Justin Smiley changes representation http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/07/justin-smiley-changes-representation/?related=1 Rosenhaus is his new agent
That's what I don't get. They cut Joey Porter, Akin Ayodele and Gibril Wilson. Not to mention let Taylor walk. All those guys were uninjured. Smiley most likely won't even be able to play much, at least not all full-strength. So why they don't just cut him, knowing no one is going to offer a draft pick for him, is beyond me. I really don't understand this FO sometimes.
Not sure when OTAs start but makes no sense to keep him on the team if they do not want him even at OTAs. This year so far, has been strange to say the least around the entire NFL. I have to take it as a business decision, which for the most part, is not always a popular decision. See if we can get ANYTHING for him and wait till the last moment , then release him if there are no takers. I think this all has to do with ROI ( return on investment ) How much return on 2.9 million dollars are we getting ? Evidently, in the teams opinion, not very much.
2 teams have offered draft picks for him. It just isn't where the Dolphins want it to be. They are going to hold onto him for a while longer and hope a guard somewhere gets injured and ups the ante. It's a business folks, any team will hold on to whoever they want until they are sure they can't get anything for them.
The Colts were one team. Anyway, the move to Rosenhaus would seem to indicate Smiley's desire for a resolution. Whether it's a trade, new deal, etc., Drew is a guy that's proven he can get things done.
I really hope we just keep him and the ol is even more dominant then we think it already is. I know that's unlikely but Justin has played at a near pro bowl level for the two years he has been here. He's also been a good soldier throughout this ridiculous process. It is what it is...I support Justin for being a good player and a good person but the front office is doing the due diligence they're supposed to do.
Trades are sometimes like baseball. The first pitch is usually the best one. Now, can Smiley pass a physical if traded ?
Which means he is tired of waiting for the Fins to wait to see if they can trade and want them to release him.
If they can trade him they should take what they can get at this point. I really like that guy so it's disappointing, but enough is enough. ANY pick is better than an outright release from a team standpoint but the guy deserves to be turned loose so he can line up his next job. He obviously wants to play and he obviously isn't in the Phins future plans.
If you take the entire NFL as a whole this year, there are still many FA out there that either have not signed with teams, are not attending OTAs and want to be traded or just plain ol on the trading block with no takers, well, no takers made public that is. Strange year in Free Agency, no cap, spend all you want and with the usual first week of FA being a feeding frenzy, not much happened. I was in the court that imagined the majority of the owners would uncork their pocket books. I was dead wrong, for the most part the owners are shying away from the no ceiling on the cap and leaning more towards the no minimum on the teams spending. Have not even heard of a lot of teams slapping the Franchis tag or Transition tag on people this year. I think thats mainly due to the rule change of needing 6 years to be an UFA and with over 200 players being able to be tagged as RFA, the owners are taking full advantage of that. I am ranbling now. Point is, Smileys situation is not a unique one this year. Only strange thing I thought was making it public they told him not to show up for conditioning or did Smiley make that known to the public ?
I think the Free-Agency being quieter this year was more due to the fact that most teams, for a variety of reasons, were able to keep their players rather than let them hit the market. Not as much that they were trending toward the minimum salary. Take the Fins for example they paid big bucks for 2 guys, Dansby and Marshall and tried to get 2 different guys out there at FS.
It's similar to the Jason Taylor situation before we bamboozled the Skins for a 2nd round pick (and a sixth). You have a player that isn't going to be with the team this year. But that player has clear value across the league as it's proven that teams have offered up sixth or seventh round picks. The Dolphins want more, likely a conditional pick that will escelate above that depending on playing time this year. The man is a starter, 28 years old, but has an injury history... it's fair to seek a conditional sixth that could escelate to a fourth or fifth round pick. Part of the problem was Smiley's ex agent apparently. So he goes and gets Rosenhaus in the hopes of him getting the new contract he wants with his new team. A major stumbling block obviously as I believe he would have already been dealt. I would be upset at this point if we just flat out released him.