Thread: Melton Hopeful of New Deal..................

I think it goes without saying that Melton is a must keep no matter what type of defense we play. Guys who can bring pressure and get sacks playing inside the way he can are top ten draft picks coming out of college and we don't have a top ten pick to replace him with. He also did a great job against the run in 2012 and that was a huge improvement in his game over 2011.

He's another Tommie Harris or even better a John Randle type of guy who's pretty much a self made DT and he's getting better. At 26 years old or so he's got a lot of good football ahead of him so locking him up for 4 or 5 years is what we need to do.

He made the Pro Bowl so he's not gonna be cheap but on the other hand coming into the league as a 4th round pick his rookie deal wasn't a big one so we don't have to better a deal where he was already making $6 mil a year or so. I think something in that $6-$7 mil range with some guarantees should do it.

I would like to keep him Soul but I hope they don't break the bank for him. The thing about Melton is you don't know if he has reached his full potential yet or is he going to get better. I'd like to think he will continue to improve. He's a good player but not a great player, at least not yet. Tough call.

Originally Posted by BearJim

I would like to keep him Soul but I hope they don't break the bank for him. The thing about Melton is you don't know if he has reached his full potential yet or is he going to get better. I'd like to think he will continue to improve. He's a good player but not a great player, at least not yet. Tough call.

Actually Jim I think he is a great player or on the very verge of it but you don't earn those stripes with just one good season and one great one. He's one of those guys who, when he's on his game, is just about as unblockable as you can find them.

I watched him a lot this year and even when he wasn't make the play he was forcing it and making teams scheme him because they sure as hell weren't keeping him blocked. He came down the line to make a lot of tackles and he can shoot his gap into the backfield as good as any of them.

Even if he gets no better than he is now he's still one of the top ten DTs in the league and I think we can sign him for a lot less than the $10 mil or more top pass rushers get. Even around $6-$7 mil he's a bargain.

Yeah, the biggest thing I was worried about was his run D but he's shown he's improved that. He needs signed to a 4-5 year deal hopefully before a bidding war.

Originally Posted by soulman

Actually Jim I think he is a great player or on the very verge of it but you don't earn those stripes with just one good season and one great one. He's one of those guys who, when he's on his game, is just about as unblockable as you can find them.

I watched him a lot this year and even when he wasn't make the play he was forcing it and making teams scheme him because they sure as hell weren't keeping him blocked. He came down the line to make a lot of tackles and he can shoot his gap into the backfield as good as any of them.

Even if he gets no better than he is now he's still one of the top ten DTs in the league and I think we can sign him for a lot less than the $10 mil or more top pass rushers get. Even around $6-$7 mil he's a bargain.

Don't get me wrong Soul, I want us to resign him. By tough call I meant on how much to pay him. If we can't sign him & have to decide to let him go or franchise him, what do we do? I have no idea what it would cost to franchise him. I guess I'm not 100% sold on giving him the big bucks. He seems to disappear in some games but it could be he is drawing more attention from our opponent that week & enabling others to make plays. I wish he had one more year on his current contract so the new regime (and me lol) could evaluate him for a year before making a big commitment but it is what it is. Just my take on it bro.

Originally Posted by BearJim

Don't get me wrong Soul, I want us to resign him. By tough call I meant on how much to pay him. If we can't sign him & have to decide to let him go or franchise him, what do we do? I have no idea what it would cost to franchise him. I guess I'm not 100% sold on giving him the big bucks. He seems to disappear in some games but it could be he is drawing more attention from our opponent that week & enabling others to make plays. I wish he had one more year on his current contract so the new regime (and me lol) could evaluate him for a year before making a big commitment but it is what it is. Just my take on it bro.

The improvement in his overall play between 2011 and 2012 was huge. He finally began to play the run as well as the pass. He's as upwardly mobile as any DT in the league. I think in another year he'd just cost us more.

He wants to stay in Chicago. He's a perfect fit in this defense as a 3T DT and he knows it. I think he's probably willing to consider a little hometown discount in order to stick around Jim. I don't believe we're looking at anywhere near a $10 mil per year kind of deal but the term of it may be a sticking point.

If these guys want big bonuses upfront they have to be willing to do 5 year deals so the team can spread that out. But guys Melton's age are sometimes looking at 3 or 4 year deals so they have one more shot at another contract before they hit 30. So there's always a trade off in there somewhere.

Melton said they made some progress and just like with Forte I think they'll get it done sooner or later but right now Emery and the staff have their focus on the college allstar games and the combine and from those they'll have an idea of what they can expect in rookie talent coming through the door.

Once that and the roster evals are done I think we'll start hearing reports on these negotiations. Anyway you cut it Melton is a keeper. He's a top ten DT at the worst and at the best maybe a top five. Can't let a guy like that walk.