Will the FA market get crazy/how will Pats respond?

[BradyManny]

Teams have a crapload to spend this offseason, I can see the FA market becoming nuts real fast in the way MLB did this past offseason when teams had more $$.

So, will the NFL FA market do likewise and how will the Pats respond? Will they make a splash early before things get nuts? Or will they wait it out, wait for the storm to pass and see what's left after other teams have a huge spending spree?

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Who knows.

Nobody here could give you an answer or even a hint of what they might be thinking.

 

[maverick4]

It's tough. The agreement and new cap numbers helped lots of teams. I'm not sure the Pats can play the 'wait it out' game as well as they have in the past, and I doubt there will be as many bargain pickups as before.

 

[BelichickFan]

Until shown otherwise we have to assume we''ll play it the same as before. Quietly going after some bigger names but not going balls out after them, staying within their value range. With teams having gobs of money to pay, I'm not sure how it'll work out. For instance, saving Samuel's $8M Franchise amount to spend elsewhere sounds good until you wonder who will be out there to spend the money on. If we could get, say, London Fletcher and Kevin Curtis for the same money, fine. But they may also get more money elsewhere.

We pushed 2006 money onto the 2007 cap but it'll do us no good if we end up just pushing in on the the 2008 cap. At some point we need to spend some money whether it's for Samuel and Graham, 2nd line vet FA or extending contracts which will expire over the next few years.

 

[Jimke]

With regard to their own players, if the Pats do not use the franchise tag,

they will lose Asante Samuel and Daniel Graham in the early hours of

free agency.

This is supposed to be a very lean year. If the Pats sit and wait, there will

be very little to invest in.

 

[borg]

Pay someone

 

[Tunescribe]

Seems to me that the fact more teams have more money will just jack up the prices that free agents are able to command and create bidding wars between teams. We all know how much the Patriots hate playing that game.

 

[BradyManny]

At some point we need to spend some money whether it's for Samuel and Graham, 2nd line vet FA or extending contracts which will expire over the next few years.

The Pats aren't afraid to spend money - we just spend it more wisely than other teams.

Like others said, I think we'll have to be more proactive this offseason.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Teams have a crapload to spend this offseason, I can see the FA market becoming nuts real fast in the way MLB did this past offseason when teams had more $$.

So, will the NFL FA market do likewise and how will the Pats respond? Will they make a splash early before things get nuts? Or will they wait it out, wait for the storm to pass and see what's left after other teams have a huge spending spree?

It didn't get any crazier than last year after the last minute CBA unleashed loads of cash and teams needed to scramble quickly to get players and overpaid because they could.

The Patriots decided to sit out that first wave generally as they often do.

What took them by surprise I believe was the shere volume of activity. That left fewer free agents left over after the initial feeding frenzy than in any other year.

I think the Patriots were not prepared for that and while they like to bargain basement shop, they prefer to have some assortment to choose from.

I can't believe the Patriots are going to do that this time around. If there is a LB that they want in free agency they will make their move early. They might also be exploring trades.

Overall I think they will be more proactive than ever before. That may require them to free up some $ for players but I think they will be willing to do this.

 

[BelichickFan]

The Pats aren't afraid to spend money - we just spend it more wisely than other teams.

There's some evidence for and against that statement. However, as you said in starting this thread, the cap increase may prevent "spending wisely". I can walk into a Mercedes dealer with a loan for $20K promising to only spend it wisely - and I'll drive home in my Dodge Intrepid because there's no Mercedes to be bought for $20K.

I'm not saying they have to go nuts and be stupid. But I think they have to raise the stakes a little bit. Personally I'm fine with Franchising Samuel to trade him, extending all our big time guys ASAP and signing a couple of second tier FA like London Fletcher. But there's little evidence we can get that done. We'll see.

 

[JoeSixPat]

It's tough. The agreement and new cap numbers helped lots of teams. I'm not sure the Pats can play the 'wait it out' game as well as they have in the past, and I doubt there will be as many bargain pickups as before.

Again - one needs to keep in mind that the new CBA - at least in its initial years - has changed that.

Pre-New-CBA saw a lot of players left for bargain basement shopping after the initial feeding frenzy.

That was not the case last year and I think the FA volume will be high again with so much more money being added to the cap this year.

I don't belive the Patriots were all that enamoured with the "left-over" players after the initial free agency period last year - and I don't think they are going to be satisfied to make due with other teams leftovers this year.

 

[everlong]

It's about value for them. If they can get a Colvin at a fair price they will. If not they'll move down to the next level and build up the teams middle class.

Also they can use the cap space by

1. Franchising or signing Samuel to an extension
2. Signing Graham.
3. Getting an extension for Wilfork and Warren that will keep money free for the coming years.
4. Move money around so that more money counts this year for guys like Seymour and Brady to keep money free for next year.

