Who are the big money players on this team besides the QB?Whats Wilfork making?
I've seen your posts questioning how The New England Patriots spend their money in the hard-cap NFL. The Patriots try to pay 53 guys competitive salaries and have depth at every position. In a 16-game season plus playoffs, the decision to have as much quality as possible throughout the depth chart means you must let big ticket guys go, invest where you perceive value, restructure guys who want to stay and do not tie up your money in a small number of guys. Like every team they have hits and misses.
Players who leave for their last pro contract often leave with gratitude for the opportunity with the Patriots. Their last contract is about longer-term financial security and they often wind up with teams who are not as disciplined as the Patriots, Steelers, Colts and, until this year, Eagles. Guys like Damien Woody and Deion Branch spring immediately to mind who tested free agency, found a lucrative market, and left without rancor.
It works. From 2000 to 2009, the Patriots won more regular season games (112) than every team except for the Indianapolis Colts (115) and appeared in more playoffs (7) than every team except for the Eagles (8) and the Colts (9). That includes 2008 when they went 11-5 and missed out on a tie breaker (a record number of wins for a non-playoff team.)
Only four teams won 100 or more games from 2000 to 2009: Colts, Patriots, Steelers and Eagles. In that span the Patriots won more Super Bowls than any other team and appeared in more Super Bowls than any other team.
In 2010, the Patriots had the best record in the NFL regular season and were favored in the playoffs. Overall: best record over 11 years. We are fortunate to follow this team at this time.
In answer to your question about who gets paid what, check out the column Total Cap Figure to see who get's what on this team here:
Miguel's UNOFFICIAL 2011 Patriots Salary Cap Information Page
To the posters on this board who help with this data, thank you.