Friday, March 15, 2013

Steven Jackson To The Falcons And That's OK

As we watch RB Steven Jackson sign with the Falcons for $4 million per season, Green Bay Packers LB Desmond Bishop has something to say:
I'm not as big a fan of either RB James Starks or RB DuJuan Harris as Bishop, but he's got a point. Bill Barnwell wrote about this in regards to S Dashon Goldson; he's the best safety on the free agent market but why give Goldson $8 million per season when you get can a player like S Kerry Rhodes (who's almost as good) for $2 million per season? The odds are decent that Rhodes might even be better than Goldson next season, depending on whether Rhodes can find a starting job.

Football Outsiders (subscription required) liked the Jackson signing, but the Falcons got so little from RB Michael Turner last season that it's hard not to see how they improved. Yes, Jackson is better than either Starks or Harris, but it's possible they'll be just as good next season as Jackson would have been. And combined they'll cost about $1 million in 2013. Avoiding Jackson now is just good business because nearly every contract signed over the first few days of free agency has been a "risky big-money contract."

The salary cap isn't getting any higher in 2013 so there are going to be some bargain contracts signed over the next few weeks, but the free agent market for veteran running backs is pretty unimpressive. I don't completely agree with Desmond Bishop, the Packers have to add a running back at some point this offseason to compete with the current bunch. But while Jackson would have been a good fit, he's probably only going to be a good player for two more seasons before he becomes a salary cap liability.

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