Brady restructures to save $7.2M against this year's cap

[Rob0729]

I remember last year when Nnamdi was suppose to be a Jet and all of a sudden, he became an Eagle out of no where. Dude is a hack.

He also had LeBron James to the Knicks a done deal too. He gets it right every once and a while (he did get Manning to the Broncos right), but his track record is abysmal.

Wallace is looking for $15 million a year. He will likely settle for $12 million a year. The Pats aren't paying either especially with Welker wanting a deal around $10 million a year or so.

 

[Gronkandez]

They will need to roll it over since the cap will be flat again next season and Brady will be taking up 18% of it...

Mike Wallace isn't walking through that door because he's looking for Larry Fitzgerald money or more... SF kicked his tires the first week of FA and that was what they discovered. I doubt he goes anywhere.

WR isn't a need at this point regardless of how much he thinks he can get on the open market.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

He also had LeBron James to the Knicks a done deal too. He gets it right every once and a while (he did get Manning to the Broncos right), but his track record is abysmal.

Wallace is looking for $15 million a year. He will likely settle for $12 million a year. The Pats aren't paying either especially with Welker wanting a deal around $10 million a year or so.

The Patriots will not pay $12 million because the guy isn't worth close to that.

The guy isn't as good a weapon as Welker, Gronk, or Hernandez. I doubt the guy is even better than Lloyd and certainly doesn't fit the needs of this offense like Lloyd.

2012 Wallace = Clay Matthews.

 

[Rob0729]

The Patriots will not pay $12 million because the guy isn't worth close to that.

The guy isn't as good a weapon as Welker, Gronk, or Hernandez. I doubt the guy is even better than Lloyd and certainly doesn't fit the needs of this offense like Lloyd.

2012 Wallace = Clay Matthews.

I still don't know if Wallace can handle the Pats' offense. Zolak has convinced me a bit that I may be wrong, but $12 million a year is a big risk to prove me wrong.

Lloyd is definitely a much better option. He knows the offense and excels in it and his entire contract for 3 years is as much or less than what Wallace will average per year.

 

[BlueThunder]

Instead of using Jetscap, use this site..

New England Patriots 2012 Salary Cap

It's run by one of our own and his numbers are more accurate.

Now, he doesn't have the Brady update or the contract info on Allen, Gallery or Stallworth.

According to his numbers, we'd be looking at just over 11 million without Allen, Gallery or Stallworth. I believe that Stallworth got a vet min deal. I know that Gallery's deal was a 1 year deal. I wouldn't be surprised if Allen got a 1 yr/vet min deal. So, I am going to guess that the Pats have around $8-$9 million left.

Interesting sidenote...If your name is Marcus, you don't count against the cap.

 

[patfanken]

The New England Patriots have four running backs under contract: Polite, Ridley, Vereen, Woodhead. Selecting a running back in the third round or fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft would be more cost effective than overspending in unrestricted free agency.

[

Tip its almost impossible to over spend in the RB market these days. Peyton Hillis set the top of the market at a mere $2.5MM, IIRC. Whatever we need can be had from the vet minimum to under $2MM/yr, and its more likely the former.

 

[DW Toys]

Brady likely stepped up because he will get another restructure/extension probably early in 2013 to allow them to lower that $21M cap hit. Their only other option for restructure with substantial saving was Wilfork and they probably aren't as comfortable they will be extending his deal... Mankins and Mayo's deals are in the early stages with low salary so not much to be saved by simple restructure.

Ocho can be cut tomorrow and treated as a June 1 cut saving $3M in salary against the cap this year and next (with $1.5M dead cap hits in each year). If they restructure him the dead cap remains the same and the savings comes in the form of a reduction in salary now and potentially the remainder if he's cut prior to the season.

Welker would need to be signed to a 4 year deal to create appreciable cap space ($4M+) because they would be amortizing a $16-18M signing bonus over 4 years with low salaries the first two years to cover the guaranteed money ($20M+). If they did a three year deal the savings would be much less. Two years there just wouldn't be much at all.

Sounds like we were pretty close to tapping out since what we now have is essentially what Tom freed up. Tom has most of his remaining money guaranteed for injury and cap with rolling guarantees for skill that kick in at the end of the preceeding year. Continuing to give it to him up front won't pose much of a problem provided there are years added on to spread the desired amortization that creates the space. It will make it harder however to do a truly cap friendly final deal since he now has more dead cap sitting on the next two years and that can't be moved - new money will just be layered on top of it. And based on the Manning deal and pending the Brees deal I imagine they know his extended years are going to be in the $20M per range. They could have considered tagging him for two final seasons but this restructure will probably make that a moot point because of the 120% rule - which would put those years at $25-30M.... So that is now his leverage for his to retirement extension.

