Details of Kenny Britt’s Contract with Rams

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The signing of WR Kenny Britt by the St. Louis Rams became official yesterday and via a source with knowledge of the contract we have the full breakdown of the contract.

Britt’s contract carries a value of $1,400,000 with $550,000 fully guaranteed. Britt will earn $1,000,000 in base salary in 2014, $500,000 of which is fully guaranteed for skill, injury, and salary cap termination. Britt also received a $50,000 bonus upon signing the contract. Britt can earn a $150,000 roster bonus for being on the active 53 man roster for the first game of the season, up to $100,000 in gameday active roster bonuses and a $100,000 offseason workout bonus. I believe Britt was active for 12 games last season so the initial cap charge should be $1,375,000. Britt can earn up to an additional $1.5 million in incentives, based on playing time, performance, and team success.

All things considered this is a strong contract for Britt. Between injuries, off the field issues, and lack of playing time from the Titans he would have seemed to be a candidate for a one year minimum salary deal. But Britt does have talent and the Rams were willing to go a bit higher in the hopes of finding a decent receiver, someone they have lacked for many years.

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Nicks, Britt, and Gordon- Should they be Traded?

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With trade rumors swirling in the NFL, I thought it would make sense to look at three of the big names mentioned at Wide Receiver and the reasons why the teams might or might not pull the trigger on trading their players.  The big names in question are the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks, Browns’ Josh Gordon, and Titans’ Kenny Britt. All three would seem to be on the block for various reasons and we’ll try to look at some comparables to determine what the players may gain in a trade.

Kenny Britt

Of the three names Britt is likely the least appealing. Britt is a former 1st round draft pick whose best seasons came in 2009 and 2010 when he looked poised to break out as one of the next great receivers in the game. Britt suffered a serious knee injury in 2011 that seemed to de-rail his career. Prior to his injury Britt averaged 17.5 YPC and was looked to be at a minimum a 55 catch/900 yard type player. Since then his numbers have plummeted to under 13 YPC and he has basically been benched by the Titans for general ineffectiveness. Britt’s off the field problems are well documented and I think there are some who question whether Britt is simply not recovered from injury or just unhappy in Tennessee.

Britt will be a free agent in 2014 and there is no chance that the Titans would designate him a franchise player. For Tennessee they first need to weigh what they would receive in draft compensation in 2015 if they let him walk next season. I don’t believe it would be much anything because there are so many questions surrounding him that it would seem hard to imagine a team signing him to anything more than a two year low base value but incentive laden contract.

There are rumors that the Titans are looking for at least a 3rd round pick for Britt. That number is insane and I’m not sure what justification there would be to that price tag other than management preferring to have him suffer through the rest of the year on the bench. The best high end comparison I could come up with for Britt was Santonio Holmes. Holmes was 26 years old when traded to the New York Jets prior to the 2010 NFL draft. Holmes was in the final year of his deal and had well documented off the field issues. He has just finished a season in which he went off for more than 1200 yards and was two seasons removed from being named Super Bowl MVP. Holmes only fetched a 5th round pick.

Another possible player to look at would be Ted Ginn, Jr, who was just 25 when he was traded from Miami to San Francisco. Ginn’s productivity was nowhere near that of Holmes and like Britt had seemingly regressed, though he was never at as high of a level as Britt. Ginn did not have the off the field issues and also had tremendous value as a kick returner. Ginn also only cost a 5th round pick and was set to enter free agency one year following the trade.

The final possible look would be Davone Bess. Bess was a bit older than Britt and never had the upside or cache of Britt, but maybe one could make an argument that a motivated post-injury Britt could be productive as a shorter field threat capable of gaining maybe 500-650 low impact yards a season. The trade for Bess amounted to a 5th rounder in return for Bess and a 7th. Bess was set to be a free agent when traded.