If everybody goes out and shoots their wad this year the Pats will do what makes the most sense.

 

[shirtsleeve]

Until shown otherwise we have to assume we''ll play it the same as before. Quietly going after some bigger names but not going balls out after them, staying within their value range. With teams having gobs of money to pay, I'm not sure how it'll work out. For instance, saving Samuel's $8M Franchise amount to spend elsewhere sounds good until you wonder who will be out there to spend the money on. If we could get, say, London Fletcher and Kevin Curtis for the same money, fine. But they may also get more money elsewhere.

We pushed 2006 money onto the 2007 cap but it'll do us no good if we end up just pushing in on the the 2008 cap. At some point we need to spend some money whether it's for Samuel and Graham, 2nd line vet FA or extending contracts which will expire over the next few years.

You both denied and admitted the grim reality of the FA market this year and for years to come. This CBA was hand designed for the veteran name players, the Polians and the Snyders of this league. And it was targeted directly at the Pats, to counteract our lock on power in the Salary Cap Era.

As I said in another thread, if we sit back and watch things shake out as in years past, there will be nothing left but old guys, street free agents and shadow roster guys, along with a couple of super greedy super egos looking for Oprah kinda money. We will in short, get croaked. This one is going to be the biggest challenge that BB/SP has ever faced. There are far too many teams with far too much money to spend on far too few players. My guess is that they will pick up that old guy (Fletcher), that diamond in the rough hopeful, and sit out free agency. Hopefully they will lock up Asante and Graham with tags, and at least get decent compensation and some control where they go. I again hope that they shift their focus on extending some of our more hopeful and productive development projects before they are exposed to this mess. Who knows......

 

[BradyManny]

I'm not saying they have to go nuts and be stupid. But I think they have to raise the stakes a little bit.

I agree. I'm all for spending more freely this offseason - particularly considering the fact that non 1st round draft picks are only 4 year contracts now. It's going to put an added pressure on getting more contributors via FA knowing the rookies you are drafting may only be around 4 years, and 1-2 of those may be developmental seasons for them.

 

[BradyManny]

We will in short, get croaked.

Also - the point you always bring up about our non-1st rounders have one less year on their rookie contract is another factor which hurts us and makes FA more important.

 

[maverick4]

Again - one needs to keep in mind that the new CBA - at least in its initial years - has changed that.

Pre-New-CBA saw a lot of players left for bargain basement shopping after the initial feeding frenzy.

That was not the case last year and I think the FA volume will be high again with so much more money being added to the cap this year.

I don't belive the Patriots were all that enamoured with the "left-over" players after the initial free agency period last year - and I don't think they are going to be satisfied to make due with other teams leftovers this year.

Right. The days of the old CBA are over, at least for the short future, when teams with horrible cap situations had to cut some talented players. The Patriots will have to be willing to spend this off-season, because there won't be many decent bargain bin-type of guys.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm still upset we let Julian Peterson go to Seattle. A young stud like that is someone you can reasonably overspend a little for. Although I prefer Vrabel outside, having Vrabel and Bruschi inside with Peterson and Colvin outside - yowzer.

 

[makoute]

It's about value for them. If they can get a Colvin at a fair price they will. If not they'll move down to the next level and build up the teams middle class.

What's fair price?

 

[shirtsleeve]

Also - the point you always bring up about our non-1st rounders have one less year on their rookie contract is another factor which hurts us and makes FA more important.

Exactly, which is why I added the point that a priority must be to extend some of these guys a season before they see the market, and a season before they put on that "contract year" performance for the $$$. Lock them up for 3 or 4 more years before all of the coaches hard work comes to fruition but after said coaches know that their work is about to come to fruition. For instance, if we had locked up Asante last season, think about what kind of money he would have been happy to sign for.....

Which is going to take me down the sports agent controlled player....I am now going to the Chad Jackson thread.......

 

[Oswlek]

Right. The days of the old CBA are over, at least for the short future, when teams with horrible cap situations had to cut some talented players. The Patriots will have to be willing to spend this off-season, because there won't be many decent bargain bin-type of guys.

While they get their share of abuse, NE's starting WRs were "bargain-bin type" guys. And last year there was just as much cap space going around.

Bargains aren't only a function of teams having no cap room. Even if a guy is forced out of one area due to cap issues, if they are a known quantity they will be scooped up elsewhere. Bargains come when a guy is miscast or misused or possibly unhealthy and that leads to their true worth being underestimated.

Vrabel was not let go for cap reasons. Caldwell wasn't either. Andruzzi, Neal, Hawkins, etc. There will always be guys available that are worth more to NE than they might be elsewhere.