Thread: Looks like Carl Nicks will be hitting FA

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

The Saints just used the franchise tag on Brees. Looks like Nicks will see free agency. Not sure if he is asking for too much, but the line would change dramatically with him in as a Guard.

He's looking for a deal northwards of what Evans got which was $58 mil. The Saints couldn't afford and I think we shouldn't afford it. If we want a mammoth 350lb OG we should draft Cordy Glenn. He's a younger version of Nicks and he'll cost a fraction of what Nicks wants.

That tag on Brees also means that Meachem and Colston will become FA if they don't come to an agreement with Brees before FA starts. I'm still leery of Colston's knee problems and his cost. Meachem may never be that good but all we need is better, not outstanding. JMO

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

Yeah, not sure we could afford that with all our needs (thanks JA!). We need a dominant G, but not sure it's our biggest need.

The thing with anybody we draft, you don't know how they'll turn out in the NFL for sure. It's always an educated guess. Hopefully Emery is better at than Angelo was.

Glenn rates a bit lower than David DeCastro but both are as close to can't miss immediate starter guys as I think you'll ever find in an NFL draft. It's very rare when even one OG is drafted in the top 20 and this years it could be two. I'd say if DeCastro fell to #19 regardless of what we accomplished in FA we'd need to seriously consider taking him. He's that good and I don't believe Glenn will be around much longer than that. As good as Logan Mankins was coming out of college even he didn't rate as high as these two. Mankins was taken around the 30th pick.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

I wouldn't invest the resources in him.

But I would not be upset if the Bears signed him. He is the best OG in the NFL and it can never hurt having him on the team.

Yes he probably is and he wants to be paid like it too. It'll be a cold day in hell before the Bears shell out $10 mil a year on an OG and that what's on his mind. If he could play LT too he might have chance.

As some of you guys have realized by now, I'm a huge believer in the benefits of a good to great O-Line, regardless of the success some teams have had recently with only "Adequate" o-Lines. However, just as I suggested in the "Forte" thread, I do not want the Bears to spend too much for talent that can be "reasonably" replicated with more economical talent because it puts the team in jeapardy for making other necessary moves. As much as I would love to have Nicks, I do not think the difference in talent between him and the next tier of FA's or Draft picks is worth the excessive $ he will demand. Let some of these other teams that have $40 to $50 mil in cap space pay for him. Grubbs will be expensive too, but not like Nicks, and he could give us ALMOST as much improvement. As a result, I would look at Grubbs first, and if the money is still too high, look to the draft and take care of other deficiencies in FA.