Sean Mahan Traded Back To Team Steelers Originally Acquired Him From
by maryrose on Sep 2, 2008 4:42 PM EDT
46 comments
Wow, I just heard that Sean Mahan was traded today by the Steelers to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Holy Smokes. It's nice to know that the coaches and front office saw the same things we did. I heard Mahan on some interviews and he didn't sound happy. We don't need that. We free up some cash, though we eat some also. I don't know what we get in return.
Update by Blitz, 6:00 pm EST: Use this thread to fill in the details as they become available. Thanks to 'rose for pointing out the initial news.
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So they signed him from TB, and then traded him back after a pretty bad year. Doesn’t make our FO look the best. But I’m glad they got something for him.
by Cols714 on Sep 2, 2008 4:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
for an undisclosed 2009 draft pick
that probably means the pick depends on how much mahan plays for the Bucs. It also frees up a roster spot and some $$$ to sign someone who was cut….
by schnifin on Sep 2, 2008 4:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
6th Rounder
According to the text message from KDKA Sports Insider Report I got.
by jason97673 on Sep 2, 2008 5:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3565737
"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball
by flipgatey3 on Sep 2, 2008 5:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hallelujah! As a backup though he was pretty serviceable, not cheaply serviceable though.
by steelguy99 on Sep 2, 2008 5:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
True
but we already have one of those in Starks. :)
by SteelBuckeye on Sep 2, 2008 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great trade
even if it’s a low draft pick. Mahan was unnecessary…Stapleton can do his job as the interior line backup for much less money. Who do you think takes the roster spot? Perhaps Bailey or Lewis up from the practice squad? Or do the look for a free agent?
by nycsteeler on Sep 2, 2008 5:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Could this leave an opening for Dre Moore?
Just wondering.
by maryrose on Sep 2, 2008 5:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I would doubt we will be signing Dre Moore. I know the FO liked him before the draft but if he was truley a stud I don’t know that the Bucs would have cut him and risked him getting snatched before he was put on the Bucs practice squad.
by frankrmineo on Sep 2, 2008 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good News
Though I am a bit surprised. I thought we would be stuck paying him for this year and maybe next. Guess this means the team is pretty confident with Stapleton backing up. Possible Center of the future, or are we going to be bringing another in?
Curious what we do with the open roster spot.
by SteelBuckeye on Sep 2, 2008 5:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
yup this signals
that the coaches felt Stapleton was better than Mahan. or at least close enough that he’ll soon be better.
by TheMostViolentTeam on Sep 2, 2008 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m psyched to see us potentially working on a groomed center of the future instead of free agents. I hope it works out.
by steelguy99 on Sep 2, 2008 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sweet!
Good news! It will be interesting to see who they bring in to fill that roster spot. Maybe the MacDougal kid from Philly? He was all over our backfield in the preseason game.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Sep 2, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not McDougle
McDougle signed with they NY Giants. I guess the need DLs after Uminoryora or whatever, is out for the year. Maybe they will bring in a Tight End or a punter. Jon Ryan got cut from Green Bay, the Canadian punter is pretty good.
by steelcitykid on Sep 2, 2008 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
damn
Just had a post queued up – an interview with a fellow steelers blogger- that touched on this scenario. I’ll post it anyway soon.
As for the trade, cool beans. I am excited to see Stapleton get a chance at some point.
by Blitzburgh on Sep 2, 2008 5:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hmm
IMO, this just adds to the OL craziness. This is my version of what has happened to the Steeles over the past 18ish months:
- Two time Pro Bowl center Jeff Hartings retires
- Steelers sign Sean Mahan to a sizable 5 year deal.
- Steelers draft one offensive lineman in 2007, who gets cut.
- Mahan is unimpressive in the preseason, but beats out Okobi, who is cut.
- Simmons plays well in the preseason, and gets a very large contract extention.
- Simmons and Mahan play poorly all season.
- Starks loses his starting job to a decent but out of position Colon
- Starks gets $7M to play one more year with the Steelers
- Steelers sign Justin Hartwig to compete for the center position
- The Steelers draft one offensive lineman in 2008, who was lucky not to be cut.
- The Steelers don’t give Starks a chance to win a starting spot.
- Mahan plays pretty well in the preseason, but Hartwig gets the job.
- Mahan is traded to the Buccaneers, costing the Steelers $800k this year and $2.4M next year, in return for a possible 6th round draft pick in 2009.
If it is indeed for a 6th round pick, this move makes no sense to me. First off, a 6th rounder is barely more than just cutting him. We paid a 7th rounder for Rossum last year. Secondly, we’re going to get a high comp pick next year for Faneca, making additional late draft picks diminished in value. Thirdly, cutting him now for salary reasons also makes no sense. We’re already pretty set with the cap this year, and if we don’t want to hold onto him after this season, we can cut him and get the same cap hit ($2.4M) next year.
