Thread: First mistake by our Gm.... :(

Possibly bruh, possibly. I've been on here before commenting in contrast to some of the favorable accolades thrown Phil's way. However, I should also comment on any not so positive moves. Ultimately, until the full off season is complete, I don't want to judge him. He has a plan in place that includes the first wave of FA (pre-draft), the Draft, and then the second wave of FA (Post Draft). So far, we haven't even made it through the first 1/3, so before I crown him King or cast him in shackles to the proverbial dungeon, I'll wait and see how he completes his off season plan. For all we know, he could have some insight into a team looking for a DT in the draft that may cast aside a vet after the draft that we like better than Okoye. Ultimately, he really didn't sign for much in Tampa, so maybe we've had him a little high on our own pedestal.

It is a mistake considering the money. We were going after Mario for pity's sake. Emery was cutting all the JA FA's and starting fresh. I don't believe Okoye would be a top starter but would have made a great backup. Something Lovie's defense needs-production from the 3tech.

Originally Posted by motownbear

i have a feeling okoye tried to pull off a kreutz by asking for the world here we said no so he signs for cheap elsewhere and not giving us the cheap price option

That could be the case Mo considering he only signed a one year contract w/the Bucs and they had a ton of cash.

Originally Posted by motownbear

i have a feeling okoye tried to pull off a kreutz by asking for the world here we said no so he signs for cheap elsewhere and not giving us the cheap price option

I agree with this as well. Should we have kept two pro-bowlers like Kreutz and Olsen when we could have? Sure. But when they start asking for things we can't even offer if we wanted to we are left without options.

Originally Posted by Jimmors

I wouldnt chalk that up to "mistake," i would say it falls under the "difficult decision" category. Mostly since we probably couldnt afford to re-sign him.

I wouldnt jump to any conclusions without a full grasp of ths situation on why we were not able to pursue re-signing him.

That's the way I see it too Jimmors. $2 mil wasn't a lot of money for a young DT like him but we're still carrying Forte's tag dollars on the books and the $2 mil we may have saved by getting him to agree to what we offered didn't happen. I believe up until then we may have been able to keep Okoye if Forte signed but without it the cupboard was getting bare. I don't think it was so much that we didn't want to make him an offer like that but more that we couldn't.

As time goes by I'm getting more and more frustrated by his refusal to agree to a deal. There's no doubt in my mind that it's now beginning to pinch off funds which could be used elsewhere. If he's getting an offer that gets him an average of $7.5 mil per year with somewhere around $18 mil guaranteed I think he's being pigheaded thinking he's worth more.

While it's true that he was leading the league in total yardage when he was injured his production was declining because of how much he was being used. Now with Bush in the mix and Bell backing him his carries and his production will drop some. He's important but he's no longer the only good offensive weapon we have besides Cutler.