cstjohn17

He has switched and now considers a tag of Samuel to make more sense for the Patriots. I believe this matches the overall opinion of the board. I agree with his logic, there is simply no one behind him on the depth chart. Using the franchise tag is "the biggest no brainer in the history of the earth..."

• Best case - Franchise him - Work out a long-term deal.
• Good case A- Franchise him - Plays under franchise
• Good case B- Franchise him - If they can pickup players that they believe can replace him via the draft or free agency he can be traded.
• Worst case - They let him walk and have to scramble in free agency or the draft to replace him.

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...ise_analy.html

"So while we initially thought that the underrated Graham -- perhaps the NFL's best blocking tight end -- might be a more likely option for the franchise tag at $4.3 million, we're calling an audible. After further review, the feeling here is that it would be an upset if Samuel wasn't tagged should he not sign an extension before Feb. 22."

koolaid23

good point, except i wouldve thought that the "biggest no brainer on earth" was franchising perhaps one of the greatest clutch kickers off all time, and the game winner in all 3 of our super bowls, but apparently the pats brass has other plans. i still hope they franchise samuel though.

zippo59

The CB franchise is a lot of money though....

He'd have the 2nd biggest cap hit behind Brady.

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Unofficial Kevin Faulk supporter.

PatsFanInVa

Koolaid, I think they had already franchised Adam twice by last year. Also disagree that spending on AV in any form was a no-brainer. Look at Gost's work last year -- you can't argue you'd rather have AV in 3 years than Gost (or that you'd rather pay triple the price+ to have Adam, in the interim. Gost missed nothing in the playoffs, remember, and has the stronger leg.)

Totally agree, regarding Samuel. Re-sign if possible, though I doubt Samuel's self-perceived value will match the Pats' Brain-Trust's idea of his value. Otherwise, tag-to-trade. If he ends up playing out the year, he has to play well tagged, because in effect, it's his "contract year" all over again.

I think this might be a year the Pats go the opposite of the usual direction, spending against the future rather than pushing cap hits into the future, based on the deviant inflationary scenario introduced last year, and still working its way through the contracting process now.

Especially attractive is the use of the franchise tag.

PFnV

Murphys95

PFinVA - you're right. AV had been franchised twice. Once for a season, another time to work out a long-term deal. I never underestimate the impact of "tagging" a player. More often than not it creates animosity. And IMHO, it's one of the things that led AV to look elsewhere at the end of 2005.

As for Samuel, again I'm not sure how he'll react to being franchised. I still feel that the only way the Pats tag him is if it's with the understanding that a long-term deal will be worked out over the Summer.

The tag to trade idea is interesting, but I don't know how viable. Frankly two firsts just doesn't happen very often (only twice that I know of, and even then after long holdouts). But I agree, it would be nice for the Pats to get something in return if Samuel leaves.

PatsFanInVa

Murphy's, yeah, the animosity is expected. This is where the business of football gets pretty nitty gritty, and the player can sink or swim by his maturity in the situation. Of course, a long holdout is not immature, but accepting the tag and sulking through it is. In that scenario, guess what, you still don't "Get Paid."

I'd love to think the tattoo is just a head game, or means something to him like "woo hoo rookie deal is over, now I'll get paid in the millions (plural) every year! What else could I ask for?" I doubt it though. And I doubt Samuel and the Pats will be on the same page.

But of course, none of us know a bloody thing, that's what makes now such a frustrating time. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at Pats HQ (I promise I wouldn't tell anybody... just let me sit in guys...)

PFnV

patsox23

In the end, the Patriots did not make a mistake letting AV go. Gost stepped in and did a good job, and the impact of Adam in Indy and Gost in N.E. can't really be considered a help or hindrance, in terms of what ultimately occurred.

MrBigglesWorth

Worse case scenario is twofold if they franchise him:

1. He signs the tender and you have a big one year cap hit.

2. He refuses to sign the tender which I think might be a possibility, but you control his rights and in essence he holds out and you still are able to trade him for compensation.

I would imagine he would want to be traded prior to the pre-season when teams have money and his market value is at the highest.

Considering there are essentially only two good corners on the market there is alot of negotiating power in franchising him.

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TomBrady'sGoat

wow, Reiss finally figured out what most of us on this board figured out a month ago. and by "figured out" i mean we weren't dumb enough to overthink the fact that Asante has a lot of value and you therefore franchise him.

I think players disliking the franchise tag is overanalyzed, especially in the case of Asante "Get Paid" Samuel. he's only re-signing if the Pats offer him the most money. you can tick him off and he'll still re-sign if the Pats offer him the most money.

BelichickFan

It's a no brainer to Franchise him. Duh.

And the poor CB FA market can be looked at two ways. Sure it hurts our chances of replacing him but it also makes it more likely a team will happily surrender some draft choices to get him.

He'll get a long term deal - either from us or the team we trade him to.