04/19/24
July 26, 2005
Top pick Smith agrees $49.5 million deal with 49ers: Top draft pick Alex Smith has agreed to a six-year, $49.5 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers, the richest contract ever for an NFL rookie. Let's hope he does better than Manning...
You can guarantee me $24M over the next few years, it's not $49.5M (or the $57M that I read in the first story I saw about the deal) but it meets my needs reasonably well.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:50 PM on July 26, 2005
And I still don't think he was the right pick for the 49ers at #1. They should have traded down or taken a lineman, O or D, meaning a much lower contract.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:51 PM on July 26, 2005
Who was going to stand behind that line? They needed a QB at some point and they got one with "potential". Your alternative is to wait for the next Kerry Collins, a decently-talented, medium-range (medium-ceiling) guy who throws a shit fit and has to be dealt. I'll take $24 million worth of potential over a shot at the loser's table.
posted by yerfatma at 05:12 PM on July 26, 2005
Who gives a dam about the 49ers? It dosent matter if they have Tom Brady at QB. Theyre the 49ers! The only hope they have is if they can get a duo like Rice and Montana or Young. That surely isnt around the corner. I predict a 4-12 season- and everybody will question the 49ers move to draft a QB who is overrated, and unproven.
posted by redsoxrgay at 07:13 PM on July 26, 2005
I look forward to many deep and meaningful conversations.
posted by yerfatma at 07:41 PM on July 26, 2005
The thing is, being from Utah he has to share that among his 237 wives, so it's really not going as far as you think it is.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 07:43 PM on July 26, 2005
posted by yerfatma at 08:24 PM on July 26, 2005
24 or 49 mill for a rookie is just crazy no matter what you did in college give him 13 million and some tough actin tinactin and see what he does
posted by david at 11:30 PM on July 26, 2005
If he is half as good a he was in college, he's worth the money. If Brandon Lloyd or one of their other young receivers step up, they have a starting point for rebuilding. Not to mention Kevan Barlow/Frank Gore in the backfield. I'm not saying they'll make the playoffs or anything, but they definitly got better this offseason. Defense still needs a lot of work though...
posted by JJfromPAinMI at 07:47 AM on July 27, 2005
Thats a grteat idea!
posted by seansterps at 08:22 AM on July 27, 2005
"If he is half as good a he was in college, he's worth the money." I'm not sure I understand... are you saying, if he's playing at half-speed in the NFL as he was in NCAA, and he thows the ball half-the-distance in the NFL as he did in NCAA, and his brain operates at half the functionality in the NFL as it did in the NCAA, that's he's worth the money? Somethin' makes me thing NFL linemen and linebackers will have somethin' to say about that... 'cos they're almost twice as fast and twice as big and twice as strong as the average college player.
posted by the red terror at 08:22 AM on July 27, 2005
In the NFL today all it takes is one or two strong drafts/free agent years and your back in it. Every good team needs a good QB and if they can keep him from getting killed he is going to be good. David Carr lived through two years spent on his back looking up at the inside of a dome and is now poised to have a great year. Smith has a great young WR in Lloyd and a decent RB in Barlow. He just needs to stay alive for a couple of seasons and this will be a great pick.
posted by seansterps at 08:28 AM on July 27, 2005
If I were a head coach in the NFL, I wouldn't want to stake my job on a rookie QB with $24 million reasons not to take the merciless pounding of a long pro career. There are 20 Heath Shulers for every Peyton Manning.
posted by rcade at 09:06 AM on July 27, 2005
Are the Niners planning on starting him from day one?
posted by ajaffe at 09:58 AM on July 27, 2005
I didn't get a chance to watch college football last year, so I can't speak about Mr. Smith here. I think that the major question mark with the niners this year is their new coach. No one knows how well he will do managing NFL salaries, egos and the impatient SF public. then again, the only thing he really has to do to last more than one year is finish ahead of the Raiders.
posted by markovitch at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2005
There are 20 Heath Shulers for every Peyton Manning Jesus, I hope not. He's one busy former player.
posted by yerfatma at 12:58 PM on July 27, 2005
ajaffe, the stock line is that he and Rattay are competing and Nolan hopes the decision can be made after the second or third exhbition match. The reason I don't like the pick, beyond the obviousmixed track record of previous QB #1 picks, is the team has been really tight with the $$$ and then TPTB go ahead and use so much on this one, unproven player. Would rather they spent it on two proven free agents and traded down/taken a less expensive position with it.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:56 PM on July 27, 2005
No one wanted to trade up to get him. I think the 49ers would have traded down if they were given a great offer. It was a risk lots of teams did not want to take.
posted by bperk at 10:34 AM on July 28, 2005
Which leaves my other suggested strategy, pick a lineman who wouldn't get such a high guaranteed salary. Though such a pick might have allowed Rattay or Dorsey to stay a bit healthier than the current crew.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:53 PM on July 28, 2005
I must be in the wrong business ... 49 million to sit on the bench , i think i can do that . Of course with the 49ers "offensive " line he will be alot safer there , just buy plenty of preperation-h for those long sitting sessions .
posted by evil empire at 07:02 PM on July 29, 2005
"A total of $24 million of Smith's contract is guaranteed, the most ever for a rookie." When we're dealing with NFL salaries, always gotta look for the smaller print with the guarantee salary. Still, pretty good score if you ask me.