Value in signing Asante to a contract?

[carolinatony]

We have the money so my question is; would you sign him to a contract?
Is he worth this kind of money for 4/5 years to the Pats? Do we get better value to franchise him and try to trade him.

If you were BB, what would you do?

 

[ironwasp]

This is the sort of decision that makes me glad I am not BB. Can he really win here? To resign Samuel, who had a terrific year, costs a small fortune and ties up a lot of cap space, possibly to the extent that it prevents the Pats from addressing other needs in FA.

If he doesn't then you take out the team's best DB of the season, our only play-maker back there now that Rodney is in his dotage, and leave Peyton et al the opportunity to pick on CBs led by Ellis Hobbs - who I like a lot, btw, this is not an attack on him - and probably a rookie, or maybe Geno is the guy can stay on the field through week two.

It's an invidious position to be in. If there's a chance to do a long term deal at a price that doesn't paralyse the team's ability to work the cap for the next five years, then I do it. If there isn't then you franchise him and trade him out of town.

 

[BelichickFan]

There's little doubt the best "value" is in trading him. Other than Brady, that's always the case. However these are people, not pieces of fantasy teams, so you can't just move guys in and out.

Look at The Jest, though. They traded Franchised UFA John Abraham for the pick to get Nick Mangold. They got (probably) a better player, certainly a healthier one. He's younger. And he is way cheaper - they can/could spend the extra $5M elsewhere.

The DREAM scenario ? Trade Samuel for something good then use the money we would have signed him with to sign Nate Clements. Get a better CB, maybe at a little more money, and get good draft pick(s). Or sign two good players, say Fletcher and Curtis or the like with the money and take the picks. It's the best VALUE way to go.

 

[satz]

what no one is thinking is we go through DB`s at a alarming rate.BB/FO always have a budget for a set position.If you pay asante then will we be okay to not use 15 DB`s and use 4-5 DB`s as they spend all alloted money on asante.

From the last 5 yrs it should tell us that , 1 CB however good is not better than 5-6 avg CB due to our injury history.That is a gamble as if we pay him andm he plays for 3 full yrs withot any injury we are good or else we are screwed as we will no money to hire 10 DB`s over the season.

If we do not sigh and have some dough ...look for a offer made in end 2007 year to Mr Ty Warran as his contract ends in 08 as they did with dan koppen.

 

[stinkypete]

what no one is thinking is we go through DB`s at a alarming rate.BB/FO always have a budget for a set position.If you pay asante then will we be okay to not use 15 DB`s and use 4-5 DB`s as they spend all alloted money on asante.

From the last 5 yrs it should tell us that , 1 CB however good is not better than 5-6 avg CB due to our injury history.That is a gamble as if we pay him andm he plays for 3 full yrs withot any injury we are good or else we are screwed as we will no money to hire 10 DB`s over the season.

If we do not sigh and have some dough ...look for a offer made in end 2007 year to Mr Ty Warran as his contract ends in 08 as they did with dan koppen.

Great point. Samuel is not worth the money if the team is forced to carry 10 defensive backs like it typically does. That would force us to sacrifice quality at other positions.

Franchise and trade Samuel. Bring in a couple of vets to upgrade over Gay and Scott, then bring in a day 1 rookie to compete.

 

[patsgo]

Great point. Samuel is not worth the money if the team is forced to carry 10 defensive backs like it typically does. That would force us to sacrifice quality at other positions.

Franchise and trade Samuel. Bring in a couple of vets to upgrade over Gay and Scott, then bring in a day 1 rookie to compete.

if you sign him to a market contract his cap number will be high to, your better off franchising him playing him and making sure hes the real deal, if hes a bust or inconsistent you wont have the cap hits in future years if you sign long term for big bucks. , so you may pay more franchising hin but its almost like insurance, if he performs next year you can pay him or frnchise hin again and trade him

 

[DarrylS]

what no one is thinking is we go through DB`s at a alarming rate.BB/FO always have a budget for a set position.If you pay asante then will we be okay to not use 15 DB`s and use 4-5 DB`s as they spend all alloted money on asante.

