Letting Hayward go was absolutely a mistake, even if most of us agreed with it at the time. A full season has passed, so it's perfectly fair to look at that situation in hindsight. Who cares what us fans thought or think of the situation. Thompson is paid big money to know much more than us. He put too much faith in Randall, Rollins, and a concussion-prone Shields, and Hayward didn't get a huge contact anyway. Thompson had to know that Shields was one concussion away from never playing again. Even if Randall and Rollins player better, that's still not enough depth. Can't let young, talented, and reasonably affordable players get away, especially at a premium position. He simply put way too much faith in a concussion-proned player and two sophomore players that frankly had very up and down rookie seasons to begin with.
Letting Hayward go was a big mistake. No other way to put it.
Originally Posted by: DoddPower