Buzzmaster

  (12:01 PM)

We've got Andrew!

Andrew Brandt

  (12:02 PM)

Welcome back everyone. Looking forward to answering your questions. We've now entered the offseason for the NFL, which is my inseason. Things are now going to start to get busy. Fire away.

phill (pa)

What effect will the holmes deal have on other free agent wide recievers 15 million seems over the top for a mid-level player. myreason for asking is as a detroit fan it would make cj contract extension astronomical.

Andrew Brandt

  (12:04 PM)

On the Holmes deal, it was curious from the beginning as we're dealing with a player who has had issues in the past and has not been known as the highest character guy. He received a $24 million guarantee from the Jets. In 2013, there's a trigger date for aproximately 8 million of that guarantee. In other words, the Jets have a way out next year. They did not have a way out this year. They would have been on the hook even if they released him for the 7.9 million due in 2012.

Andrew Brandt

  (12:05 PM)

WR are tricky in free agency. There is a mixed track record. However, as to your interest, the results are much better in signing a team's own WR. That would bode well for the Lions and Calvin Johnson. But as you also note, it's going to be a massive committment. Again, the team will have to decide if it's worth it for a player who touches the ball 8-10 times a game.

Mark (Rochester)

Andrew, love your insight...with Stanford Routt being released is he able to be signed at any time? or still have to wait til March 13?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:06 PM)

He can sign right now. He is a free agent and as a vested veteran who was released, he does not have to go through waivers and does not have to wait until March 13. He is available to sign immediately.

David (Ann Arbor, MI)

With the depth the Packers have at the TE position, is retaining Finley worth the money?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:08 PM)

It depends what that money is. I know negotiations have been ongoing. I know the Packers have told Finley that they want him there. It was done during the negoation, as it always does. The Packers will have the luxury of using the relatively low tag as a negotiation tool. My sense is the Packers want a deal in the $5 million a year range and Finley is looking at around 7 million per year or higher. We'll see if they can get it done before the tag deadline of March 5.

Darren (Philly)

Love your insight. I realize teams are built differently but a Matt Cassel led Patriots team went 11-5 without Tom Terrific, and a Colts team that in the 2011 playoffs lost by one point to a team that was in the AFC championship game went 2-14 in 11/12 without Manning. Do you agree that 1. the Polians in fact didn't do a good job of building a team, and 2. Peyton at this point may be underrated? How can he possibly be looked at as if he under acheived?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:11 PM)

It took 9 minutes to get to the first Peyton Manning question, which is about 6 minutes later than I thought. It's not a question about his release but looking backwards. He was obviously a key cog in that franchise. It's hard to say why things fell apart so badly this year. It's hard to speculate how many games they would have won with him this year. It's certainly the case that they were not prepared to play without him and seemed to expect that he would be healthy even knowing he had some neck issues. The hurried signing of Kerry Collins who was in retirement was a mistake. They were never able to develop a proper backup. Manning's injury was a big factor but they weren't prepared with a proper plan was the biggest part of their disaster of a season.

Jay (NY)

How much does Stevie Johnson's excessive celebration penalties hurt his contract negotiations. He really cost the team several times last year, you can't just ignore that fact, can you?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:12 PM)

It's a good question, but everything has to be thrown into the mix, his age, character, etc. My sense is those celebrations will have very little impact on his next contract.

Greg (VA)

Any chance Manning and the Colts renegotiate his bonus date?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:14 PM)

That's a great question. As I've said, there are differing opinions between the NFL and the NFLPA as to whether Peyton and the Colts can even move the bonus dates back even if they want to. However, that is an academic discussion, not a practical one. Practially speaking, Peyton wants to know his situation as soon as possible. If given the choice, I'm sure he would like to move the date forward rather than backward. March 8 probably feels like an eternity now. I'm sure he wants to know if his future is with the Colts. If not, he wants to start talking to another team as soon as possible. In summary, can they move the date back? Maybe. Will they? Doubtful.