From the last 5 yrs it should tell us that , 1 CB however good is not better than 5-6 avg CB due to our injury history.That is a gamble as if we pay him andm he plays for 3 full yrs withot any injury we are good or else we are screwed as we will no money to hire 10 DB`s over the season.

If we do not sigh and have some dough ...look for a offer made in end 2007 year to Mr Ty Warran as his contract ends in 08 as they did with dan koppen.

Pretty close to my thoughts also, do not want to overpay Samuel, it will throw the salary structure of the Pats out the window, and will not settle in well with the other 52 guys. I also do not know if this year was the exception or the reality for this guy, last year he played like a nickel this year he played for the contract. Who will emerge in '07, the hungry guy we saw this year or the guy we saw in the '05 year? I favor franchise and trade and am sure if/before they franchise that the trade is already set up.

 

[PonyExpress]

I would franchise Samuel. His agent seemed to threaten that Samuel would be "unhappy" if he gets the franchise tag, implying that the Pats might not get a committed player playing at 100% under those circumstances in 2007. Knock yourself out, 'Zant. Samuel does not have a resume that can survive a down year in 2007 if he plays like an "unhappy" man. A down year would degrade his open market value. The Pats have the upperhand here. Franchise him in 2007, franchise him again in 2008 and trade him for a 1st rdr. Use the money you save by trading him to help sign Ty Warren to a long term deal.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I would franchise Samuel. His agent seemed to threaten that Samuel would be "unhappy" if he gets the franchise tag, implying that the Pats might not get a committed player playing at 100% under those circumstances in 2007. Knock yourself out, 'Zant. Samuel does not have a resume that can survive a down year in 2007 if he plays like an "unhappy" man. A down year would degrade his open market value. The Pats have the upperhand here. Franchise him in 2007, franchise him again in 2008 and trade him for a 1st rdr. Use the money you save by trading him to help sign Ty Warren to a long term deal.

We all thought Branch didn't have the resume to survive a holdout - the player always has the upper hand. If they tag him to play, and he agrees to to sign the tag, they are on the hook for almost $8M. If he goes down, or gets dinged and is reluctant to play through it and risk further injury while playing under a tag, they are effectively screwed. If he sits out - which he could do as a franchise player because unlike Branch's situation the sit out gets him to UFA, they get nothing but a comp pick now in 2009. He won't come in in week 10 for $3M because that would allow them to rinse, spin and repeat the same cycle. Belichick wouldn't do that dance with Deion, and he isn't gonna do it with Asante. He will want value for him either on the roster or in trade.

If they can't get a deal done, and it's a good bet they can't given how far apart they were in November when the buzz on Asante was just a murmur, tag and trade him for what should be a pretty decent package of picks and use the $6-8M you don't have to spend on him to improve both the secondary and areas that take pressure off the secondary. That is the Belechick model.

 

[PonyExpress]

Maybe I'm wrong, which wouldn't be a surprise. Did the franchise rules change, so you can't franchise a player 2 years in a row? If so, the MoLewis scenario seems best.

 

[frankiesfly]

Im so sick and tired of this topic. Yes we should sign him, hes worth it. Hes our future at CB. Plaese God let there not be another post about this topic. Please god.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Maybe I'm wrong, which wouldn't be a surprise. Did the franchise rules change, so you can't franchise a player 2 years in a row? If so, the MoLewis scenario seems best.

You can, but they have to accept it the first time or you're DOA. Unlike a player who has not yet completed a contract (like Branch), the league has nothing to toll on a franchise player which is why they aren't even fined if they skip the off season and camp. His committment was met, so if he holds out the entire season he is a FA. Coming in at week 10 would do him no good since he would be swapping 6 weeks of salary for losing guaranteed FA.

Sometimes the player can't find a trade, like Edge in a flush RB market last spring, so they eventually sign the tag and agree to play though often only after the team agrees not to use it again, as was the case with Alexander and Clements in 2005 and 2006.

