The team is just starting a true rebuild. There is nothing more contrary to that than re-signing an aging, washed up pass rusher. At this point in his career he brings nothing to the table. He's gone.
Rebuilding a team doesn't mean that every position on the roster must be manned by a player on a rookie contract or on their first extension. Rebuilding teams can have experienced players like Wake or Gore. In fact, it actually makes sense to hold onto players like Wake and Gore because they are proven contributors and leaders. Having players like that takes pressure off the younger players and can help their transition because they are learning off players that have been there and done it. So while Wake and Gore are no longer in their prime, they are still good enough to contribute on the field and in the locker room.
The other thing that you need to consider here is that this team is unlikely to tank. Would someone like Brian Flores from the Patriots organisation take a job that dictates losing 14, 15, or 16 games in his first year? Highly doubtful. Yes there are only 32 jobs in the NFL and if you turn a job down one year there is no guarantee you will get an offer the next season. Sometimes you have to jump at the first opportunity, but I doubt that was the case for someone like Brian Flores. He could easily have stayed in New England and waited for a better opportunity. So while he won't be joining this team expecting to win 10 or 12 games next season, I very much doubt he is joining this team to "tank for Tua". I think this team will win 6 to 8 games easily next season and that should be the bench mark. You can build a team without tanking, and you can build a team without gutting your roster. Keep your best players and build around them. Add to them with the best young talent you can, and supplement that talent with sensible additions in free agency and through trades. Do that and the team can rebuild successfully.
At the end of the day the last thing we need to do is remove a proven contributor like Wake and I'd even add Quinn to the equation as well. The team needs to maintain proven pass rushers and those two guys can do it. So as long as it works out cap wise there's no reason to send them through the door because guys like Tank Carradine and Andre Branch won't cut it, and frankly Charles Harris doesn't look up to much either. We should want to hold onto players that can rush the passer so anyone we do draft can learn from them and not be under pressure from day one. The Oakland Raiders found out last season what happens when you remove your pass rush - you struggle. The Buccaneers struggled the season before last when they were near the bottom of the sack list. If the front can't get pressure on the quarterback, the defense is fighting a losing battle more times than not. Now I'll agree that Wake is ageing and regressing, but he's still good enough to start or contribute in a more specialised role (kinda like Julius Peppers did in Carolina), and we should welcome him back.
This team is not tanking next season. Now maybe you would prefer to see us "tank for Tua", or start players in their early to mid 20s because those guys can be around in three seasons time when we want to start winning games whereas Wake will not, but I don't see Flores being on board with that. I think he's the type of guy that wants to put a competitive team on the field. He will want to utilise his experienced players and develop his young players on both sides of the ball. This might be a rebuild, but as far as I'm concerned it won't be a gut the roster and tank rebuild like Cleveland and Jacksonville did.
