Is Welker's agent forcing him out of NE ? - Page 3 - New England Patriots Forums

Ivan · 02-02-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATSNUTme

Agents can recommend all they want. It's up to the client to decide if he wants to stay in a certain place and take a deal that's offers. The agent does not have the final say, the client does.

So the answer to the question is only Welker can "force" himself out of NE by not taking the best and final offer by the Patriots.

Actually they can't. Agents are hired for legal/contractual advice and have ethical obligations to their clients, recommending a deal that is far below market value is a failure to provide the best counsel and a violation of their ethical obligations.

Patriot fans, like many sports fans, want their players to sacrifice everything for the team and are pretty much irrational when they won't do so. Welker was 100% in the right to reject that reported offer and he would be 100% right if to do so again if the terms are in line with what they reportedly offered last offseason. If the Patriots offer 2-16 then they are the ones "forcing" welker to look elsewhere, not the other way around. People can try to rationalize that any way they want but they are going to look ridiculous arguing that he is worth 1/10th of what Johnson and Fitzgerald got.

Ivan · 02-02-2013, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATSNUTme

Agents can recommend all they want. It's up to the client to decide if he wants to stay in a certain place and take a deal that's offers. The agent does not have the final say, the client does.

I do agree that the player can reject the agent's counsel and take whatever they want to take from the team. Welker can accept a 2-16 deal from the Patriots if he chooses to do so. He would be making a huge mistake given that they have to give him 12 for just 1 but he could do so.

FourierSeries · 02-02-2013, 01:10 PM

I actually hope he doesn't return. That would leave enough cap space for the Pats to go after WR with more talent. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate everything Wes has done for the team. But I think it's time to move on.

Ivan · 02-02-2013, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourierSeries

I actually hope he doesn't return. That would leave enough cap space for the Pats to go after WR with more talent. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate everything Wes has done for the team. But I think it's time to move on.

You must know something everyone else doesn't because my understanding is that both Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are under contract and going nowhere any time soon.

***patsinthesnow*** · 02-02-2013, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgteich

Yes, if Welker doesn't take the patriot offer before free agency, he is subject to being tagged.
He will then have gotten his $22M over 2 years instead of three. I don't think that the patriot "long" term contract before free agency will be appealing enough for him to sign and not try to get a better deal elsewhere.

Also, as much as we all want Welker, I don't think that we will franchise him. We need the money for free agency.

The Pats arent dumb enough to franchise a player 2 years in a row, having Welker cause a 12 million cap hit for next season. Why end up paying him two years at 22 million, thats awful. If Welker won't sign what the pats offer, then see ya, he's not worth 12 million.

RayClay · 02-02-2013, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deus Irae

This is a textbook example of how New England negotiates in the press while claiming not to negotiate in the press.

That's fair, at least as far as Kraft goes. Of course I doubt they have Kraft doing the negotiations. When he was more involved, everybody got candy, not just the star QB, but the busto linemen in front of him.

I don't mind this really, it could be calculated by management. They failed to hammer it out last time, so this indicates, to me at least, that there's negotiations going on.

Get it shawtaay · 02-02-2013, 02:00 PM

How would people on this forum feel about 3 years 21 million guaranteed? Fair deal?

***Deus Irae*** · 02-02-2013, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayClay

That's air, at least as far as Kraft goes. Of course I doubt they have Kraft doing the negotiations. When he was more involved, everybody got candy, not just the star QB, but the busto linemen in front of him.

I don't mind this really, it could be calculated by management. They failed to hammer it out last time, so this indicates, to me at least, that there's negotiations going on.

I don't mind it either, as long as the team doesn't get its dander up when players and agents do the same thing.

***Wolfpack*** · 02-02-2013, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyb

what would be funny is if welker is allowed to market and he can't get a better offer than what the pats are offering. That's the only way he stays, IMO. I don't think he's worth as much as he thinks he is.

I agree with this. Welker is in the perfect place for him. Other teams would not use him as much and therefore should not be willing to pay him as much as his stats claim he might merit.

***Wolfpack*** · 02-02-2013, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivan

We have absolutely no way of knowing what advice Welker's agent is giving him but we do know that his ethical obligation as an agent is to get him the best deal possible, and at a bare minimum one that reflects his market value, neither of which the Patriots are likely to do.

While it's kinda funny the way you use "agent" and "ethical obligation" in the same sentence, it should be noted that an agent's true ethical obligation is to carry out the wishes of his client. If an athlete says "I want to maximize my income" then the agent should test the waters as much as possible (without, of course, violating league rules against tampering). But if the player wants to stay with a specific team, then the agent should make the best deal he can for the player with that team.