Abraham was coming off some injury plagued seasons, so he decided to sign his tag in 2005 when they told him they would continue to work towards a long term deal provided he showed he could stay on the field. He did, they didn't, and the cap exploded - so when they tagged him again last year he told them he wouldn't play for them. Which was fine with them because they couldn't afford to pay him the tag price or give him a long term deal in the range he wanted anyway - they tagged him the second time strictly in order to get value from him in trade. He and his agent located two teams (Seattle and Atlanta) who would talk deal with him and were willing to trade. Atlanta wasn't willing to trade a first rounder initially, but Seattle was and all it takes is one team to drive the deal. Eventually he insisted he wanted Atlanta and the JETS held firm to wanting a first, so Atlanta traded it's higher first for a lower one they felt better about trading (and picked up some additional picks to balance the difference) and the deal was done in less than a month prior to the 2006 draft.

I'm not sure BB would pay to have a top 5 corner in his secondary even if Asante truly were one. So I really can't see him tagging this kid to retain him or working out a long term deal given his present overheated market buzz. Doesn't mean he wouldn't love to retain him, just not as something he isn't and something we don't need to have to win (much like Branch). Asante has proven he has the talent and coachability to play the position well in a system built around DL, LB and safety play. He's not the first mid-level corner to prove he can do that, and Starks aside (who couldn't play period) he won't be the last. I think as his core ages BB will look to bolster his LB and safety personnel and retain his Dlinemen. And get reasonably talented corners with good work ethic (like Hobbs and Samuel) who are highly coachable.

Trading Asante for picks could create value to go do just that. Which is why letting him walk makes no sense unless they value Graham so highly that retaining him under a tag is a greater priority. But I think if that were the case he'd be signed already.

 

[patchick]

We all thought Branch didn't have the resume to survive a holdout - the player always has the upper hand. If they tag him to play, and he agrees to to sign the tag, they are on the hook for almost $8M. If he goes down, or gets dinged and is reluctant to play through it and risk further injury while playing under a tag, they are effectively screwed. If he sits out - which he could do as a franchise player because unlike Branch's situation the sit out gets him to UFA, they get nothing but a comp pick now in 2009. He won't come in in week 10 for $3M because that would allow them to rinse, spin and repeat the same cycle. Belichick wouldn't do that dance with Deion, and he isn't gonna do it with Asante. He will want value for him either on the roster or in trade.

If they can't get a deal done, and it's a good bet they can't given how far apart they were in November when the buzz on Asante was just a murmur, tag and trade him for what should be a pretty decent package of picks and use the $6-8M you don't have to spend on him to improve both the secondary and areas that take pressure off the secondary. That is the Belechick model.

There's a huge difference between sitting out half of a modest rookie-contract year and sitting out half of a nearly $8-million year. Nobody sits out on that kind of money. Skipping off-season programs and minicamps, sure. Maybe even TC. But that's an enormous payday to skip...and remember, he's playing for his next contract. Don't want to risk starting the season out of shape/practice and getting injured.

The CB pool is weak in both FA and the draft this year. Teams are flush with cash. It will be very, very hard to sign Samuel to a long-term deal. But the franchise tag is a no-brainer.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

There's a huge difference between sitting out half of a modest rookie-contract year and sitting out half of a nearly $8-million year. Nobody sits out on that kind of money. Skipping off-season programs and minicamps, sure. Maybe even TC. But that's an enormous payday to skip...and remember, he's playing for his next contract. Don't want to risk starting the season out of shape/practice and getting injured.

The CB pool is weak in both FA and the draft this year. Teams are flush with cash. It will be very, very hard to sign Samuel to a long-term deal. But the franchise tag is a no-brainer.

When you're sitting out to secure $20M+ implicitly guaranteed, sure you do. Deion didn't sit out on half of a modest rookie contract year, he sat out with $8M in signing bonus and $13M within 12 months and $19M over 3 years implicitly guaranteed sitting on the table. Under a scenario where he was losing money in fines from day 1 and where if he didn't play they retained his rights and could do so indefinitely. Why...because he knew if he did he it would force their hand, as it did. And he was looking for $12M+ up front on a $39M+ deal, which even with trade compensation he pretty much got.

