We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

Great post JKOOL i dont see how anybody can argue that we should keep Howard. great job......

Everyone join our mock( Ya\'ll know i had to pimp our mock)

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

i just posted the current cap numbers, saints 1.1mil in space. 6th least in the league. this makes the case all the more compelling in must moving him.

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

So it started out as getting a 1st or starter for Howard (of the stud variety), then it went to Dat and a 2nd, then just a second, now a 3rd and some unnamed player?

Folks, it\'s not worth it. The Saints have only two current players who HAVE to have their contracts addressed before next off-season - Horn and Bentley.

Signing Horn to a long-term deal could actually reduce his current season cap hit. That leaves only Bentley. Although I think Bentley is a good player who could be great for the Saints for a long time, he is not of the caliber at this point, absent a great season in 2005, to attract tons of attention in FA.

I still think that you keep Howard unless you get decent value for him. Moreover, I think the Saints need to get a starting LB for the guy... or CB. I mean, a second only? Don\'t think about that as what the Saints could get (in your fantasies), but how they\'ve used those picks in the past. Henderson is of equal value? C\'mon. They should move Howard if the right deal comes along. But they shouldn\'t give him away... and that is exactly what a 3rd rounder is. The Oakland deal would be fine. The Dallas deal is starting to sound like poo.

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

It isn\'t just Bentley is gone if we keep Howard. We\'d have to ditch someone we have with a big contract just to sign our rookies. And don\'t everyone start screaming QB, because it is unlikely we\'ll get Smith or anyone else who can start right away. Though, we could keep Howard if we dealt AB.

I agree that a 3rd isn\'t enough. I\'d like to see a 2nd (this year or next) and a starter at LB or DT. OR a 1st this year. It is certain to me that that is his value.

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

Fine Kool. What happens when the best offer we get is a 3rd or 2nd next year? Then what do you do?

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

He has to go, but there still is such a thing as giving him away. If the Saints get a third for him, I blame that on the Saints FO and their lack of negotiation acumen. If the Saints blow this deal and get shafted(which shouldn\'t happen since the Cowboys are the ones in demand), that doesn\'t mean that the idea of dealing him was all wrong.

We cannot afford to keep Howard.
 

No. I agree. I\'m not arguing that trading him is wrong. I\'m suggesting that if the Saints cannot get a serious impact player or a first or second round pick this year, then he shouldn\'t be dealt.