FLPACKER posted:
Sure, you can criticize general manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy for not getting anything for him. They waited until final cuts to try to move him, and thus had little leverage to work a deal.
Ted and Mike aren't stupid, they didn't drag it out because they were afraid to pull the trigger on a trade until it was too late. Also it's not just a matter of trading for a 6th round pick, the receiving team has to take on his 6.8 cap number or renegotiate a new deal. Based on what he got from CHI it seems Josh still thought his contract should be averaging about 7 mil. If teams suspected he had back issues or were uncomfortable with his age, no way they want to take on kind of deal, even for a 6th round pick. It takes two to tango and I'm not sure Sitton was as wonderful trade bait as some seem to think.
It's more likely that Ted/Mike had thought about this move, waited to see how Taylor/Tretter/Lang/etc. performed so they knew they had healthy replacement(s), put some feelers out for a trade, but ultimately didn't get the response they wanted to warrant shipping Sitton off against his will. Ted values late round picks and team building, but team morale also plays a part in team building and how future contract negotiations go. I don't think they did Sitton a favor because they're nice guys, it just sets a good precedent for how they handle older players. They did the same with Woodson, Jennings, Jenkins, Wells, Colledge, etc. Letting them score one last big deal somewhere else tells your current guys they won't be discarded when they're old.