Russell Okung

[dubbsco]

Okung is 28 years old, and started playing NFL football in 2010. I wouldn't exactly call him a stop-gap or retread, he's not 35 years old.

If you got him for even 3,4 years, that helps the line immensely. You lock up Okung, and then could look at another guy in the o-line early in the draft to really fix the lingering issues.

 

[tomdalton22]

Listen, we're all on the same page here. We all want an upgrade at LT, RT,C......ect.... the disagreement is on how to do that.

We hold the 16th pick. I just do NOT see spending $10M+/year on a player like Clady or Okung who may never be more than a stop gap! For one year.....absolutely....sure. Spend it. Anything beyond that for a retread makes little sense.

I still think the best solution for the long term is to draft a LT......move Reiff to the right side......and extend Slay or Ansah and front load that contract. Nothing wrong with a 4 year extension for Ansah that will only have a cap hit of $10M in the last year instead of $20M because we back load it again.

there's a good chance that a tackle taken at 16 is going to be worse than Reiff.

 

[cheeno]

Okung is 28 years old, and started playing NFL football in 2010. I wouldn't exactly call him a stop-gap or retread, he's not 35 years old.

If you got him for even 3,4 years, that helps the line immensely. You lock up Okung, and then could look at another guy in the o-line early in the draft to really fix the lingering issues.

Dubs that is exactly the Broncos 4 year plan. Check out the details of this deal: The Broncos got a steal in year and Okung gets to bet on himself that one year gets him the next 4. A 4 year option can be picked up and declined next year at a franchise tackle rate:

FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reports new Broncos LT Russell Okung's "five-year deal" is actually a one-year, $5 million deal with a four-year team option.
He can earn another $3 million in 2016 through incentives. This makes much more sense than the initially reported five-year pact worth an annual $10.6 million. Going on 28, Okung has serious injury and consistency question marks. If he excels in 2016, the Broncos get to exercise a four-year option worth an annual $12 million. It's a low-risk deal for GM John Elway, who is beginning to stake a claim to being the best in the business.

We missed out, that's okay it happens in FA. What is the next plan up? I don't know if a tackle at #16 is necessarily the bet option as Tom has just pointed out. We may be confined to hoping that it is. In that case we need to hope a rookie like Decker or Conklin or maybe Stanley if he falls is an upgrade there.

 

[dubbsco]

And that's why Denver is ahead of the curve, the Lions are who they are.

I have faith in the new guy, but this is a swing and a miss. You can't rely on rookies when there is a great option out there that was ready to be had.

 

[SoCalLions]

Dubs that is exactly the Broncos 4 year plan. Check out the details of this deal: The Broncos got a steal in year and Okung gets to bet on himself that one year gets him the next 4. A 4 year option can be picked up and declined next year at a franchise tackle rate:

FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reports new Broncos LT Russell Okung's "five-year deal" is actually a one-year, $5 million deal with a four-year team option.
He can earn another $3 million in 2016 through incentives. This makes much more sense than the initially reported five-year pact worth an annual $10.6 million. Going on 28, Okung has serious injury and consistency question marks. If he excels in 2016, the Broncos get to exercise a four-year option worth an annual $12 million. It's a low-risk deal for GM John Elway, who is beginning to stake a claim to being the best in the business.

We missed out, that's okay it happens in FA. What is the next plan up? I don't know if a tackle at #16 is necessarily the bet option as Tom has just pointed out. We may be confined to hoping that it is. In that case we need to hope a rookie like Decker or Conklin or maybe Stanley if he falls is an upgrade there.

I really hope it's not Decker at #16 if we go OL. Conklin, I want. Stanley I can live with. I would rather take Whitehair and play him as a tackle than have Decker.

 

[dubbsco]

Honestly, would you guys be surprised to see a WR here? Or another RB?

 

[SoCalLions]

Honestly, would you guys be surprised to see a WR here? Or another RB?

Are we talking at #16? If so, yes I would be surprised to see either. BB and company never took a WR in the first. RB is devalued and Quinn knows that. I'm hoping OL, DL or DB at #16. I could see LB too.

 

[cheeno]

I really hope it's not Decker at #16 if we go OL. Conklin, I want. Stanley I can live with. I would rather take Whitehair and play him as a tackle than have Decker.

Conklin is my guy too. I haven't look too in depth at the others admittedly though.

 

[kmd47]

Listen, we're all on the same page here. We all want an upgrade at LT, RT,C......ect.... the disagreement is on how to do that.

We hold the 16th pick. I just do NOT see spending $10M+/year on a player like Clady or Okung who may never be more than a stop gap! For one year.....absolutely....sure. Spend it. Anything beyond that for a retread makes little sense.

I still think the best solution for the long term is to draft a LT......move Reiff to the right side......and extend Slay or Ansah and front load that contract. Nothing wrong with a 4 year extension for Ansah that will only have a cap hit of $10M in the last year instead of $20M because we back load it again.

Because every tackle, especially the ones we have drafted in the first round, have turned out so well! Why not spend a lil more of the money we can't give away and lock up one of the biggest positions of need before the draft and ACTUALLY build the defense through the draft.

