BlitzFritz

I would imagine that BB is thinking hard about how to be best positioned heading into the strong possibility of an uncapped world next season. To recap my own understanding of what that would mean:

- rookie contracts get extended to 6 years
- additional franchise tags and transition tags
- limits on our ability to sign others' FAs, based on how many of our FAs get signed (assuming we go deep in playoffs)
- prospect of idiots like Dan Snyder paying for lots of FA talent

What would you do if you were BB in this situation? What strategies would you employ? My simple mind would say:

1. Get as young as possible. Load up on rookie contracts, since they will be even more valuable in the future. Push the envelope to get as many rookie contracts on your roster.
- Might this explain our loading up of draft picks?
- Would we expect to see BB be a bit more aggressive in certain positions (like OLB) in drafting for talent?
- Would he try to draft some more cheap DL bodies

2. Sign more one year contracts with veterans. This would give you flexibility to let more FAs walk, and get signed by other teams, increasing your own number of FA signings.

3. Dont extend your own rookies to big contracts, if they are going to get extended via the uncapped rules out to 6 years. They will not become UFA's as early as they hoped. I think this would cover all the guys playing in their last year of their original contact on our team right now I may be mistaken about this, but if true, it would mean Wilfork, Watson, Thomas, Mankins, etc would all remain on this team next season, or perhaps would become RFAs instead? I think this is a big deal.

I am NOT an expert on any of this, but have been trying to decipher this a bit. Please pile on.

-- FRITZ

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ctpatsfan77

Rookie contracts, AFAIK, do not get extended; rather, the service needed to reach unrestricted free agency jumps to six years.

It's possible that the Patriots could enter the draft with 11-12 picks, including six in the top 100. The only problem is that loading up on rookie contracts, as it were, reduces the overall experience level of the team.

Wilfork and Watson were drafted in 2004, and so will be UFAs regardless. Everyone from 2005 and after, though, will be an RFA (including Thomas, Mankins, and Gostkowski).

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JR4

A few questions about the UnCapped year?

1. Is It only for one year if the CBA isn't extended this year and a new CBA IS made the following year?

2. If an unCapped year only last for one year, meaning a new CBA made,
then the subsequent years would be Capped. If this is so then would any contract amounts due after the uncapped year would count against the cap in those years?

In other words could team give a FA a 40 Mil contact, 30 of it due in
the uncapped year and say 2 mill the next 5 years so the team would only
incur a 2M Cap hit in years 2 through 6 of that FA's contract.

Is this how it could work?

Rob0729

The thing that can hurt the Pats is the top 8 team rule (which the original poster alluded to). If the Pats make it to the divisional round of the playoffs, they will only be able to sign as many free agents as they lose to other teams. That means if the Pats get to the divisional round and don't lose any free agents (not likely), they cannot sign a single new free agent (I think they get some leeway if they lose the divisional round).

So getting deep into the playoffs without winning the Super Bowl sucks even more this upcoming season than other seasons. This season and only this season, I would be happier if the Pats missed the playoffs all together rather than going deep into the playoffs and not winning a Super Bowl.

ctpatsfan77

Actually, it seems they're doing a test run this year--those restrictions, if they come about, will not apply to players who are waived by their former teams. And, interestingly enough, the Patriots have not signed a single true UFA this year.

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AzPatsFan

I too have been wondering about the Uncapped year. With Mankins, Seymour and Wilfork coming free as well as Watson, and Gostkowski, an uncapped year is actually appealing in some ways.

Kraft could sign all these guys for big bucks in 2010 and lower amounts afterwards, when a new CBA is signed.

Many have been questioning whether Seymour and Wilfork will be kept but my view is that Belichick would cut half the team to find the money to keep keep his Defensive line. It is hard to comprehend, as Seymour seems to have been be around forever, but he is only thirty. And just entering the theoretical best and Prime of his career.

I had not thought of the implications of having lots of rookies on the roster and their extended RFAs. Your observation is apt, there.

But it also makes sense then to not extend Watson or Gostkowski or Mankins yet, as they would still be RFAs. Spend the 2009 money on better then usual additions to the Team. Something that Belichick appears to be doing.

I had thought that Belichick was stockpiling good QBs and hoping to do a Montana & Young with Brady & Cassel. That was when he signed Cassel to the Franchise tag, but I was wrong. It still makes sense to load up good depth there if you can. If K'OC looks good this TC, would they write him a new extended contract, as they probably should have done with Matt, immediately after Brady was hurt?

Rob0729

But cap casualties like Leigh Bodden, Fred Taylor, and Shawn Springs won't be available next year without a cap (at least in theory).

AzPatsFan

I thought that Springs and Taylor signed multi-year contracts. Only Bodden signed for one year.

stinkypete

Interesting. I wonder if that has anything to do with the low free agency activity overall in the league.

spacecrime

Were they really cap casualties? Or just that the team didn't want to pay them? Snyder seemed to have plenty of money this year. He just chose different players to spend it on.

I think teams will still cut players they think won't fit their system, and the Pats could pick up players that way. They could also pick up players via a trade if they are loaded with draft picks.

And don't forget, the Patriots have a pretty good team right now. In an uncapped year, they can keep all the players they want. They can exptend Brady, Serymour, Wilfork, Warren, S Thomas - they needn't lose any player they don't want to lose.