Free Agents - Who stays, Who goes?

[56lightsout56]

story by Acee on Gaither

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/...aither-return/

Acee: Jared Gaither can't return to Chargers

We don’t know what the new Chargers General Manager will decide regarding so many pending personnel questions.

But there is no doubt about the status of one player.

Left tackle Jared Gaither will not be back. He can’t be.

That eventually has not been guaranteed by the remaining decision makers at Chargers Park, but it has been hinted at strongly.

Even if the Chargers brass had some wildly naïve/ignorant notion that Gaither would remain healthy -- or not pretend he was more hurt than he was, as virtually everyone in the organization believes was the case in 2012 – Gaither would not be welcome in the locker room.

“I can’t even look him in the eye,” one veteran told me earlier in the season, after Gaither had sat out the first three games with a back issue that no one could clearly diagnose.

On Dec. 23, here is what another veteran said, unsolicited, when ruminating on the ruins of the season: “----ing Gaither. He ----ing cost us big-time.”

Several other players voiced similar sentiments. Some suspected within a couple weeks that Gaither was milking his back injury. Others didn’t get frustrated until September. Many held out until the end of the season. But by then, there were no dissenters.

It’s impossible to state how rare that is. Players don’t question other players’ injuries. It’s in the code. Even when they quietly wondered about oft-injured former wide receiver Buster Davis’ toughness, players gave him the benefit of the doubt that he wanted to be on the field.

When the Chargers placed Gaither on injured reserve in November, this time because of a groin injury of dubious severity, the team essentially told him to go home, that they didn’t want him around. (If he denies this, it’s only because his dimness might rival his suspected fraudulence. He was told he could go home, didn’t need to stay around.)

The super-talented behemoth of a man played five virtually flawless games for the Chargers in 2011 to earn a contract with $9 million guaranteed. The Chargers knew signing him was a risk, given his history of injuries and rumblings by his former employers that he was lazy and even a faker. But Gaither was the only starting left tackle available in free agency.

Gaither ended up playing parts of four games. Since that’s all he will play, he ended up costing the Chargers $2.25 million per game he was active.

The charge was $36,144 per snap played and the bargain price of $37,974 per snap in which he was not responsible for Philip Rivers being hit, hurried or sacked.

Still, it is better to waste $9 million already committed and absorb the $6 million cap hit by releasing Gaither than risk owing him $4.5 million if he’s on the roster at the start of the 2013 season.

Asked if Gaither could ever return and be accepted by teammates, safety Eric Weddle was as gracious as he could be: “He could. It would take a lot of work to earn back the respect. And that’s not going to happen.”

Team president Dean Spanos knows this. So it doesn’t matter who the new GM is.

[LABoltsFan]

Originally Posted by 56lightsout56

story by Acee on Gaither

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/...aither-return/

i argued for a while that maybe gaither should try another position...... I wonder if physically, he is unable to be a starting LT and might be best suited at guard or on the right side....

BUT,
I realize now, (based mainly on Weddle's words), that he's got to go. Ultimately, his cap numbers could then be spread across a few seasons and make the move financially negligible.

Last season AJ got the best Free Agent LT available, and sadly, that was Gaither. We have enough cap space that signing Long is something to consider.

[SERAPHiMxANGEL]

If we have that Much cap room... My goodness.

[mc attack]

Originally Posted by Rek

I think there might be a thread or two with this general topic but nothing specific - and most of the board is centered around the GM and HC searches. (Which is fine)

Here are the players we have with contracts that are now expired:

Restricted (5)

G Brandyn Dombrowski
LS Mike Windt
RB Curtis Brinkley
WR Seyi Ajirotutu
WR Danario Alexander

Unrestricted (19)

CB Chris Carr
CB Antoine Cason
CB Quentin Jammer
DE Vaughn Martin
DT Aubrayo Franklin
G Tyronne Green
G Rex Hadnot
G Louis Vasquez
ILB Gary Guyton
ILB Demorrio Williams
K Nick Novak
OLB Antwan Barnes
OLB Shaun Phillips
RB Jackie Battle
RB Ronnie Brown
SS Corey Lynch
T Reggie Wells
TE Dante Rosario
WR Micheal Spurlock

Exclusive Rights (1)

WR Richard Goodman

Other Notes

Gaither, Meachem, and Royal are likely to be kept because of money.

Spikes and Garay are under contract but may be released because of $$$.

Source

---

My opinion: Keep Brinkley, Seyi, and Alexander. Bring back Cason and Jammer, along with Martin, Vasquez, Novak, Battle, and Brown.

Otherwise, blow up the team and get some good young OL and secondary players in the draft.

Move Jammer to Safety.

Wait, Is this AJ? Keep Gaither? A cancer on the team? Keep Jammer, but you want to bring in youth? Even Quentin knows he is finished.