Luke's Contract Talks are Heating up

[PandaPancake]

alright aceboogie what have you done with panda

Still Panda. I just like panicking and making noncommittal statements.

[thefuzz]

I don't understand why some of you are so eager to want to pay Luke, a 4-3 LBer, $13-15 million per year.  You do realize that would be an absolutely terrible contract for us, right?  Especially considering the market was literally just set for 4-3 LBers with the Wagner and David contracts.

You know what the highest per year average for a 4-3 LBer is right now?  $10.5 million.  Lol, I love Luke, and he is indeed the best... but he's not getting $3-5+ million per year more than the next highest guy.  That would be fuging nonsensical, and it's how you end right back up in cap hell.

It seems we've got a bunch of regular Marty Hurney's around here.

I certainly don't WANT to pay Luke that much, but he does make our team better.  There is no way around it, we either pay him, or we don't, same with Cam.  When you have the best player at his position in the NFL, you have to break them down.

[thefuzz]

at his current rate of production, a 12-year career for cam would land him 51,000 all purpose yards. his passing yardage would be at 43500, good enough for 11th all time, over dan fouts and just behind drew bledsoe. a 14-year career at that rate would push him past john elway.

yards is far from the only GOAT metric but cam has done some pretty special stuff so far

Not disagreeing, just saying that this GOAT stuff with Cam is way way premature, if not downright foolish.

I feel no differently when I hear it about Luck.

[RelaxImaPro]

I certainly don't WANT to pay Luke that much, but he does make our team better.  There is no way around it, we either pay him, or we don't, same with Cam.  When you have the best player at his position in the NFL, you have to break them down.

Don't worry, we're not paying Luke that much.  That was the whole point of my post.

[TheRed]

Cam has a longgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg way to go before we can even consider the GOAT talk.  poo, in my opinion hes got to at least be Top 5 before we start that talk.  Right now he's an enigma for us as Panther fans.  He can make all the throws a bad ass NFL QB can make.  The issues with Cam are his dumb ass decisions he makes, lack of dumping the ball off, and footwork problems, which are all so damn aggravating to us.  If he can work on the first two, his progression will be immense.  Because the third one looks set in stone.  Roast me all you want (not just you @thefuzz.  I don't really care.  

What exactly do you define as "dumb ass decisions"?

In general from what I've seen he makes good decisions with the football for the most part. Newton is not one who will just lob a pass into triple or quadruple coverage, or something asinine like that which would qualify as a "dumb ass decision". His accuracy isn't as consistent as it should be yet, but that goes back to footwork, and we know he's been working on it. Nothing is going to just happen overnight, it takes repetition, and also consistent trust in his OL.

I think the "GOAT" stuff is just fans being fans. There is a balance. Newton isn't elite yet, he can certainly work his way there, but he is without a doubt a special player as well.

[UNCrules2187]

Luke likely isn't going to get paid $15m per year, but the absolute minimum is going to be $11m per year. Why? That's what his 2016 option is at. Assume the Panthers don't reach an extension and franchise tag him the next two years. He'll either get paid the average of the top 5 LBs or 120% of his 2016 salary, whichever is higher. The tag for LBs in 2015 was $13.2m. 120% of his $11m 2016 option is $13.2m (and then tagging him again the year after would be $15.8m).

 

So if you're Luke, why would you take a deal that averages $10m per season when your 3-year pay following the 2015 season is going to be ~$40m? You don't.

 

Bottom line, Luke's deal at worst is going to average $11m per year, and it's likely to average something closer to $12-13m than it is $10m because that's the leverage he's got, and you're damn right he's going to use it.

[carpanfan96]

I don't understand why some of you are so eager to want to pay Luke, a 4-3 LBer, $13-15 million per year.  You do realize that would be an absolutely terrible contract for us, right?  Especially considering the market was literally just set for 4-3 LBers with the Wagner and David contracts.

You know what the highest per year average for a 4-3 LBer is right now?  $10.5 million.  Lol, I love Luke, and he is indeed the best... but he's not getting $3-5+ million per year more than the next highest guy.  That would be fuging nonsensical, and it's how you end right back up in cap hell.

It seems we've got a bunch of regular Marty Hurney's around here.

They didn't set the market, they are getting paid virtually the same thing as Beason and Willis did "10 million a season" and that was set 5 years ago now.

 

Luke is the one that's going to reset the ILB market.

[nctarheel0619]

What exactly do you define as "dumb ass decisions"?

In general from what I've seen he makes good decisions with the football for the most part. Newton is not one who will just lob a pass into triple or quadruple coverage, or something asinine like that which would qualify as a "dumb ass decision". His accuracy isn't as consistent as it should be yet, but that goes back to footwork, and we know he's been working on it. Nothing is going to just happen overnight, it takes repetition, and also consistent trust in his OL.

I think the "GOAT" stuff is just fans being fans. There is a balance. Newton isn't elite yet, he can certainly work his way there, but he is without a doubt a special player as well.

I respect your respectable response, sir.

 

Dumb ass decisions are when he scrambles and continues to try to do too much in an instance where throwing the ball away would be more effective.  Does the scrambling work sometimes?  Yes, but when it doesn't, boy is it atrocious.  And usually ends up with the other team having the ball and most of us face palming.  

[pantherclaw]

Take a look at Justin Houston's contract and see if you think Luke will get that much.

i really wish people could distinguish the difference between a traditional linebacker, and a pass rush specialist in a 3-4 defense. 

 

Stop making this look hard.

[Kevin Greene]

There is simply no reason to do it this year.

Wait til next offseason. You could give him 50 mill guaranteed now only to have a career ender this season.

It's a business folks, don't forget.

[pantherclaw]

That will not be a reason that the deal doesn't get done.

[MHS831]

I'm still expecting something like 13.7 a season for 5 years. Making him the highest paid NFL LB by a few million over the life of the contract.

I am thinking that is a bit rich.  I guess he will bring in about $11m per season over 5 or 6 seasons in new money.  I think he will accept a longer-term deal.