At the most the Titans could expect to receive a 5th round pick for Britt and even that could be pushing it due to his lack of use this season. He was never as good as Holmes and may not be as varied a threat as Ginn especially post-injury. My gut feeling is that they should be happy with receiving a 5th for him and giving up a 7th in return, similar to the Bess trade. Even a 6th rounder might be worth doing. I don’t see the compensatory pick being very large in this case, if it happens at all. It seems to be a trade that should happen if anyone is really interested.

Josh Gordon

Gordon is a very interesting prospect because he still has two years remaining on his rookie contract and will thus be an extremely low cost option for a team that acquires him. As a rookie Gordon had over 800 yards and this season would be on pace for 1700 yards if he played 16 games. So the upside with Gordon is tremendous. So why are the Browns looking to trade him?

In this case I think this is the Browns trying to strike before the clock strikes 12. Gordon has had many drug issues in the past and is one strike away from being out of the NFL for a full year. I doubt the Browns trust him to stay clean and he missed two games for a failed test this season. If he was to slip up again next year he goes from high value to no value.

The Browns are said to be seeking a first round pick for Gordon. It is pretty much impossible to find a comparable player because players this young never get traded.  In terms of off the field trouble Holmes would be a comparison, but contractually they were in very different spots. Godson would give a team 2 ½ low cost years while Holmes was only going to give one.

That said the only receivers in the last few years to get a 1st round pick in return were Percy Harvin and Roy Williams, both of whom were entering their contract years and received extensions following the trade. Williams was a colossal bust and Harvin has yet to play a game for Minnesota. Prior to that would be Deion Branch in 2006 and Randy Moss in 2005. Considering Gordon’s history I think a first rounder would be out of reach, though a 2nd rounder from a playoff contender could be in play.  Even a second, though, could be high. Brandon Marshall is the only recent trade (the one that sent him from Denver to Miami) to include a 2nd round pick. Beyond Marshall the only other trade I can recall is the 2007 in-season trade of Chris Chambers from the Dolphins to the Chargers.

Whatever decision is made with Gordon will take a great deal of guts on both sides. If the Browns think he can be clean then they should hold on to him. If they feel he is going to fail another drug test they should take a 2nd or 3rd for him.

Hakeem Nicks

Of the three names Nicks is the most intriguing. Nicks has had monster years in the past and has been treated as a true number 1 target. But injuries in 2012 seemed to move him to second fiddle behind Victor Cruz and it’s clear that he never regained his chemistry with QB Eli Manning. Nicks is on pace for nearly 1200 yards this year but it seems like a quiet 1,200 yards as he has battled drops and gaining the attention of his QB. Some seem to perceive a rift between Nicks and Manning that most will blame on Nicks going through the motions and not putting in the work.

Nicks is in the final year of his contract, but unlike Britt is going to be a Franchise player. I get the feeling that Nicks is not too thrilled to stay with the Giants but he is going to get that tag which will allow the Giants to control his rights for next season as well. While nobody expects the young wideout to really sign a contract with another team as a Franchise player it does set a bar even now as to his worth. The other two teams can dream and ask for whatever they want but the Giants are the only team that can truly block Nicks with the price they want.

I tend to think the rumors of the Giants being open to offers for Nicks is more of a fishing expedition to hear what he is worth to teams next season. They could just be setting the groundwork for a trade next year rather than this one. Provided the Giants don’t go wild in free agency next year, which they likely won’t, at worst he is worth a compensatory 3. So they are the one team that can really set parameters of a 1 all the way down to a 3 and have reasons behind those parameters.

Finding the trade value for Nicks is difficult because the results are so varied. Nicks is a much more proven player than Harvin and the Seahawks gave up a fortune for him in both draft picks and money. Harvin is also injury prone. Going back to the Williams trade in 2008 the situations could be looked at as similar. Williams often had lingering injury issues, but he had shown tremendous talent when healthy. Dallas gave up a first rounder and other mid round picks to get the job done. I would think both would be the Giants ideal scenarios.

