Funchess

[texas]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/295 ... ily-health

[wallyuwl]

Too bad for the team.

So he gets no $$$ this year and does not count against the cap, correct?

[YoHoChecko]

Too bad for the team.

So he gets no $$$ this year and does not count against the cap, correct?

He gets $150,000 or $350,000. I'd guess the latter. The former is if you do so for generalized reasons; the second is if you or your immediate family are considered medically "high risk." For instance, Michael Pierce of the Vikings said he would not have made the decision if not for an existing respiratory condition.

Funchess spent his offseason caring for family members ill from COVID, refering to it as "life-threatening."

Packers receiver Devin Funchess won’t play in 2020. He explained his decision in a Tuesday social-media post.

“Family is first,” Funchess said. “Always has been. Always will be. In such unpredictable times, it’s been one of the constants on my mind as I’ve worked through one of the toughest decisions of my life.

“My closest family members have experienced the life-threatening impact of COVID-19 first hand and for their own and my safety, I’ve decided to opt out of the upcoming NFL season. This was not a decision I took likely but it’s what is best for my family and myself at this time.

“I can’t thank the Packers organization enough for their understanding and for giving me the opportunity to be part of one of the most storied franchises in the league. I look forward to getting back to work with them next season.”

Funchess, a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2015, received a $1 million signing bonus on a one-year deal. His contract will toll to 2021, at a salary of $1.2 million.

As players make the excruciating choice to not play, their decisions should be respected. They’re giving up the ability to play and to get paid, and they’re assume the risk that, by the time they return next year, the organization may decide to stick with their replacements.

[TheSkeptic]

I did not think he was going to make the team anyway. His catch to target ration was horrendous and it wasn't all his QB's fault. When you are slow, can't be counted on to run a precise pattern and have bad hands you don't deserve to make the team. Especially when Rodgers is your QB.

[TheGreenMan]

Well, I did say I thought he was just going to be a camp body at one point.

Honestly though, I don't blame him at all.

[Yoop]

Well, I did say I thought he was just going to be a camp body at one point.

Honestly though, I don't blame him at all.

Ehhh, I can't see our new GM even though he's quicker to open the cash drawer then ol Teddy T, signing up Funchess to be a camp body, we got plenty of camp bodies already.

Skeptic:
slow, poor hands, that stuff is evident with 3 or 4 other receivers on this roster, it's not as though we have one that can take the top off a defense and still catch the ball, send out a search party

to bad for the guy, I do agree this decision could ruin his football career, he was already behind the 8 ball.

[Pugger]

Well, I did say I thought he was just going to be a camp body at one point.

Honestly though, I don't blame him at all.

I don't either.

[bud fox]

Forum consensus on Funchess is that he is our 3rd best wr and 22nd best player.

[wallyuwl]

Forum consensus on Funchess is that he is our 3rd best wr and 22nd best player.

not this year

[TheSkeptic]

Forum consensus on Funchess is that he is our 3rd best wr and 22nd best player.

Forum consensus was wrong.

[BF004]

Gotta say I never bought into the argument Jimmy Graham gets $9 million thrown at him in FA and we give Funchess $2 million and somehow we are better off and he is expected to be a big contributor.

You don't get big contributors for $2 million a year other than sheer dumb luck.

[TheGreenMan]

Gotta say I never bought into the argument Jimmy Graham gets $9 million thrown at him in FA and we give Funchess $2 million and somehow we are better off and he is expected to be a big contributor.

You don't get big contributors for $2 million a year other than sheer dumb luck.

Well, you might if you believe your guys already on the roster are garbage.

Not that I think so.

[NCF]

Gotta say I never bought into the argument Jimmy Graham gets $9 million thrown at him in FA and we give Funchess $2 million and somehow we are better off and he is expected to be a big contributor.

You don't get big contributors for $2 million a year other than sheer dumb luck.

You do if you are taking on an injury risk. They guy signed for $10M a little over a year ago. You can't honestly tell me you watched Jimmy Graham play for two years and feel comfortable with the money he got from Chicago in order to use that as a basis for your argument. The point is, from a talent perspective, I'll take Funchess EASILY and that bar isn't set very high that I would worry about playing an UDFA and getting similar output to what Graham gave us.

