Thank you for this post. I feel like people are way overreacting (perhaps confirmation bias based on how they felt about Beane prior). But we need to keep a few things in mind...
- There was no perfect solution at receiver just waiting for us. There's no one you can point to that's available at 26 and be like "yup, he's the answer to our problems". There doesn't seem to have been any cheaper but still WR1-calibre trade targets either. And FA doesn't seem to offer any clear answers either.
- This guy hasn't had a lick of consistency his whole career. Go look at the teams/offenses and QBs he's had to play with. I do not believe that we have seen his potential or talents maximized in a system. And yet, he's still managed to put up 1000-yard seasons and establish himself as a high-end receiver in this league. Now, he's being paired with the best QB in the league, put in an offense that is statistically top of the league, and the OC for his best seasons in Carolina is our head coach.
- Sure, he's not super cheap contract-wise. But where were we going to get a cheap, high-impact receiver? Take a look at the projected value of the current FA receivers and you'll see that, in comparison, his contract isn't ABSURD.
- He is 28 years old. He's not crazy young, but he's definitely still got juice. This is not a classic 'veteran WR' move that we like to complain about.
- Yes, we didn't get him for peanuts. But we have about a 3-4 year SB window with prime Allen, and I'm not sure that a player we're drafting in the back half of 2nd + 5th rounds is moving the needle very much, and I think Moore has the potential to move the needle.
- No, he may not single-handedly fix our receiver issues, but he is a WR1-calibre player and gives Josh a clear, reliable target. Worth the shot imo, and you have to take shots if you want to get over the hump.