Other teams could use the Braylon Edwards in season Browns to Jets trade as some type of lowball offer. Edwards was an extremely high draft selection who never really lived up to expectations in Cleveland and had fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff. Edwards still was somewhat productive and the Jets traded a 3 and a 5 along with some spare piece players in order to acquire Edwards from the Browns. Edwards was in the final year of his contract at the time of the trade. Other deals involving third round picks include Marshall from Miami to Chicago and Anquan Boldin from Arizona to Baltimore. Both players were in different stages of their carriers than Nicks

Nicks has been t he better pro than Edwards and remains more productive even now. Edwards was almost like a firesale trade because he clashed with the coach. The least the Giants should settle for is the two second round picks that the Dolphins gave for Marshall in 2010. Marshall also signed an extension almost immediately upon being traded. Teams could make the deal at a 2 and a conditional 3, with the 3 becoming a 2 if Nicks is re-signed.

The Giants clearly have options here and with the Franchise power probably do not have any reason to trade him this year. Unless he gets injured his value should remain the same and teams have shown a willingness to spend on the position. The only reason to trade him now would be because they want to make certain they have additional draft selections in the 2014 draft, which may not occur if they have him on the tag.

If it was me I would not trade him, but Franchise him instead and let him more or less seek out his own trade next year. If they do that early enough they should grab two picks over the next two drafts. It allows the Giants to keep up a mirage that they think this season means something and probably will not compromise their position in the long run.

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Stock Down: Week 5

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Every Monday during the season we will take a look back at three players who are entering important stages of their contract that may have hurt their stock in upcoming negotiations with their play on Sunday. In addition we will also look at one player signed in the offseason to a new contract that did not live up to the expectations that his contract sets for the player.

Stock Down

Matt Schaub– Mentally Schaub is broken and it has carried over to the playing field where he looks nothing like the player he has been in the past. I don’t even know what to make of him. At times he is like Chad Pennington floating the ball and not showing the arm needed to get the ball to the sidelines. At others plays like he is down two scores with just 5 minutes left, even though it’s the first quarter of the game. Schaub is going to be in danger of being released from his contract and missing out on $11 million in salary in 2014 if this continues. The Texans are going to feel too much pressure to not do it and there is also a stigma growing around Schaub which is going to be reflected in free agency if released. I was sure if Schaub ever got released he would get a decent contract, but now I’m beginning to think it will be backup/prove it type money. That will not be $11 million dollars. He needs to turn this around.

Tyson Clabo Clabo had given up what may have been the most critical sack of the game when matched up against Terrell Suggs. He had been overwhelmed on the day and is on pace to give up 11 sacks on the season. Clabo was signed to a one year $3.5 million dollar contract  after his release from the Atlanta Falcons, who have their own line problems to consider. The Dolphins ground game has been unable to get on track and yesterday the team gained just 16 yards out of their running backs. While Clabo is not the only one at fault he is the one that will feel the most problems when the season ends as he looks for another contract. With teams in 2013 not really interested in him at a $3.5 million dollar tag why would anyone sign him for anything close to that in 2014 if this is what they will get?

Kenny Britt– The free agent to be Wide Receiver appears to be done with the Tennessee Titans. He’s a third string player at this stage and the Titans are now considering further demotion after a one  reception, multiple drop game on Sunday against the Chiefs. Britt now has just 52 yards on the season and is either not the same player following knee injuries or is mentally just not committed to the games with a team that does not want him. Either way other teams around the NFL are going to look at him poorly. He is most likely headed for a minimum salary contract next season as he has to now rehab his image in 2014.

New Contract Disappointment Of The Week

Carson Palmer– This is like bizarro world. A losing QB gets a “stock up” nod while a winning one gets the down nod, but Palmer has been awful and his team won in spite of him not because of him. For all of the talk about what Palmer was going to mean for the Arizona offense they essentially look no different than they did when John Skelton was the QB of the team. Palmer was a mess on Sunday throwing for just 175 yards and being picked off 3 times. Like the Panthers the Cardinals are going to waste a good defense this year because their offense is simply no good. It’s clear Arizona needs to draft a QB next season and begin re-tooling that offense instead of praying they can get something out of the current grouping. Palmer was supposed to fix that situation and he hasn’t.

Follow @Jason_OTC

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