What does this do for us? Does it make him stronger trade bait? Does it make us as a team want him more?

Just wondering you guys opinion of this.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

The former of the two choices.

We already know what we have in Soliai. The question is what will other teams pay for him. Sure, the pro bowl designation makes his perceived value to other teams higher.

I HATE that we are going to let this guy go for nothing. A team with very few good players and we are letting one of them walk. His contract is up this year so if we don't sign him to a new deal (sounds like we are going in another direction), the only way to get value for him in a trade is to franchise him. But the FO won't do that because it is "risky" in that it ties up our cap room till we make a deal. I say screw it, we've got no one else worth franchising and tagging him we will get at least a 2d if not 1st rounder in trade, or maybe package him in a move up. But see what happens....he walks and probably goes to the jets and makes pro bowl next 5 years. While we switch to a 4-3 and need to blow high picks on DEs again.

Soliai was on the field for 451 snaps last year. He comes out of the game in most passing situations. Randy Starks had 677 snaps. Jared Odrick had 597. Kendall Langford had 554. It is impossible to justify the salary for Soliai when he's not on the field for so many plays.

The Fins were stuck last year. Because of the restricted free agent rules, they had 2 choices: to offer Soliai a very minor raise, or to franchise him. The rules prevented them from offering him a larger salary without the franchise. There were teams prepared to offer him $7-8M per season. By the rules, we couldn't offer him that. The only way to keep him was to franchise him, which pegged his salary at $12.5M, well above his market value. But, we had the cap room to do it.

Now, the situation is different. No team is likely to offer Soliai $12.5M or $13M, but we would be stuck with that salary if we franchise him. And no team is going to give up two first round picks for him. So, if you franchise him, you may get stuck with him. And since we are only $6M under the cap, we can't afford him. Plain and simple. We have Jake Long, Karlos Dansby, and Brandon Marshall as the highest or very close to highest paid players at their positions. And remember, Dansby's salary is doubling from what it was last year. We are not in a position to keep Soliai at all. And we can't afford the risk of franchising him.

And now that the team is headed to a 4-3, he doesn't really fit any more.

Send him to the Rams!!

All I can say is…

It would be pathetic that we finally develop a ProBowl quality NT and then lose him to FA because we’ve blown too much $$$ elsewhere…

Just a few years ago that was like #1 priority on this team. And now, oh well, let ‘em walk. That’s exactly how losers conduct business.

BigNastyFish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Just a few years ago that was like #1 priority on
> this team. And now, oh well, let ‘em walk.
> That’s exactly how losers conduct business.

thats why we will continue to suck. whats the purpose of developing young players if you are going to let them walk instead of paying them.

Thats what we did with with players like welker.

Watch soliai go to new england too.

Quite frankly, BNF and SamSam, I'm with DolfanMark and will go him one better in saying that I was SHOCKED when Solai made the Pro-Bowl. I can't figure that one out.

dolfanmark Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Soliai was on the field for 451 snaps last year.
> He comes out of the game in most passing
> situations. Randy Starks had 677 snaps. Jared
> Odrick had 597. Kendall Langford had 554. It is
> impossible to justify the salary for Soliai when
> he's not on the field for so many plays.
>
> The Fins were stuck last year. Because of the
> restricted free agent rules, they had 2 choices:
> to offer Soliai a very minor raise, or to
> franchise him. The rules prevented them from
> offering him a larger salary without the
> franchise. There were teams prepared to offer him
> $7-8M per season. By the rules, we couldn't offer
> him that. The only way to keep him was to
> franchise him, which pegged his salary at $12.5M,
> well above his market value. But, we had the cap
> room to do it.
>
> Now, the situation is different. No team is likely
> to offer Soliai $12.5M or $13M, but we would be
> stuck with that salary if we franchise him. And no
> team is going to give up two first round picks for
> him. So, if you franchise him, you may get stuck
> with him. And since we are only $6M under the cap,
> we can't afford him. Plain and simple. We have
> Jake Long, Karlos Dansby, and Brandon Marshall as
> the highest or very close to highest paid players
> at their positions. And remember, Dansby's salary
> is doubling from what it was last year. We are not
> in a position to keep Soliai at all. And we can't
> afford the risk of franchising him.
>
> And now that the team is headed to a 4-3, he
> doesn't really fit any more.


mark, we can take less than 2 1st rounders for solai. happens all the time. anything we get for him is better than nothing. and we could get at least a #2

berkeley223 Wrote:

> mark, we can take less than 2 1st rounders for
> solai. happens all the time. anything we get for
> him is better than nothing. and we could get at
> least a #2


You are correct. But, the main issue will be Soliai's salary. If he is franchised again, at around $15M, that money is guaranteed. And that is well above his market value. He is not a Vince Woolfork who stays on the field to rush the passer. Woolfork played 977 snaps last year, more than double Soliai. Haloti Ngata played 832 snaps, almost 400 more snaps than Soliai. He is not in that class of NT. His market value is more in that $7-8M range. And if the Fins guarantee him $15M with the franchise tag, they may get "stuck" with him. He's a very good player, and I like him a lot. But, the Fins are not in financial position to give him that kind of money.

The only reason Soliai got franchise tagged in 2011 was because it was the only way to keep him. Because he was a restricted free agent, the Fins were capped on how much of a raise they could give him. The only way they could make a competitive offer was to franchise him. And they had the cap room to do it. The same is not true in 2012. And, with the franchise tag for him going up to $15M thus year, it makes no sense, because that is not even in the ballpark for what he would get on the open market.