Mahan would have been an expensive backup, but he gave us legitimate depth at guard and center. Now our IOL backups are Stapleton and Essex. Stapleton is VERY unproven, and Essex was too weak to play OT, so what do you think he’ll be at guard? The improvement when Kemo took over for him this preseason was noticable. If you want to see Stapleton get some action, give him some action; don’t cut the guy above him. Considering that we’re basically redshirting Hills, we’re 8 deep on the OL, and only one of the backups has experience and competence. Injuries happen, so why not plan for them if all it costs is a 6th round draft pick and a couple million dollars of base salary. I hope they’re bringing in another OL. Cut Kirschke or Eason if you want a different DL. we already have 7 DL’s for 3 positions. And don’t bring in McDougal. He’ll be on IR by week 4.
charity standing orders
by BadMaafala on Sep 2, 2008 6:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Question
Does trading Mahan instead of releasing him mean that we don’t eat salary? If that is the case, then we definitely weasled out of a mistake. If we still need to throw buckets of money at him, then I agree with Maafala. My opinion rests with our debt or lack thereof to Mahan.
by maryrose on Sep 2, 2008 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
money
in terms of salary cap, all we “owe” Mahan is the signing bonus, pro-rated over the life of the contract. in terms of payroll, that signing bonus was already paid. no more cash will flow from Steelers to Mahan. Tampa Bay didn’t ask Mahan to change his contract, which indicates to me that he will start or at least get significant playing time with them. Since it’s a conditional pick we may get a decent round pick (I’d be happy with a 4th) if he plays alot. To sum up, the only thing Mahan matters to the Steelers now is his pro-rated signing bonus counts against our salary cap.
by TheMostViolentTeam on Sep 2, 2008 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
signing bonus
was 4 or 5 million. if it was 4, 1 million was accounted for in his first season, so we’ll be hit with 3 more million on our cap, either this year or spread out over the remaining four, can’t remember.
by TheMostViolentTeam on Sep 2, 2008 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think
After a player leaves, his originally slated cap hit is valid for this season, and the rest of what would have been prorated comes off next season.
I think he got a $4 million bonus, $800k counted last year, $800k counts this year, and $2.4M is left to count next year. So I agree with BM’s analysis.
Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people.
by BostonWahoo on Sep 3, 2008 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
but
that leaves out the fact this his ~2 million salary is off our cap this year.
by TheMostViolentTeam on Sep 3, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yup, I was only addressing what happens with respect to the signing bonus and how it’s prorated. I had actually missed BM’s comment below, which is also how I understand it.
Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people.
by BostonWahoo on Sep 3, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cap impact
This is info I got from SteelersSalaryCap.com before he started gutting the site. Mahan signed a 5 year deal worth $17.5M, with a $4M bonus. The bonus is prorated at $800k/year. I don’t remember the base salary breakdown, but IIRC the first 2 years were smaller (~$2M), and the last 3 years were a little closer to $3M.
I’m almost positive that a trade works the same money-wise as cutting a player. We are not responsible for any of the base salary this year. We already gave him his bonus, but this year’s prorated bonus counts against the cap now, while the remaining 3 years of prorated bonus count against next year’s cap. Here’s the breakdown as I understand it:
2008: $800k (we save ~$2M by getting rid of him)
2009: $2.4M (we save ~$1.4M in 2009 by getting rid of him)
2010-2011: $0 (we save ~$7.6M over 2 years by cutting him)
On the other hand, if we kept him and cut him before June 1st, 2009, the cap breakdown would be identical, except the $2M base salary that counts against the cap in 2008, and we’d be down a 6th or 7th rounder. That $2M on this year’s cap isn’t going to get used unless, as some have suggested, we’re going to sign Marvel or Kemo during the year. If we did sign sign one of those guys, this move would make more sense, but if we don’t, we basically traded our best IOL backup this year for a low draft pick and $2M cash that we won’t get to use with the cap. That sounds like a trade another Pittsburgh team would make (pre-Huntington, of course ;). In case you’re keeping track, we just spent about $6M on one year of service from Sean Mahan. Let’s hope 2 data points don’t suggest a trend.
Tampa is only responsible for Mahan’s base salary now, which is high if he is going to be a backup, but it sounded like he was going to get some playing time in for now. They’ll probably cut him (for free) or renegotiate the contract in the off-season.
charity standing orders
by BadMaafala on Sep 3, 2008 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mahan Mistake Erased
FO whiffed on Mahan. This was Tomlin’s first “guy” so he missed too. Whatever you want to say about the Steelers FO in this fiasco, the Buccaneers have now spent 2 draft picks on Mahan.
