of how they help resolve a present situation further define the next question which arises - whether those who are seeking answers and conversation about ideas to resolve the presenting problem should pay any attention to such people since their sole contribution to the argument is mere regurgitation of past statements with no hint of further consideration about the matter at hand whatsoever.
I don't want any human being who thinks like that on my team anyway if that were the case. That is called being a weak minded loser.
I think the big difference that Schefter doesn't acknowledge between us and the 2012 Texans is that they were fairly cap strapped. They were about $4.7m OVER in cap space going into the offseason... while we are in pretty good shape with approx $35m in cap space... even if we tag Long at $15m... we've got an estimated $20m left. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/11/team-by-team-cap-space-as-of-march-11/ Bash Ireland all you want, but he's well prepared to tag Long.
It's COMETELY fair to bring up Long vs Ryan debate because everyone always says "it's too soon to determine if picking Long over Ryan was the right call". Now, when its finally clear that we should have picke Ryan, all the Long supporters are whining that we're beating a dead horse. Weak.
Actually I agree with you. His play has been subpar for much of the year and I also thought that it was because he was trying to play through an injury. Unfortunately, this is the third year in a row that he suffered an injury which has affected his play on the field. With his recent history of injuries, I just don't see how the Dolphins can afford to sign him to a new long term contract for the money he will be asking for. I also don't think he is worth paying the 15 million dollars he would have to be paid if the Dolphins put the franchise tag on him. The only way I see him as a member of the Dolphins next year is if he is willing to accept a 2 or 3 year contract at a very cap friendly number. I doubt if he will be willing to accept less money to remain a Dolphin. So I doubt if he will be a Miami Dolphin in 2013. I happened to check out the Walter Camp mock draft earlier this morning and they have the Dolphins picking another offensive tackle from Michigan with their first pick in draft.I can already hear the uproar from the fans if that happens.