Good stuff.
You also have some CAP room pending that can be adjusted even this summer after it all works out. If these guys do not make it:
Barrett=$1m
Polite=$700,000
Sergio Brown=$538,000
Ron Brace=$800,000
Underwood=$615,000
Malcomb Williams=$450,000

There is $4m
Welker could be another $4m

Plus an assortment of other on the fence guys that are on board for between $400k and $500k per man. I can see seven there. Plus all the FAs we just bought. Not all will make it.

I see $7m now
Plus $4m from a few higher end cuts
I see $4m to get Welker done
I see another $2.5 from player cuts at minimum.
The restructure Light ($2.5m) or he retires($5m)
Roughly $20m without restructuring anyone else . $5m for new Draft choices, leaves us $15m for sign ups.
Welker is the big issue in my theory.
DW Toys

 

[Jangles]

I'm not usually a big offseason guy, but this one seems pretty wild to me.

I admittedly only skimmed the article, but is the contract now going to take up more space in later years, but once the caps rise?

 

[DW Toys]

I feel like a big move is incoming at DE since they just lost Anderson, Freeney or Allen maybe.

Yep. Something going on.
DW Toys

 

[patfanken]

I can't believe that there are people still pining for Mike Wallace. There are 2 undeniable reasons why this will NEVER happen. First, there is no way the salaries of Wes Welker, AND Mike Wallace could co-exist on this team at the same time. Paying 2 WRs $18-20MM/yr is a massive misuse of cap space.

Secondly, and more important IMHO, If you add Mike Wallace to this offense, as its constituted right now, and he'd be the 5th option, after Wes, Gronk, Aaron, and Lloyd. There is no way the Pats will pay a max contract AND a first round pick for a player who, for the next 2 years will be the 5th option. btw- if you were Mike Wallace would you want to come to a team that would make you the 4th or 5th option on most passes.

As long as Wes Welker is a Patriot, there is no room for a Mike Wallace. He'd need to be a #2 just to come close to justifying what he'd be asking. Mike Wallace as a Patriot makes as much sense as Tim Tebow did (OMG, I hope I didn't start another 700 post thread simply by mentioning his name )

 

[Wilfork#75]

WR isn't a need at this point regardless of how much he thinks he can get on the open market.

While I think Mike Wallace has quickly become the most overrated player in the NFL and I don't want him anywhere near this team, I disagree that WR isn't a need anymore. Everyone expected the Pats to sign a starting caliber FA WR, and most of us expected it to be Lloyd. But outside of that I don't think they have done anything to change my mind that they need at least 1 more outside WR, and especially a young one. I think its unlikely that Gonzalez and Stallworth even make the roster, let alone contribute, so I think we only really have Welker and Lloyd that you can count on. I think they still need to add a high draft pick (first 2 rounds) to contribute and develop opposite Lloyd, and if there is value there I wouldn't be against getting 2 in the draft. Obviously we need to focus on defense, but I still think outside WR is a need.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Good stuff.
You also have some CAP room pending that can be adjusted even this summer after it all works out. If these guys do not make it:
Barrett=$1m
Polite=$700,000
Sergio Brown=$538,000
Ron Brace=$800,000
Underwood=$615,000
Malcomb Williams=$450,000

There is $4m
Welker could be another $4m

Plus an assortment of other on the fence guys that are on board for between $400k and $500k per man. I can see seven there. Plus all the FAs we just bought. Not all will make it.

I see $7m now
Plus $4m from a few higher end cuts
I see $4m to get Welker done
I see another $2.5 from player cuts at minimum.
The restructure Light ($2.5m) or he retires($5m)
Roughly $20m without restructuring anyone else . $5m for new Draft choices, leaves us $15m for sign ups.
Welker is the big issue in my theory.
DW Toys

Those cuts you project would only save about a million because their space will be taken up on the 51 and eventually 53. And your secondary $2.5M in savings is subject to the same offset. Light isn't getting out of bed for $2.5M, and they may not be as inclined to see him go now that Mankins is out probably for the first several weeks. I wouldn't be surprised to see them bring Koppen back now if only for insurance so Connolly can play guard early on.

$5M for our draft choices may be low unless Bill trades out or down. Then you need another $2M for PS and end of roster and another $2-3M for injury replacement and roster churning. And you better hope to be carrying over at least $4M if not more to offset what Brady's cap hit will do to you against a flat cap in 2013. And a couple of million more to cover NLTBE's. That eats up $15M+ right there.

 

[serifyn]

The more i think about this move, the more i think it is to front-load the inevitable welker deal.

If the Patriots agree to pay most of Welkers Salary this year, they can get him for super cheap in the next couple of years, allowing them to be especially flexible with him, that would allow them to use the rest of the money to sign Gronkowski and Hernandez to extensions next year.