When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen
by 5020 on Sep 2, 2008 6:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
McDougle
was already signed by the Giants.
by nycsteeler on Sep 2, 2008 8:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dropping Mahan and Reid
hurts us in the depth chart a bit, but oh the relief it brings! No more fear of Mahan getting mowed down at center and no more fear of Reid muffing another kickoff. Both those players, I bet, are pretty good in other places (Mahan at G, Reid at WR), but I’m so relieved that those two problems are now impossible situations.
by betelgeuse on Sep 2, 2008 9:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
A moot point now, but Reid seemed to have pretty sure hands this pre-season on returns. Tony hills practically knocked him over and he still caught the ball. Not relevant anymore though.
by steelguy99 on Sep 2, 2008 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm..
I will say I’m a little confused by the move.. maybe there is something more going on here? Do you think he might have wanted a chance to play somewhere and forced the trade?? It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that he was traded – he would have been a very good back up that would have provided a lot of depth and flexibility. It seems like every year someone on the line gets banged up – hmmm..
by smashmouthsteel on Sep 2, 2008 9:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Malcontent
According to several reports I read, Mahan was very disappointed that he was’nt named the starter. Reportedly, he asked to be traded. I believe Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post Gazette carried a story on it. Although he may have provided depth, I’m happy to see him go because he may have been a distraction with that attitude. We don’t need any distractions on the line this year.
by steelersrock08 on Sep 2, 2008 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think Mahan needs to watch last years tapes if he was dissappointed not being the starter.
It’d be great if he was replaced with an even better backup, but that isn’t going to happen.
by steelguy99 on Sep 2, 2008 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good Job front office
Trading Sean Mahan for a box of cracker jacks would be a steal. Opening up a spot on the roster and getting a 6th or probably a 7th (my guess, b/c let’s face it he SUX) and shaving some salary cap $ is FANTASTIC. Now I realize we put ourselves in this mess with Mahan, but c’mon this was the best possible scenario to get him out. And for those of you who say something like “I’d be happy with a 4th” WTF??? are you on crack? Do you remember watching this guy get pushed back into Willie and Ben on every other play last year??? No one should have offerred even a 6th for this guy. It’s ludicrous. He is really that bad.
by Ironcity on Sep 2, 2008 9:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
True.
And besides look at our 6th round picks this year.
Prior to injury, Humpal and Mundy were going to both make the final 53 IMO. I would trade a terrible lineman for a potential draft pick if he’s anywhere near what Humpal/Mundy brought to the team.
by iBleedBlack&Gold on Sep 2, 2008 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’d keep Mahan just to get more pictures of him walking with Max Starks.
by steelguy99 on Sep 2, 2008 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
good riddance
agreed. Mahan was a bum. I’m glad he’s off the roster
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
by showtime on Sep 4, 2008 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another signing
Me thinks they are doing this to clear up cap space for an extension…possibly Marvel Smith?
by vin2k on Sep 2, 2008 10:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
KFFL.com reported
that the Steelers will receive a 7th round draft pick.
Dennis
by belvalle55 on Sep 2, 2008 10:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
hey
It’s not much but I’ll take it. Was never about what we’d get in return anyway. More about financial flexibility going forward and also seeing what we have in Stapleton. l
by Blitzburgh on Sep 2, 2008 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
See ya Sean
Good move by the FO, even though on the surface the whole deal seems kind of odd. I’d bet the final decision was made due to Mahan’s attitude. We don’t need a cancer on the team. This also may be that they believe in Stapleton.
by BabushkaPower on Sep 2, 2008 11:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
nice move...
bad pickup by Tomlin in the first place, nice to see him cut his losses. No ego problem here. Undersized for our division, and conference!
And we get a draft pick next year, and free up some bucs, and unload someone who was obviously going to be a detriment to team unity. I like it.
by herewegosteelers on Sep 2, 2008 11:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
According to the Pro Football Weekly
Just to back up belvalle, Pro Football Weekly is reporting the trade was for a 7th round draft pick. It’s not much, but when you factor in the money savings as well as the opportunity to package it with another pick, it serve for a possible move up in next years draft….not bad for a guy who wasn’t starting and didn’t offer more than the other backup.
by Steev1705 on Sep 2, 2008 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I hope they pick someone up
Nice to unload the garbage, but the Steelers are putting themselves in a position where if Hartwig goes down they have to roll the dice w/ regular season unproven talent. If this happens I can see a scenario where Simmons moves under center. Not sure who would play right guard. (Knock on wood, but Hartwig has been injury prone)
This years Steelers offense could arguably have the most playmakers than we have seen in recent history. With all the scrutiny and question marks surrounding this year’s offensive line I hope they band together and get that “me against the world” mentality. It seemed to work for the Giants last year and the Steelers a few years back.
The countdown is on……Sunday can’t come fast enough.
by bradyquinnsclipboard on Sep 2, 2008 11:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Check Fanshot
Looks like we have our answer as to who the Steelers bring in to fill the roster spot.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Sep 3, 2008 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
mchugh?
Don’t know anything about him.
The p-g had only heard rumors (unsubstantiated about trade demands), but they also heard whispers the steelers were shopping essex and starks.
by vherub on Sep 3, 2008 11:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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