Asante and his agent know his value as a FA may never be higher. He already played for his next contract, and he may never be able to duplicate that success even through no fault of his own. They aren't going to jeopardize $20M+ for $7.8M, and I don't think BB would pay him that anyway (or any fraction of it were he to show up for 6 games) so if he's tagged he's traded. The other option is to just let him walk, which would be silly if you can get any kind of decent value for him - which given the market and his buzz you certainly should. So IMO using the franchise tag on Asante is only a no brainer if it's to pave his road out of town.

 

[fgssand]

Im so sick and tired of this topic. Yes we should sign him, hes worth it. Hes our future at CB. Plaese God let there not be another post about this topic. Please god.

Should we really sign him?

Is he worth it??

Is he our future at the position??

This is the debate and there will be dozens more posts because this is really a tough call.

I think all we can do is rely on BB/SP to not lose sight of the Patriots model and do the right thing as in whatever is BEST for the TEAM.

Whatever they decide, I am with them.

I still even think, in the long run, Deion Branch was handled the only way they could have after the agent )IMHO) was less than honest or fair with them.

Sorry dude, until Assante's situation is resolved - get used to numerous posts.

I also do not think it will drag on for any where near as long as Deions that for sure, for one thing, Assante did it the right way and this is his time.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Satz hit the nail on the head here - we as a team just can not sink into the mire over Asante Samuel. Add to that, that we have only one good season to go on, though he has shown steady improvement. I do not think they find the common ground necessary to sign him, and I think a NE Patriot that goes and gets a "get paid" tattoo isn't planning on the team making an offer he can live with.

Franchise once - twice? I don't see it happening. He'll definitely sit by the second one. You franchise to trade in his situation.

PFnV

 

[VJCPatriot]

The other thing to note about franchise tags is that the pay increases on consecutive tags so you really can't afford to do it for long. I think the Pats either sign AS long term or they tag and trade him.

 

[Patstopia]

I think we need to sign him. He has been our most durable DB and he played at a high level this year. Showing progress is always a good think.

Also I think it would be good for the team. I think in the locker room, when your rookie contract is almost up, you want them playing because they want to be part of the team and not with a "you got one chance to sign me then I'm gone" attitude.

Lastly, where the heck are you going to get a replacement? Gay? Can he play more than a few games without being hurt? Put a rookie in? Scott? We have enough questions on the other side.

I hate that the entire NFL thinks we don't pay. They ignore that we paid Brady and Seymour.

Anyway we need decent DB'S. You can't do every position on the cheap

 

[Patriot Missile]

This is just a mess. I can't fault the front office on how they decide to handle this one. Even if they offer him a fair contract that is comparable to the top 5 cbs in the league, there will be a team like the Jet's that make him a Champ Bailey like contract. He hasn't done enough to warrant that. Great,great season though. Wish he had another season here to prove it wasn't just a one time thing.

 

[frankiesfly]

Should we really sign him?

Is he worth it??

Is he our future at the position??

This is the debate and there will be dozens more posts because this is really a tough call.

I think all we can do is rely on BB/SP to not lose sight of the Patriots model and do the right thing as in whatever is BEST for the TEAM.

Whatever they decide, I am with them.

I still even think, in the long run, Deion Branch was handled the only way they could have after the agent )IMHO) was less than honest or fair with them.

Sorry dude, until Assante's situation is resolved - get used to numerous posts.

I also do not think it will drag on for any where near as long as Deions that for sure, for one thing, Assante did it the right way and this is his time.

Yes he is worth it, he only led the leauge in interceptions this year, including the one in the postseason he had. Its that the answers are always the same. Whats so hard about going back and looking through the lists of posts and continue adding there. Thats what i do. Ill just bring back a post of the same topic that was already made. Then at least you already have everyones thoughts, and they dont have to write them over, over,over,over, and over again.