I think the patriots made out like bandits in free agency, they did better than they expected, therefore they can afford to make a big flexibility moves like this.

 

[Gronkandez]

While I think Mike Wallace has quickly become the most overrated player in the NFL and I don't want him anywhere near this team, I disagree that WR isn't a need anymore. Everyone expected the Pats to sign a starting caliber FA WR, and most of us expected it to be Lloyd. But outside of that I don't think they have done anything to change my mind that they need at least 1 more outside WR, and especially a young one. I think its unlikely that Gonzalez and Stallworth even make the roster, let alone contribute, so I think we only really have Welker and Lloyd that you can count on. I think they still need to add a high draft pick (first 2 rounds) to contribute and develop opposite Lloyd, and if there is value there I wouldn't be against getting 2 in the draft. Obviously we need to focus on defense, but I still think outside WR is a need.

I agree they should draft and develop a WR, ideally one who can return kicks.


The Pats currently have four very good receiving options including the TE's. Additionally at least one of Ocho, Gonzalez, Stallworth and Branch will make the team and contribute some. Edelperson should be around as well. That's a lot of depth, so IMO signing another FA WR is not an option.

 

[DaBruinz]

DB is there a way you could "sticky" that site to the top of the board for future reference.

There is a way for you to do it.. Add it to your bookmarks or favorites..

 

[Gronkandez]

The more i think about this move, the more i think it is to front-load the inevitable welker deal.

If the Patriots agree to pay most of Welkers Salary this year, they can get him for super cheap in the next couple of years, allowing them to be especially flexible with him, that would allow them to use the rest of the money to sign Gronkowski and Hernandez to extensions next year.

I think the patriots made out like bandits in free agency, they did better than they expected, therefore they can afford to make a big flexibility moves like this.

I don't think the Pats would want to front load the cap hit for Welker. How would they do that, with a small signing bonus with a huge salary in year one?

 

[DaBruinz]

Donte' Stallworth - New England Patriots - 2012 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

3/19/2012: Signed a one-year, $875,000 contract. The deal included a $25,000 signing bonus. 2012: $825,000 (+ $25,000 workout bonus), 2013: Free Agent

Robert Gallery - New England Patriots - 2012 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

Contract details not updated

Will Allen - New England Patriots - 2012 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

3/21/2012: Signed a one-year, $975,000 contract. The deal included a $25,000 signing bonus. 2012: $925,000 (+ $50,000 workout bonus), 2013: Free Agent

That would qualify them both for the Vet Minimum exemption..

 

[FalconHeavy]

I have one word... RESPECT :rocker:

 

[BradyManny]

There is no way around cap hits in excess of $20M at the end of any Brady deal because an extension is going to average at least that. What an extension will do now is get them back under that level in 2013 and maybe 2014. But then they will exceed that in the remaining years. Only way to circumvent that would be dummy years and dead cap after he's gone and that is something Belichick will be really reluctant to do (that was always Polian's end game strategy) except perhaps to the tune of a small, manageable one year dead cap hit you can rationalize with a cheap QB on a rookie deal under center.

Good points.

And I'd forgotten about the June 1st rule again re: Ocho. I would imagine passing camps would be his last shot to prove himself, if he lasts that long. He's the first one to go if we need anymore room I'm guessing.

 

[DaBruinz]

Good stuff.
You also have some CAP room pending that can be adjusted even this summer after it all works out. If these guys do not make it:
Barrett=$1m
Polite=$700,000
Sergio Brown=$538,000
Ron Brace=$800,000
Underwood=$615,000
Malcomb Williams=$450,000

There is $4m
Welker could be another $4m

Wrong. That is NOT another $4 million, as you say. You seem to be over-looking the fact that for every guy in the Top 51 you cut, you move someone from the bottom up. So, cutting Barrett only saves $400K. Polite is $300K. Sergio Brown is no savings. Brace is only about 200K. Underwood is no savings. Williams is below the Top 51 so there is no savings. So, at best, you just cut 6 guys to save a million bucks. Not $4 million like you imply.

Plus an assortment of other on the fence guys that are on board for between $400k and $500k per man. I can see seven there. Plus all the FAs we just bought. Not all will make it.

I see $7m now
Plus $4m from a few higher end cuts
I see $4m to get Welker done
I see another $2.5 from player cuts at minimum.
The restructure Light ($2.5m) or he retires($5m)
Roughly $20m without restructuring anyone else . $5m for new Draft choices, leaves us $15m for sign ups.
Welker is the big issue in my theory.
DW Toys

According to Bedard, the Pats have 11 million or so free. Not $20 million. And what you claim to see is really not there. You've tried to do this funny math before and been taken to task before.