TaxPlaya

It may be a few days out of date and not take into effect any accelerated Seymour bonuses, but the latest PatsCap.com figure is that the Pats are $15.4 million under the cap.

Any thoughts here? Why aren't we hearing about extensions?

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BelichickFan

Because the Patriots don't talk about those things publicly until they're done.

jct

Also because of injury risk. It would be better to do those deals toward the end of the season. Provides players more incentive to work harder in a contract year.
15.4 is really probably just 6.8M after a Seymour's roster check (6.6) and in season replacements(2)

SCPatBoy

The Pats were also setting Money aside for Branch...and also when they were in the hunt for Ty Law...People are forgetting about that.

Isaac

Don't forget that they have until the end of the football year (March) to spend it all (unless there is a rule I'm not aware of). This means that they could make extensions with roster bonuses after the season and still use up this year's money.

dryheat44

I don't think you're exactly right. There is an accounting date, that you can work salary from future years into this year to take advantage of cap space, but I seem to remember it being November or December. I'm pretty sure it's during the season. It might be on Miguel's page.

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JoeSixPat

It might not be March but its a given that they have ample time through the entire season to decide how or whether to frontload contracts.

I suppose for right now, this still gives the Pats a chance to strike a deal with Deion at the last minute.

Had they frontloaded a salary like Brady's or Seymours to take up the cap space today that would be a major sign to Deion that a new deal is not happening.

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Patriot Missile

We still have Koppen,Warren and Wilfork to think about. I know some are po'd and think they are being cheap but you can bet your marbles they will command good money on the open market. They are young and extremely talented and other teams know it.

MoLewisrocks

I believe the cutoff is prior to the final week of the season. That was when extensions were done for Vick and Palmer and a couple of the name kickers got extensions late last season. The strategy is particularly helpful because you pick up a year on the front end, before the deal commences, in which to amortize signing bonus or take a hit on a chunk of the contract via roster bonus.

You get another full season to assess the player and should still get a slight discount over open market (unless the player has an idiot agent like Branch's) because those players get some millions in hand 3-5 months sooner than if they wait to see how the market shakes out in March or April or later, and the player has the peace of mind of knowing where he and his family will be living and working for the next 3 years anyway.

I think that there were sufficient questions about Graham and Branch and Koppen surrounding either their durability or talent ceiling that this was the sensible approach to take all along. Branch was the priority, and being prioritized just insulted him so....

And it's pretty clear now that the dust has settled that $4-5M of that money was earmarked for a starting CB, first Townsend who decided to re-sign with the Steelers and then Law who took just a few dollars more to go to KC. And another $6M+ was earmarked to lighten the load on Seymour's extension. The deals they offered Branch would have required another $1M or so this year. That's $12M they had planned and budgeted to spend all off season long. They will still spend it, it just remains to be seem what they can find of value to spend it on now. And there is always the option to LTBE it into 2007.

Miguel

Oops, I forgot to update it. It should be $12.6 million.

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