We must get younger, we must get cheaper.

If the moves have alarmed you, I fear you are missing the reality of where we are today. We are in rebuild/reload/restaff/renew/refurbishing/re-(whateves) this franchise. My only question is if there is more to come. If there is another off-loading to come, I would think it would occur around the draft. There is also the possibility of the unknown. How many players that are left, here I mean our stars, have the patience for a re-(whateves)? Maybe, they will want out. We shall soon find out.

I hate to say it but CMC is one cut away.
Trent Williams could retire at any moment
Kittle will turn 32

I thought we had one more shot this season to bulk up and make a run with the soft schedule but after losing so much depth and guys like Floyd, Juice, Deebo, Ward, Banks, and Greenlaw, the writing is most definitely on the wall. These aren't the biggest losses but replacing all of these guys is more than likely not going to happen.

It does seem like it's time to blow it up but things could change quickly with 3-4 solid FA signings and a good draft.

I don't get the talk of "blowing it up". We got a decent roster. Yes it's not the best but its decent. We needed to trim fat and we needed to get younger. We don't need to be paying top dollar or some average vets in free agency that will only drain our cap and will need to be replaced 2 years down the road. .

Build through the draft and next year when the dead cap space clear maybe we make a bigger splash for some of yall who need to see big free agency spending.

Originally posted by miked1978:
I don't get the talk of "blowing it up". We got a decent roster. Yes it's not the best but its decent. We needed to trim fat and we needed to get younger. We don't need to be paying top dollar or some average vets in free agency that will only drain our cap and will need to be replaced 2 years down the road. .

Build through the draft and next year when the dead cap space clear maybe we make a bigger splash for some of yall who need to see big free agency spending.

We might not make the playoffs with this roster. Depth is a concern as is gaps in who starts.

I'm glad the team isn't operating like the Warriors and keeping guys around for what they accomplished three or four seasons ago, ignoring their issues with injuries and egos.

Originally posted by jcs:

Originally posted by miked1978:
I don't get the talk of "blowing it up". We got a decent roster. Yes it's not the best but its decent. We needed to trim fat and we needed to get younger. We don't need to be paying top dollar or some average vets in free agency that will only drain our cap and will need to be replaced 2 years down the road. .

Build through the draft and next year when the dead cap space clear maybe we make a bigger splash for some of yall who need to see big free agency spending.

We might not make the playoffs with this roster. Depth is a concern as is gaps in who starts.

still lots of work to do. let's see what the team looks like by training camp.

The funny thing is we just released a bunch of underperforming players from a team that went 6-11 last year.

Greenlaw is the only guy who would've been great to keep because we don't have a legit replacement for him.

We also just watched the Rams do this type of reset literally 2 years ago. EERILY similar situation.

They go to the SB. Following season suffer some injuries and go 5-12.
In the offseason they trade away some of their big names and release some others(including Leonard Floyd)
They sign no big name or big $ free agents
They attack the draft even without a 1st round pick to show for that 5-12 season. They make 14 picks and add a bunch of UDFAs

They come back with big contributions by their rookies and go 10-7 looking really strong going into the postseason.

We also just watched the Bills do this...last year.
They cut a bunch of their vets(including Leonard Floyd). Add a bunch of dead cap in the process.
They add almost nobody of big name, $ in free agency.

We all know how close they were to going to the SB.

Stat on talk radio last night.

Of the six youngest teams, four went to playoffs and two went to Super Bowl.

As we know, before the recent movement we were near the oldest team in the league (number three?)

We can't sustain the way we were with the injuries. I bet after draft the excitement level is high again.

Originally posted by genus49:
The funny thing is we just released a bunch of underperforming players from a team that went 6-11 last year.

But one of the reasons we were 6-11 is because of lack of depth. Now we have gone backwards with that depth so it seems to me we will be in the same 6-11 situation. Still early obviously but like I said above, you don't just automatically replace some of these guys even if they weren't the greatest players.

We must get better!

This offseason was going to be either go all out to win it all in 2025 or take a step back and reload over next couple of years. Realistically this team needed a perfect 1994 style offseason to go from an aging 6-11 squad to compete for a Lombardi. So I respect this decision by Lynch. Now we need to hope for some great drafts over next couple of years. We definitely cannot have a repeat of 2021-2023 drafts.

For me it is actually a good sign from the FO. I saw this in the 80's and 90's with Walsh and Siefert. Walsh particularly would cut players when they were near the end of their career even if they had a few solid performing years in them. The result was a younger and hungry team eager to prove themselves and new players stepped up. Lynch just has to make sure he nails the draft. Status quo wouldn't bring anything more but the same old. Better to recognize it now and get back to a high caliber then have expectations that you cannot reach because your too old.

Originally posted by AJinUT:
For me it is actually a good sign from the FO. I saw this in the 80's and 90's with Walsh and Siefert. Walsh particularly would cut players when they were near the end of their career even if they had a few solid performing years in them. The result was a younger and hungry team eager to prove themselves and new players stepped up. Lynch just has to make sure he nails the draft. Status quo wouldn't bring anything more but the same old. Better to recognize it now and get back to a high caliber then have expectations that you cannot reach because your too old.

Yeah, I am thinking along these lines, too. The team had become too top heavy; aging vets taking up too much money. This, along with poor trade decisions and draft picks, led to thin depth. Building from the draft is important to maintain a strong roster as stars age and move on to their next destination. But, they have to do better in the draft. Last year's picks look pretty good! Let us hope that for more of whatever leads to similar or better results.

You don't have to unload the whole team all at once. Unless you want to buy a soccer franchise in UK. This team will get worse. Then yes you can get better over time. But we are talking about a 3 - 4 year rebuild at minimum now. You would have to have an A+ draft for 2 years in a row (2025 & 2026) to turn it around faster. You would have hit on almost all draft picks. Plus find some steals and real finds later on. Which they sometimes do. But you got to be better in the 1st and 2nd rounds than we are. No more misses and they better be a position of need. Rebuild the TRENCHES. Realistically you are looking at 3+ years of rebuilding. There are more holes than Swiss cheese on this roster.

Originally posted by 9erson3:
Stat on talk radio last night.

Of the six youngest teams, four went to playoffs and two went to Super Bowl.

As we know, before the recent movement we were near the oldest team in the league (number three?)

We can't sustain the way we were with the injuries. I bet after draft the excitement level is high again.

Great stats. A key reason behind the youth movement. Looking back to 2019, we were one of the youngest teams, so this regime knows a thing or two about building a young team. I'm looking forward to the draft and getting Purdy signed.