[Pckfn23]

Kirksey is more of an injury risk and got $6.5 million. I think BF has the right of it on Funchess. It was a hailmary in hopes he could put something together and help out. I don't think there was ever a real expectation that he would be a huge contributor.

[BF004]

Just thinking it is more likely than Funchess didn't even make the roster than he had 500 yards on the season.

Say what you will about Jimmy, but he frequently drew attention in coverage and had no one else on the roster who could push him for playing time, who we are now relying on to start.

[YoHoChecko]

Gotta say I never bought into the argument Jimmy Graham gets $9 million thrown at him in FA and we give Funchess $2 million and somehow we are better off and he is expected to be a big contributor.

You don't get big contributors for $2 million a year other than sheer dumb luck.

You do if you are taking on an injury risk. They guy signed for $10M a little over a year ago. You can't honestly tell me you watched Jimmy Graham play for two years and feel comfortable with the money he got from Chicago in order to use that as a basis for your argument. The point is, from a talent perspective, I'll take Funchess EASILY and that bar isn't set very high that I would worry about playing an UDFA and getting similar output to what Graham gave us.

I still think this whole conversation about Graham and Funchess is so weird when Sternberger and Tonyan are Graham's replacements and Funchess was a direct replacement for Geronimo Allison. They're so similar in so many ways. They're the same slow speed, the same 10% career drop rate. The same "coaches and QBs love them" attitude. Funchess is 3 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, has better pedigree and more experience despite being a similar age.

We moved on from an UDFA who got a $1 million contract and replaced him with a $2 million guy coming off of a season lost to injury.

And we moved on from a $12M mistake of a contract and a guy who got $9 million to be old for our division rival to a guy we drafted in the 3rd round to replace that guy.

Funchess > Allison
replacement level TE = 2019 Graham

Why make this more complicated than it has to be?

Now, Funchess is out and we have to hope that the faster, younger 6'5" 220 pound WR coming off of a season lost to injury on our roster can come in and be better than Allison was, too.

[BF004]

No Funchess and No Graham and a third round fullback <<< Graham and Allison?

You are right, doesn't need be complicated.

[YoHoChecko]

No Funchess and No Graham and a third round fullback <<< Graham and Allison?

You are right, doesn't need be complicated.

Sternberger is the TE I was talking about; he is definitely not a FB. (Though he may have COVID)

Graham was a replacement level player last year. I've discussed this on the board. He performed the same as incredibly mediocre players. He was like 20th in the league in most major categories. He was not explosive. Losing Graham and replacing him with anyone is probably at least equal. He did nothing out of the ordinary. He was Jack Doyle. Just a dude off the street.

Allison and Funchess are incredibly similar. Signing Funchess upgraded that position.

EQSB returning from IR upgraded the roster by taking WR Ryan Grant's position--a guy who literally never played.

NOW, without Funchess, we have an unknown; will EQSB be better than Allison?

But the question of Graham is a dumb one, point blank. He offered nothing more than replacement level. He can be replaced by anyone. Replacing him with someone who MIGHT improve the position is the obvious choice, especially considering the money. But even just on the field, he was healthy all season and he caught 38 passes. Graham has become a scrub. He is nothing. He is not a loss. I have no idea why anyone thinks our TE position has gotten any worse. I would be satisfied slotting Tonyan into Graham's spot in terms of ability, let alone having two recent 3rd round picks at the position as well. could sign a guy off the street that would replicate Graham's contribution and probably be able to block better. Graham is just a guy right now. I don't understand why he's involved in the conversation about Funchess and the WRs in the least.

[NCF]

I don't understand why he's involved in the conversation about Funchess and the WRs in the least.

Because LaFleur played Lewis and Graham together so much, but Graham WAS NOT a TE, he was a de facto WR. I like playing with different personnel groupings too, but Graham didn't give you TE flexibility, so was just a &%$@ WR 90% of the time.

[bud fox]

Forum consensus on Funchess is that he is our 3rd best wr and 22nd best player.

Forum consensus was wrong.

Well this was only 2 months ago with no other material changes and now forum consensus is he would not have made any impact.

My thoughts are that the third best receiver on the team and 22nd best overall player would make an impact - that is unless the roster is bad.

It's interesting to see the forum change the narrative on Funchess.