How much should the Pats offer the Ghost?

[ctpatsfan77]

Football Outsiders just posted a list of the top 10 contracts for specialists (K/P).

1. Shane Lechler, P-OAK, signed 2009, $16M/4 y
2. Rob Bironas, K-TEN, 2009, $12M/4 y
3. Josh Brown, K-STL, 2008, $14.2M/5 y
4. Robbie Gould, K-CHI, 2008, $13.5M/5 y
5. Jason Hanson, K-DET, 2009, $10.6M/4 y
6. Kris Brown, K-HOU, 2009, $10.3M/4 y
7. Shayne Graham, K-CIN, 2009, $2.5M/franchise
8. Michael Koenen, P-ATL, 2009, $2.5M/franchise
9. Adam Vinatieri, K-IND, 2006, $12M/5 y
10. David Akers, K-PHI, 2007, $7.1M/3 y (ends 2010)

Based on this, what would you offer Gostkowski (after tendering him, of course )?

Edit: Gostkowski is younger now than all of these players, except Gould, were at the time they signed.

 

[lostjumper]

Still 2 more years before he's a free agent right? Assuming he doesn't fall of a cliff, I'd probably start at 4 yrs/10mill and see where it goes from there.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Still 2 more years before he's a free agent right? Assuming he doesn't fall of a cliff, I'd probably start at 4 yrs/10mill and see where it goes from there.

He's an RFA this year, assuming no new CBA, but that means that a desperate Denver, Dallas, or even Indianapolis could swoop in and try and sign him away if the Pats only give him a tender.

 

[dalero]

Raiders pay their PUNTER 4 mil a year???

 

[upstater1]

Between 2.5 and 3 million.

This kid is really good, and he's young.

The salary cap is bigger than before and kicker's contracts are not increasing at the rate the cap is.

You saw the troubles that the Saints and Cowboys are having. And that's in nice weather.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Raiders pay their PUNTER 4 mil a year???

It's called "the cost of having a sucky team." :singing:

 

[justinb]

Between 2.5 and 3 million.

This kid is really good, and he's young.

The salary cap is bigger than before and kicker's contracts are not increasing at the rate the cap is.

You saw the troubles that the Saints and Cowboys are having. And that's in nice weather.

based on inflation, and other kickers getting paid..it wouldnt suprise me to see 3million +

 

[lostjumper]

Raiders pay their PUNTER 4 mil a year???

I would pay Lechler at least 3 million, if not 4 to play for the Pats. He has a great foot, and watching him bounce punts out of bound inside the 10 yard line is impressive. As opposed to hanson, who makes sure to bounce them into the end zone. On a good team, his ability to give his defense great field position would be worth alot of money.

 

[xmarkd400x]

I would pay Lechler at least 3 million, if not 4 to play for the Pats. He has a great foot, and watching him bounce punts out of bound inside the 10 yard line is impressive. As opposed to hanson, who makes sure to bounce them into the end zone. On a good team, his ability to give his defense great field position would be worth alot of money.

I'm just going by Miquel's cap numbers here, but here's a list of players the Patriots have for MORE than 4m:

• TFB: 14.6m
• Moss: 9.7m
• A. Thomas: 6.4
• M. Light: 5.5
• K. Faulk: 4.2
• J. Green:4.1
• D. Koppen: 4.0

Everyone else has a cap number below 4m. You can get a quality every down starter for $4m. I think while you CAN pay a punter $4m a year, I don't think a punter is worth $4m a year.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I think that if your punter or your kicker is wanting 4 mil a year, well, you shake hands and wish them well elsewhere and then pull out your rolodex of punters and kickers and call the highest 4 on the list for a tryout.

They are important but they have a specialized skill that is very much replacable.

I'd imagine the Ghost and his agent realize this and will settle for something a little under 3 mil/year.

