Franchise Tag Carr - the smart move

I was just curious.. if we pay him the 8 million for 3 more years.. what does that put his cap hit at? or if we dont have a set number.. what is the range that we can expect?

If we opt for the 3 year option that $8 million bonus could be prorated over 3 years. However, if we trade him, that bonus excelerates into this year's cap. It is the same thing that happened to both the Jets and Redskins when they swapped Moss for Coles.

A smarter move would be to put a franchise tag (like San Diego did with Brees a couple of years ago) on Carr. There is no bonus with a one year franchise tender. If we decided to go with Lineart or Bush, then we could trade Carr without a cap hit (and the new team could give Carr a new contract with a signing bonus). If we decide to draft Bush, then we can try to sign Carr to a new contract after this season (assuming he seemed to be our best option at that time). I personally think this option gives us the most flexibility on draft day and the least amount of liability.

I have been giving this some thought on which direction the franchise should go with Carr. He has too much trade value to let him go or to even just transitional tag him. If we sign him to the 2 or 3 year options on his contract, then it obligates us to keep him for a while or take a big cap hit if we trade/cut him. The franchise tag is a hefty sum for one season, but it gives the Texans options.

1. If we decide that VY is the way to go, then we can trade Carr and he can get signed to an extension with a signing bonus by his new team. We have no cap hit and we get compensation.

2. If we decide to draft Bush or trade down and get help elsewhere, then we pay Carr a large amount for this season. If he shows us something, we sign him to an extension before next season. If he looks like a lost cause, we can either trade him or let him go via FA next year and go in another direction.

It makes us the "X" factor in the draft, since the team isn't showing a long-term commitment to Carr. Teams that want Young or Bush will feel they have to trade with us to get their player. The 1st overall pick only has value if teams think they have to trade up to your pick to get the player they want. If we announce to the world we are not taking a QB (smart move Casserly), then we basically discount the value of the pick. I'm not saying we need to trade the pick, but I would venture a guess that with my strategy, we get a better offer than with Casserly's strategy.

By giving David the franchise tag, you guarantee him a minimum salary of the average top 5 at his position. That figure will be just under 10 million range. At that point you would still need to secure VY to a contract. Eli Manning signed a 54 million dollar contract with a rookie signing bonus of 20 million. The number one picks are costing more each year and Vince will demand a salary very similar.

The Texans could give David a transitional tag which would allow him to shop for the best price. If he finds a offer then he would have to bring it back to the Texans for them to match it or let him walk. Based on his last four years, I don't think that David will get top five money and the Texans would save while David still gets a raise.

Tedc said:

By giving David the franchise tag, you guarantee him a minimum salary of the average top 5 at his position. That figure will be just under 10 million range. At that point you would still need to secure VY to a contract. Eli Manning signed a 54 million dollar contract with a rookie signing bonus of 20 million. The number one picks are costing more each year and Vince will demand a salary very similar.

The Texans could give David a transitional tag which would allow him to shop for the best price. If he finds a offer then he would have to bring it back to the Texans for them to match it or let him walk. Based on his last four years, I don't think that David will get top five money and the Texans would save while David still gets a raise.

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Carr would get some convulted offer that would be out of the range (cap reasons) for the Texans to match. We also would get nothing in return. I think he is worth about a 2nd rounder.

TheOgre said:

Carr would get some convulted offer that would be out of the range (cap reasons) for the Texans to match. We also would get nothing in return. I think he is worth about a 2nd rounder.

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No team will over-pay David for his services. Even if they did, it wouldn't be more the 9 million plus you would have to pay him as a franchise player.

A team with cap room could do something weird like give him a $18 million salary for 2006 with salaries of $1 million the following 3 years or some such crazy contract to keep the Texans from matching it. That is the risk you run into with the transitional tags.

TheOgre said:

...we announce to the world we are not taking a QB (smart move Casserly), then we basically discount the value of the pick. I'm not saying we need to trade the pick, but I would venture a guess that with my strategy, we get a better offer than with Casserly's strategy.

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When was the last time we did what Casserly said we were going to do? I'll tell you, when we picked David Carr in 2002. Everyone in this league knows they cannot trust what anyone "says" they are going to do.

This essentially the John McClain argument, which is incredibly stupid. If we were to franchise Carr, it would cost approximately $8-11 million next year. Additionally, we would have to pay VY something close to this figure. Why would you have two #1 overall picks with this kind of cap hit on the same roster?

McClain made the Carson Palmer with the Bengals reference, or Steve McNair and the Oilers. However, look at these teams - Carson backed up Kitna, a serviceable veteran that cost far less than Carr will cost next year. McNair backed up Chris Chandler, once again a serviceable vetern. If we are going to draft VY, we must get ride of Carr and play Young behind Tony Banks or another serviceable/cheap veteran. Why waste all this cap money on Carr (assuming we draft VY, which I am against) when the Texans have so many holes to fill on their roster. It makes no sense. John McClain further shows he is a hack, who has no idea about the realities of building an NFL roster.