Originally posted by GEEK:
I'm going to take an opposite position on Marathe.
Look at the Jimmy Garoppolo contract. At the time, it was the largest contract in NFL history. However, we had flexibility in that contract because we ultimately changed it to a 1 year, $7M deal during his last season with us.
He's also helped create near-term cap flex by leveraging void years. I believe the Eagles OG'd this approach, and Marathe applied it to the 49ers. TW, Warner, Kittle, and others have it and its helped us retain our core.
Let's also not kid ourselves. Lynch has had a mix run in free agency and the draft. Remember Kwon Alexander, Brian Hoyer, Kerley (WR), and others? We signed them for multi-year deals and cut our losses early into their contract terms. Same with Lance, Foster, and others.
If anything, Marathe's cap wizard skills also helped maintain good financial standing while overcoming big swings and misses in the draft and FA. He was a good ying/yang to Kyle and John.
Now, I don't think he's perfect especially when he started to veer into the coaches box for data-driven decision support. But he's found his swim lane, and glad he's doing something else full-time.
Do players like that kind of flexibility in their financial lives? Do we do it more or less than other teams?