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Texans can't afford another free agent mistake
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The Jags swing and miss on free agent Jerry Porter cost them $900,000 per catch in '08
I covered most of this ground three weeks ago in this entry so I won't rehash what doesn't need to be rehashed, but I just read something that reinforced every point I was trying to make in that article in just one short sentence.
"One team’s treasure can turn into trash pretty quickly in the NFL."
Those are the words of Andrew Brandt, who seems fairly well qualified to make that statement. Check out the bio.
What caught my attention in Brandt's latest "Monday Money Matters" offering - in a depressing sort of way - was that he used the Texans courtship of Ahman Green two seasons ago as a prime example of 'treasure to trash.'
Of course, who better to tell this story, since Brandt negotiated the deal from the Packers side.
'Treasure to trash' will doom a management team if it happens once too many times or if it fails in a colossal way.
Green's deal wasn't in the colossal category but Brandt did call the Texans decision "stunning" to pay a then 30 year old running back over $11 million dollars in the first two years of the deal - including $8 million in the first year.
I knew firsthand the lengths the Texans went to in their pursuit of Ahman – private plane visit, courtside seats to a Rockets game and a stunning $11M over the first two seasons
Even with his re-structured deal entering the 2008 season, Green still cashed more than $11 million in checks during his stay with the Texans.
Make sure you read about Brandt's unsuccessful attempt to keep Ahman with the Packers. It describes the influence that Mike Sherman had over the decision [we knew that but not to this level of detail] and it contains interesting tidbits - things we would never hear locally - on how the deal went down.
Like Brandt says, some of the best deals are the ones that are not made. He cites contract extensions given to the likes of Eddie George, Jamal Anderson, and Corey Dillon as "emotional reactions by clubs to beloved players that came from their hearts and not their heads."
I guess the same could hold true for giving large contracts to beloved players coming off serious injury.
READ MORE ON THE TEXANS AND THE NFL:
- Texans release of Green and Greenwood should come as no surprise
- So long Ahman. We hardly knew ya
- Dunta watch: Expect more franchise tags on players this week
- Browns hire former Houston Oilers running back Gary Brown
- Texans number one need? How about talent and stability on defense
- Memo to Vikings fans: You're really no different than Houston or Cleveland
- Accused of violating NFL rules: What say you, Texans?
- Would the Texans consider trading Sage - again?
- Texans are an estimated $32 million under the salary cap
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