shatch62

For what it is worth.

Last year AV made $2.1 million. That was 2.47% of the Pats $85 million dollar cap. Now that the cap is $102 million, 2.47% of that would be $2.5194, which is about what the Pats offered I believe – anyone know for sure please correct me. $2.52 (lets round up) would be a 20% raise in salary for AV. This keeps him in – what appears to be – the Pats accepted % of the cap and gives him a fair raise. I love AV as much as the next fan but based on his stats last year alone – I know, he was the man in 01, 03, and 04 – this is a fair raise.

If another team wants to blow him away with and offer than the Pats need to let him go. For every ½ million more he gets that is one less Russ Hochstein that the Pats will be able to keep. I know that without the AV heroics the Pats would not have won 3 S.B.s in the last 5 years but I also know that without the depth they have had they probably would not even have made the playoffs in 2 of those years (03 and 04)

Pats726

What are you saying...the Pats have offered him the best evercontract for a kicker...too low?? just right??

Miguel

Adam made $2.508 million in salary last year and $880 in offseason workout bonus money. Adam also had a $250,000 LTBE incentive that was on the Patriots' 2005 cap throughout the season. So Adam's 2005 cap hit was $2,759,880. The Patriots' adjusted cap number in 2005 was $82,597,805 so Adam took up 3.34% of the cap. The Patriots' adjusted cap number in 2006 is $99,973,940. 3,340,477 is 3.34% of the Patriots' 2006 adjusted cap.

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shatch62

Oops. That is right... AV was at 2.51 last year.

JR4

I thought the amount of the contract offered Adam by the PATs wasn't the
problem ... it was that there was little if any guaranted money in the offer.

hwc

Can somebody please cite one credible source for this urban legend?

Why would the Pats structure a big contract with no prorated bonus? It doesn't make sense?

Sounds like creative dictionarying by an agent to me. It may well be true that the Pats were unwilling to guarantee the entire contract as they did last time just to shut Vinatieri up. But, that is quite different than saying "no guaranteed money". Virtually all NFL contracts have guaranteed money. Virtually no NFL contracts are fully guaranteed.

Of course, Vinatieri obviously thinks that he's special. He's probably demanding figs, bellydancers, and palm fronds, too

JR4

Well here is Miguels past post on 3-4-06


From today's Herald -
"that the deal included no signing bonus or guaranteed money"

It is no wonder that Adam turned down such a deal.


This is pretty clear and leaves little to speculate about other than
why no guaranteed money. Maybe it's his health. (bad back)

I do not have a link to that Herald article but I believe
Miguel has the ability to cut and paste.

Here is that past thread ( it's post #36)

Adam leaves offer on table - Herald

hwc

Oh, I know that the nonsense about "no guaranteed money" appeared in print. That was not my question. I'm looking for a credible source.

Since the Belichick era began, I'm not aware of a single long-term contract the team has done that did not include a signing bonus. There are very few long-term contracts in the NFL that do not include a prorated signing bonus -- and those that have been done have been by teams like the Vikings that are not spending to the cap and treat a paid bonus as a roster bonus in year one (see the Winfield contract).

Why is this? Because prorating the signing bonus is beneficial to the team's cap management. I find the idea that the Pats offered Vinatieri a contract with zero signing bonus (or guaranteed money) to be preposterous. And, I've followed the Herald sports writers long enough to not trust them, especially when citing unidentified sources "close to the player" when we KNOW it wasn't Belichick leaking details of a contract.

MoLewisrocks

The only problem is the Pats leaked the offer via Jonathan Kraft as being one that would keep him the highest paid. Didn't say by how much or for how long. The AV camp obviously countered that PR spin by leaking there was no guaranteed money in the offer. No team source has denied that even anonomously, and I guarantee you they have been asked. The only way that deal makes sense is if the Patriots are looking at it as a series of one year pay as you go deals they can opt out of at any time with no dead money consequences - and that would be the ultimate there is no guarantee in the NFL deal.

I think Adam is being demonized here by the day. He has long indicated he wants to be highest paid. So does Seymour. Highest paid for Adam today by all meassures (AAV, total contract value, guaranteed $$) would be 5 years $11M and a $3.25M signing bonus. A 4 or 5 (or more likely 3) year deal at $2.5M per with no guaranteed money would ultimately be viewed for what it is - nothing. He'd have the highest salary of any kicker provided he didn't get cut in camp.

He's been recently been rumored to be looking for $3M+ per year, but I'm not sure that isn't less rumor than hysterical ranting. Josh Miller was discussing Adam's situation in the broadest terms a few weeks ago on Felger's show. (Josh by the way is one of the highest paid punters in the league and got a $1M signing bonus as part of his deal insuring unless he thoroughly f's up he'll be here for the forseeable future.) He said while fans tend to look at it in terms of greed, players are looking for security. Not knowing at the end of each season if you are going to be back or facing relocating your family come March wears on players mentally throughout the off season.

Adam has played under the tag twice in the last four seasons and never uttered a word about his disatisfaction with the situation as do so many. He shows up ready, they don't have to worry about him, unlike many kickers he works out along side his teamates and is viewed as a core player - unusual for a kicker. I'm sure it's due in large part to the clutchness factor having often gotten them off the hook for late in game mistakes or carrying the day when they can't buy there way into the endzone. This dynasty has won a lot of crucial games by 3 points or less and he's one of the reasons they know they can do that. This year they may need to believe that more than ever.