Sandy (Kingston)

When 2013 90% of the cap rule comes into effect how does that work? Is it 90% on active players or does that total include "dead money"?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:16 PM)

It will be 90% of spending of the cap amount. If the cap amount is $130 million, it would be a minimum of 117 million spent by each team on a team by team basis. That will be spending on the players of each team. No minimums on certain types of players, backups or starters, just a collective spend. Those minimums start in 2013. There are none in 2012.

Taylor (Iowa)

What other considerations do teams take into account when valuing current player/free agents in the offseason? Other than things like productivity, health, age relative to other players in league. How important are the extra considerations such as character, marketability in the city, etc. ?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:19 PM)

It's going to be a case by case basis, but when teams prioritize free agent signings, they look at ability of a player to fit in and fit in in different ways: fit in with the talent around him, fit in personality wise, fit in within the offensive/defensive scheme, fit in with the culture of the city. In Green Bay, we knew that guys that were into the night life and club atmosphere would not fit. Frankly they usually knew that as well before they considered us. They usually know going in, due to a players hometown, interests, things like that if he'll be a fit in the community.

James ((IL))

With the cap the Bears have, can they retain Forte, sign a big-name WR and a defensive player, and any rookies they draft?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:21 PM)

First on rookies, teams can not have the worry on signing their rookies right now, because rookies typically aren't signed until the summer. A team's cap worries are on free agents. The big worry in Chicago right now is on Forte. I think the favorite in terms of how it turns out has to be the franchise tag. My sense is that since the Bears were unwilling to commit long term last year, that position is not going to change. Having said that, there's new management and there might be new interest in signing Forte long term. A lot of other RBs are watching including Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy, Fred Jackson, all with contracts coming up.

Blueman (Indy)

How has the new rookie wage system effected the draft value chart as far as trades? Draft picks are more valueable now on the top of the draft so will it take a bigger package to move up?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:23 PM)

I think so. I think those charts are old and antiquated, because instead of top picks making $40 million guaranteed, they're now making 20 million. Therefore these players have become much more valueable. Take a player like Andrew Luck, the ability he has, he could be your QB for 10 years or more and you could have him for roughly half of the financial committment you make to Stafford or Bradford a couple of years ago. That represents great value. So, yes, the value chart should be ammended to reflect the new requirements.

Melba (Richmond)

If the Colts were to pay the Manning bonus then attemp to trade him(I understand the cap hit is to much for this to happen)do the Colts take the cap hit all at once or is it spread out over the contract length?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:24 PM)

The option bonus of $28 million has already been proated at 5.6 million per year. It is in the 2011 league year and therefore is prorated starting in 2011. The cap hit is already on the Colts' cap, if they pay it. If they do not pay it, all of those cap hits come off the cap and the 5.6 million attributed to 2011 gets credited for 2012.

Corey (D.C.)

With the whole Finley talks that if he is franchised as a TE then fight to be franchised at a WR/TE hybrid to get more money from in the franchise tag deal, if he wins arbitration cant he Packers then remove the tag from him and then tell him they will negotiate him as a WR and say his 55 catches for only 768 yards isnt even worth 5 million for WRs? That would be poetic justice I think!

Andrew Brandt

  (12:26 PM)

Potentially the agent for Finley can fight the tag and try to get in front an arbitrator to fight the WR tag. But as you suggest what the arbitrator tries to do is foster more negotiations to getting paid more like a WR. Ultimately it's going to be hard for Finley to be paid like a WR.

Andrew Brandt

  (12:26 PM)

But they will certainly try.

dan (milwaukee)

Andy,How is VJ not a priority for San Diego? Do you think they will see what is offered before they jump in?

Andrew Brandt

  (12:28 PM)

It's been a contentious few years with Jackson and the Chargers. They continue to want to go year to year with him rather than commit long term. I'm not quite sure why. I think the feeling is that his demands are unreasonable in their minds and as long as they are, they'll just do one year deals. But now it appears like they'll let him test the market and find out exactly what his value is before deciding whether to commit.

Andrew Brandt

  (12:29 PM)

Thanks for all of the great questions. I'll continue to answer all of your questions on Twitter and be back here in a couple of weeks. There's a lot going on in the business of football.