Thanks Boston. Per overthecap.com Peat's 2023 cap number is $18.371 million with a dead cap figure of about $17 million if cut. I exaggerate a bit with $20 million but there is an element of truth. Peat was an ok Tackle and guard early in his career, though neither consistent nor especially durable. I don't doubt he was better than some other players picked his year, maybe better than all tackles picked his year. What I doubt is that those other tackles have Peat's cap numbers next year. The biggest mistake was not drafting Peat, it was extending him, and then letting the cap get so out of hand we couldn't walk away from bad long term deals like Peats.

I just don't want us to fall into the trap with Ruiz that Loomis fell into with Peat. That trap is as follows. First spend a valuable first round pick on a player who occasionally appears serviceable but never lives up to the pick. Then use a brief period where they sort of flash enough skill to almost justify the pick to justify an above market contract. Then get spendy with Gale's credit card and find there is neither cap room to pay that over the market contract nor to cut the contract and take a cap hit. And thus get stuck married to that player nearly for life because each year, on a year by year basis, its cheaper to restructure and often extend that contract than to take the cap hit and admit the mistake. I am scared that Loomis will find a way to make it happen that Ruiz is a Saint for life and we are still seeing this same production at a higher price tag in 2030. Think thats impossible? We are paying Peat as I think overthecap indicates the #5 paid guard in the league. If we can make Peat the #5 paid guard, we can do the same for Ruiz.

Some say its about to be over. We can finally cut peat this offseason. But with an $18 million salary and $17 million dead money, cutting him only saves $1 million. Peat is not worth $17 million, but he is a decent backup worth perhaps $4 million, so I don't trust that Loomis will cut him, I fear Loomis will extend and restructure and find a way to save $5 million on the 2023 cap by lining up Peat for $25 million cap numbers in future years, that will help deter rival GMs from applying for his job. I fear the same with Taysom Hill getting more restructures and extensions and paying him to immitate glass in 2028. I guess we could also cut Peat post-June-1 next offseason. But then we have almost $ 12 million of dead cap in 2024 for a player who has been washed for years already.

One could argue Peat is part of the problem with Ruiz. How can we expect Ruiz to want to be better when he sees the Pillsbury Dough boy lining up as the other guard, making the #5 guard salary in the league, and getting offered extensions and restructures to guarantee more money to lock him up as a Saint longer. Loomis is sending the message to Ruiz that Peat is the standard for what will be rewarded. Ruiz is doing reasonably well at meeting that standard.

Thanks Boston. Per overthecap.com Peat's 2023 cap number is $18.371 million with a dead cap figure of about $17 million if cut. I exaggerate a bit with $20 million but there is an element of truth. Peat was an ok Tackle and guard early in his career, though neither consistent nor especially durable. I don't doubt he was better than some other players picked his year, maybe better than all tackles picked his year. What I doubt is that those other tackles have Peat's cap numbers next year. The biggest mistake was not drafting Peat, it was extending him, and then letting the cap get so out of hand we couldn't walk away from bad long term deals like Peats.

I just don't want us to fall into the trap with Ruiz that Loomis fell into with Peat. That trap is as follows. First spend a valuable first round pick on a player who occasionally appears serviceable but never lives up to the pick. Then use a brief period where they sort of flash enough skill to almost justify the pick to justify an above market contract. Then get spendy with Gale's credit card and find there is neither cap room to pay that over the market contract nor to cut the contract and take a cap hit. And thus get stuck married to that player nearly for life because each year, on a year by year basis, its cheaper to restructure and often extend that contract than to take the cap hit and admit the mistake. I am scared that Loomis will find a way to make it happen that Ruiz is a Saint for life and we are still seeing this same production at a higher price tag in 2030. Think thats impossible? We are paying Peat as I think overthecap indicates the #5 paid guard in the league. If we can make Peat the #5 paid guard, we can do the same for Ruiz.

Some say its about to be over. We can finally cut peat this offseason. But with an $18 million salary and $17 million dead money, cutting him only saves $1 million. Peat is not worth $17 million, but he is a decent backup worth perhaps $4 million, so I don't trust that Loomis will cut him, I fear Loomis will extend and restructure and find a way to save $5 million on the 2023 cap by lining up Peat for $25 million cap numbers in future years, that will help deter rival GMs from applying for his job. I fear the same with Taysom Hill getting more restructures and extensions and paying him to immitate glass in 2028. I guess we could also cut Peat post-June-1 next offseason. But then we have almost $ 12 million of dead cap in 2024 for a player who has been washed for years already.

One could argue Peat is part of the problem with Ruiz. How can we expect Ruiz to want to be better when he sees the Pillsbury Dough boy lining up as the other guard, making the #5 guard salary in the league, and getting offered extensions and restructures to guarantee more money to lock him up as a Saint longer. Loomis is sending the message to Ruiz that Peat is the standard for what will be rewarded. Ruiz is doing reasonably well at meeting that standard.

Its the scouts and front office's fault most of all if they make bad evaluations. Their job is to make good evaluations. All 32 teams have people with the job of making good evaluations. So the higher the pick the more valuable because you can take the player you evaluate most highly before others have a chance to take him. Draft position matters for the GM not so much the player, the GM has a responsibility to find stars at a good rate with high picks. To do that they need to consider talent, coachability, and motivation. If they find a motivated player whose talent is not enough to ever live up to the round they are drafted, its a miss. If they find a highly talented player you will cash the 1st round bonus check, by Nyquil, and never produce, its a miss. If they are finding 6th round talent in the 1st round, they can fly economy out of town and find a job selling cars. Ruiz might have been a fine 6th round pick. Mickey Loomis took him in the 1st round. That's on management. Its no surprise since he is about equally as good as Andrus Peat who we will pay $20 million a year forever to continually extend and restructure his contract while functioning as a Little Debbie powered human turnstyle.

I like this take. Certainly not a player's fault for being over-drafted.

Still. A bust is a bust, blame is harder to determine for certain.