BATAVIA, IL
Fresh off their second championship, the Colliders began tweaking their offseason roster with the goal of repeating. Central to that aim was to bring Julio Jones back. Jones’ contract expired, but GM Josh Hammond applied the franchise tag without a second thought.
“It was a no brainer, really. Dude got something like a $0.79 raise. Yeah, we’ll pay that.”
The move wasn’t without cost, however, as the cash-strapped champions are sinking $92 in their starting WR tandem of Jones and Antonio Brown. This will be the last hurrah for the productive duo, as it looks unlikely that both can return in 2018. To clear space for the signing, Batavia shipped Alshon Jeffery and Whitney Mercilus to Bestine for draft picks. Jeffery wasn’t happy about the move, according to sources, especially as he outscored Jones in the Immersion Bowl VII victory.
“It’s a tough business,” said Hammond. “A guy like Jeffery is great to have around. We’ll miss his leadership in the locker room. We thank him for his service and wish him nothing but the best in Bestine.”
The Colliders also tendered three of their four restricted free agents, including running backs Isaiah Crowell and Devonta Freeman. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks was also tendered. Left off the list, for now, was Ryan Shazier, but sources say that the Colliders are open to bringing him back. It remains to be seen if the Colliders can retain all of their players (or any of them.)
“We had a nice little draft in 2014,” said Hammond. “It’s something you have to do every year. You gotta reload, because there just isn’t enough money to go around. I’d sure like to see these guys come back, but you never know. Like I said, this is a business.”
It seems as though Hammond is in the business of winning championships, so don’t be surprised if he figures out a way to put another winner on the field.
He always does.
© 2017, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.
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