 

[PatriotsInGA]

They just need to sign him. I dont care how much, just lock him up now

 

[jsull87]

I think that if your punter or your kicker is wanting 4 mil a year, well, you shake hands and wish them well elsewhere and then pull out your rolodex of punters and kickers and call the highest 4 on the list for a tryout.

They are important but they have a specialized skill that is very much replacable.

I'd imagine the Ghost and his agent realize this and will settle for something a little under 3 mil/year.

i dunno about his agent realising that i think his agent will want a competitive deal with leading kickers. but i guess around that 3 mill 2.8 mill mark isn't to much of a stretch

 

[supafly]

I think his ability to boom those KO's is undervalued, and I'd guess that they'd look at something between 2.5 and 3 mill/ per. No doubt we need to lock him up though.

 

[Terry Glenn is a cowgirl]

Ghost is pretty good for a kicker.

 

[FilPats]

Raiders pay their PUNTER 4 mil a year???

He probably runs a 4.3 40. Go Pats:singing:

 

[DarrylS]

Raiders pay their PUNTER 4 mil a year???

It is the by-product of having a senile owner...

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm putting aside the Oakland number, which I can only ascribe to the absurdity of that franchise's thinking, if it can be called that.

I think that Ghost should be paid like one of the best Kickers in the league, which looks like somewhere between two and three million a year.

He also deserves the security of a contract that is maybe four or even five years long.

He deserves every dime of that and he deserves some security, but I don't think the Pats should go nuts.

In many ways, it's impossible properly to value a Kicker. In general, they are paid to do what they are supposed to do: kick-off so the other team consistently starts from as close to their own 20 yardline as possible; make 99% of PAT's; weather permitting, make virtually every FG when the Offense drives inside the 30, make most FG's when the line of scrimmage is between the 30 and 40 and a reasonable share when it's outside the 40.

But, there is theoretically, to my way of thinking, no way of ever paying Adam enough for making that first Snow Bowl kick...the low rope into a blizzard from 45 yards that dropped like a rock a few feet beyond the uprights and sent the game into OT. It has been described even by the Haters as the greatest kick under pressure in the history of the NFL. His kick to win SB XXXVI from 48 yards (almost the exact spot on the Superdome field from which Ghost missed a mid game kick in this year's game against the Saints) was also beyond price, with the hopes of a franchise, a region, a fanbase...all sitting on his shoulders. After that, the kick to beat the Panthers two years later was a chip shot (not!).

 

[resdubwhite]

But, there is theoretically, to my way of thinking, no way of ever paying Adam enough for making that first Snow Bowl kick...the low rope into a blizzard from 45 yards that dropped like a rock a few feet beyond the uprights and sent the game into OT. It has been described even by the Haters as the greatest kick under pressure in the history of the NFL. His kick to win SB XXXVI from 48 yards (almost the exact spot on the Superdome field from which Ghost missed a mid game kick in this year's game against the Saints) was also beyond price, with the hopes of a franchise, a region, a fanbase...all sitting on his shoulders. After that, the kick to beat the Panthers two years later was a chip shot (not!).

But then he went and spoiled it all by doing something stupid like signing for the colts.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Between 2.5 and 3 million.

I agree with that range, $3 mill tops IMO. As good as Ghost is I'd rather the Pats draft another K dirt cheap than to make a K one of the 5 biggest cap hits.

 

[klinefan]

Pats should looke at the economics of it, as BB would say. How much is the dropoff from 2.5M to random kicker off the street?

Ghost is good, I guess, but he's kind of iffy on long field goals, isn't he?

As an aside, didn't BB, go for it on like 4th and 2 instead of kicking a 51 yard fg in the SB against the giants? We didn't make it and that would have been the margin. Amongst other things.

Anyway, what is the dropoff? Is it worth saving 2.5M to get a guy who can't kick quite as accurately?

It always seemed in the past that there was kind of a traveling circuit of kickers who could kick pretty well for vet. min. No reason to pay a guy huge money unless he was really, really special. Not sure Ghost is.