ctpatsfan77

One of the things we've been suggesting is that BB might trade Adalius Thomas just to keep him away from the JEST.

Looking over the CBA, I'm not sure—not convinced, as you'll see—they can sign him easily. Here's who the top four teams can sign (emphasis mine):

Now here's the sloppiness:

So, are players who've had their contracts terminated considered to have gone through the waiver system or not? A cursory reading of the paragraph above suggests that they're not, but, OTOH, it doesn't explicitly confirm or deny that they earned UFA status "as a result of the waiver system."

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Urgent

Assuming there is no cap, there is also not much of a penalty to holding onto players like Adalius Thomas until the last week of training camp.

Certainly up until drafted players are signed, the only constraint is the 80-man roster limit, and that's not hard to manage. Since the team doesn't need any cap space, and because real money doesn't change hands until the season starts, there is an incentive to hold onto players like this in hopes that some team will offer a late-round draft choice.

A trading team would pick up Adalius Thomas for a $4.9mm 2010 salary on a two-year deal ($5.9mm in 2011, per Miguel), with no penalty for an early release. Given the extreme lack of available free agents, it is possible some other team would be interested. If not, the Patriots can release him after the draft, or during training camp.

__________________
"Your father was a truck driver, Ray?"
- Trombley

pats1

Well, every player is subject to the waiver system from the trading deadline to, this year, February 8th? so the only period in question would be the one between February 8th and March 5th.

Miguel

Yes. 10 characters.

__________________
My youngest sister's best friend is on the board of directors of a food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that distributed 285,000 meals and meal equivalents in 2005. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to it. Please contact me for more information.

ctpatsfan77

Not to be facetious, but how do you know that?

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Miguel

1.)Past experience. When teams have released a veteran before the trading deadline, those players immediately became eligible to sign with any other team. If my take is wrong, you should then be able to point to instances where a vet was released before the trading deadline and then claimed by another team on waivers.

2.) Because of what happened with Keyshawn and the Buccaneers. When 4 year and more vets like Keyshawn are released after the trading deadline, they can be claimed through the waiver process. That is why the Bucs did not release Keyshawn.

__________________
My youngest sister's best friend is on the board of directors of a food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that distributed 285,000 meals and meal equivalents in 2005. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to it. Please contact me for more information.

ctpatsfan77

You didn't actually answer my question, then.

My question is this: If a vested veteran is released at a point in time when he is not subject to the waiver wire, is he considered to have gained UFA status "as a result of the waiver system"? (The paragraph I quoted clearly states that a player released after the trade deadline is subject to the waiver system, which is why I think it's a reasonable question.)

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Miguel

Whenever a player is released, he goes through the waiver system.

Look at the paragraph title

__________________
My youngest sister's best friend is on the board of directors of a food pantry in Malden, Massachusetts that distributed 285,000 meals and meal equivalents in 2005. I am asking that if you have found my salary cap pages useful that if you are able to do so, please make a donation to it. Please contact me for more information.

ctpatsfan77

Then why make this distinction?

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

spacecrime

What is the conflict? There are two different conditions.

As I read it, one paragraph is for players released after the trade deadline and one released after the season. It stands to reason that players released after the trade deadline be subject to being claimed to prevent playoff bound teams from acquiring talent at the end of the season to fill injury holes.

I don't see a conflict at all, but anyway, when was the last time a quality player was released after the trade deadline? Steve martin maybe in 2002? The only players that get released after the trade deadline are for practice squad jockeying.

But either way, using your example of Adalius, the Jets could sign him. If AD is released in February, he is a free agent and they could sign him immediately. If he is released today, and clears waivers for the teams with more priority than the Jets, then they can claim him.

Exactly what is your issue? Could you explain it better?

__________________
“When we look at the board, based on everything we want in a football player at that particular time, we evaluate them and take the player that fits best for our football team. That’s what we always do, and I think the last nine years we’ve put a pretty competitive team out there on the field every year. I think that’s how you do it – you get good football players. Sometimes they are not always at the No. 1 position, but I don’t think you pass up good football players to get the guys who aren’t as good just because they’re at a position that somebody feels you need.”
BB on his draft philosophy, April 2010