If free agency does happen, is Mike Sims-Walker gone?
For those of us who aren’t all that interested in the Super Bowl, the topic du jour has already turned to the NFL’s labor situation. Whatever side you may side with, the first order of business will be if their will be any kind of free agency this year. If a new CBA isn’t reached until the summer months, that won’t happen. Considering all the rhetoric being thrown out, some really think there won’t be football or just an abbreviated 2011 season, which would mean no free agency.
However, I’m of the personal belief that after all the huffing and puffing, a new CBA will be reached before the draft starts. Too much money and too much bad publicity are at stake for both sides. With that being said, where does that put the Jaguars?
The two main free agents the Jaguars will have to make decisions towards are Mike Sims-Walker and Marcedes Lewis. With Lewis, it seems the team has already decided it will do what it takes to keep the All-Pro TE in Jacksonville. As for Mike Sims-Walker, it will be an interesting off season.
Jaguar fans have given Sims-Walker something of a bum wrap this season. Many expected he would have a year that would remind fans of Jimmy Smith. Instead, he turned in a season far worse than his 2009 season. In a byproduct of the internet and fantasy football era, fans harassed him on twitter for his production.
However, fans forget exactly what kind of offense the Jaguars were running and Sims-Walker’s role in it. After the disastrous start to the year, the Jaguars switched to a short passing game predicated on the slant route. It’s no coincidence that Mike Thomas’ production suddenly skyrocketed while Sims-Walker’s fell off.
With the Jaguars retaining QB David Garrard and keeping the same offense in place, what real incentive does Sims-Walker have to stay in Jacksonville? He’ll never have a chance to put up the kind of numbers he is capable of in the Jags offense.
Now, I’m sure Jacksonville will offer Sims-Walker something. And to a degree, Sims-Walker does owe the Jaguars something. They stuck with him after two non-existent years and when he injured himself at the scrimmage. If the Jags had released him before the 2009 season, it’s doubtful another team would’ve signed him off the scrap heap.
However, when all is said and done, I believe Sims-Walker will be headed for other pastures. As I said before, I’m sure he wants to be in an offense where he can put up the kind of numbers he is capable of. As for the Jaguars, Gene Smith has seemingly taken the “Wide receivers are a dime a dozen” philosophy. I doubt Sims-Walker’s pedestrian numbers will make the Jaguars open up the check book very far.