 

[tonyballs]

In the past two years Stafford has been sacked 89 times! And we ranked 32nd in rushing.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StafMa00.htm

But I don't want a top notch LT because of "muh cap space". Oh did I forget to mention Mayhew "dead money" Millen was a genius?

Top notch??? Says who???

 

[tonyballs]

Dubs that is exactly the Broncos 4 year plan. Check out the details of this deal: The Broncos got a steal in year and Okung gets to bet on himself that one year gets him the next 4. A 4 year option can be picked up and declined next year at a franchise tackle rate:

FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reports new Broncos LT Russell Okung's "five-year deal" is actually a one-year, $5 million deal with a four-year team option.
He can earn another $3 million in 2016 through incentives. This makes much more sense than the initially reported five-year pact worth an annual $10.6 million. Going on 28, Okung has serious injury and consistency question marks. If he excels in 2016, the Broncos get to exercise a four-year option worth an annual $12 million. It's a low-risk deal for GM John Elway, who is beginning to stake a claim to being the best in the business.

We missed out, that's okay it happens in FA. What is the next plan up? I don't know if a tackle at #16 is necessarily the bet option as Tom has just pointed out. We may be confined to hoping that it is. In that case we need to hope a rookie like Decker or Conklin or maybe Stanley if he falls is an upgrade there.

Of course its a one year deal. Its a "prove it" deal. Okung falls on his ass, he gone and theres a great chance of it...

 

[mhughes0021]

Listen, we're all on the same page here. We all want an upgrade at LT, RT,C......ect.... the disagreement is on how to do that.

We hold the 16th pick. I just do NOT see spending $10M+/year on a player like Clady or Okung who may never be more than a stop gap! For one year.....absolutely....sure. Spend it. Anything beyond that for a retread makes little sense.

I still think the best solution for the long term is to draft a LT......move Reiff to the right side......and extend Slay or Ansah and front load that contract. Nothing wrong with a 4 year extension for Ansah that will only have a cap hit of $10M in the last year instead of $20M because we back load it again.

I agree your solution is better value. But it's rare to draft a tackle that's ready to start at lt right away. Almost all of them start on the right side. Proven guy with all that cap space. ...I'd probably jump at it. Those injuries are piling up though on both clay and okung.

 

[tbone413]

Sounds like Okung didnt want to sign with Detroit...

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2016/03/report_russell_okung_didnt_wan.html

"Not overjoyed with either the marketplace or the prospect of signing with Detroit, Okung started reaching out to other teams. He preferred to stay close to the West Coast, having played his entire career in Seattle, and noted the Broncos' culture of success, Ryan Clady's uncertain status and the team's desire last year to acquire Joe Thomas. Okung negotiated with the Broncos from a position of weakness because he pursued them, and wrangled a deal that became heavily criticized: a two-part contract with a realistic first year followed by option years at a much higher level."

 

[tomdalton22]

Sounds like Okung didnt want to sign with Detroit...

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2016/03/report_russell_okung_didnt_wan.html

"Not overjoyed with either the marketplace or the prospect of signing with Detroit, Okung started reaching out to other teams. He preferred to stay close to the West Coast, having played his entire career in Seattle, and noted the Broncos' culture of success, Ryan Clady's uncertain status and the team's desire last year to acquire Joe Thomas. Okung negotiated with the Broncos from a position of weakness because he pursued them, and wrangled a deal that became heavily criticized: a two-part contract with a realistic first year followed by option years at a much higher level."

can't say I blame him

 

[cheeno]

can't say I blame him

Quinn just realized he isn't selling the Pats anymore.

 

[tonyballs]

Sounds like Okung didnt want to sign with Detroit...

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2016/03/report_russell_okung_didnt_wan.html

"Not overjoyed with either the marketplace or the prospect of signing with Detroit, Okung started reaching out to other teams. He preferred to stay close to the West Coast, having played his entire career in Seattle, and noted the Broncos' culture of success, Ryan Clady's uncertain status and the team's desire last year to acquire Joe Thomas. Okung negotiated with the Broncos from a position of weakness because he pursued them, and wrangled a deal that became heavily criticized: a two-part contract with a realistic first year followed by option years at a much higher level."

Whatever lol. You're on a ONE year show me deal, fat boy! Enjoy those 10 games, Denver..lol

 

[tonyballs]

Quinn just realized he isn't selling the Pats anymore.

No.....he realized paying an overrated bandaid of a LT is ridiculous.

 

[cheeno]

No.....he realized paying an overrated bandaid of a LT is ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure the narrative is that Okung turned us down.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

No.....he realized paying an overrated bandaid of a LT is ridiculous.

It's probably some of each here, Tony. We aren't the recent version of the Pats and there's no avoiding that fact. We're more like the late '80s to early '90s Patriots teams where they sucked and no one really wanted to go play there. Until that changes, we're going to have to overpay and take risks (hopefully calculated ones for a change) on guys with injuries and other red marks. A few years of good drafting and player development is about the only thing that's gonna turn the tide for us. I am, of course, highly skeptical that this organization will finally wise up and get it right. History would say that my position is a good bet, but I'm hoping like hell to be proven wrong.

 

[tonyballs]

I'm pretty sure the narrative is that Okung turned us down.

Says who? Okung and his agent? lol. So what if he did anyways...he's overrated and not worth it.