Schefter claims Kraft stepped in

[BPF]

Patriots could suddenly be rich in receivers

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10040904
By Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst


Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.

(March 5, 2007) -- To the relief of quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of Patriot Nation, New England signed one wide receiver and could soon add another.

After trading 2007 second- and seventh-round draft choices to Miami for wide receiver Wes Welker and signing him to a five-year, $18.1 million contract that included $10.75 million in guaranteed money, the Patriots were scheduled to host a visit with Philadelphia free-agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.


The Dolphins and the Patriots avoided a feud over Wes Welker.
Around the league, there are questions about Stallworth's character. But Stallworth is willing to take a one-year deal with New England, the team he would love to play for if he doesn't return to Philadelphia, to prove his value to the Patriots and around the league.

Stallworth recently talked about how much the Patriots appealed to him, and now New England is giving him a chance to say the same thing to its coaches and front office.

From New England, Stallworth is scheduled to visit Tennessee, which lost free-agent wide receiver Drew Bennett to the St. Louis Rams, which gave the free-agent a six-year, $30 million deal that included $9.5 million in guaranteed money.

Stallworth still might also return to Philadelphia. But his decision is expected shortly.

As for Welker, the key to completing a trade between the Patriots and Dolphins was the work of their owners, New England's Robert Kraft and Miami's Wayne Huizenga.

Kraft stepped in, not wanting his organization to engage in any type of public battle for Welker's services. The Patriots were poised to sign Welker to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract that contained a "poison pill" that said if the wide receiver played four games in Florida, his contract would become fully guaranteed.

Knowing the feud that developed last year between Minnesota and Seattle over free-agent guard Steve Hutchinson, Kraft helped engineer the trade with Huizenga. The Patriots would have had to give up the second-round pick to sign Welker anyway; the seventh-round pick was added partly as a goodwill gesture, and mostly to avoid any protracted hearing between the two sides.

Now New England has Welker, it could have Stallworth, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has at least one weapon he needed.

 

[Brownfan80]

Patriots could suddenly be rich in receivers

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10040904
By Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst


Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.

(March 5, 2007) -- To the relief of quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of Patriot Nation, New England signed one wide receiver and could soon add another.

After trading 2007 second- and seventh-round draft choices to Miami for wide receiver Wes Welker and signing him to a five-year, $18.1 million contract that included $10.75 million in guaranteed money, the Patriots were scheduled to host a visit with Philadelphia free-agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.


The Dolphins and the Patriots avoided a feud over Wes Welker.
Around the league, there are questions about Stallworth's character. But Stallworth is willing to take a one-year deal with New England, the team he would love to play for if he doesn't return to Philadelphia, to prove his value to the Patriots and around the league.

Stallworth recently talked about how much the Patriots appealed to him, and now New England is giving him a chance to say the same thing to its coaches and front office.

From New England, Stallworth is scheduled to visit Tennessee, which lost free-agent wide receiver Drew Bennett to the St. Louis Rams, which gave the free-agent a six-year, $30 million deal that included $9.5 million in guaranteed money.

Stallworth still might also return to Philadelphia. But his decision is expected shortly.

As for Welker, the key to completing a trade between the Patriots and Dolphins was the work of their owners, New England's Robert Kraft and Miami's Wayne Huizenga.

Kraft stepped in, not wanting his organization to engage in any type of public battle for Welker's services. The Patriots were poised to sign Welker to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract that contained a "poison pill" that said if the wide receiver played four games in Florida, his contract would become fully guaranteed.

Knowing the feud that developed last year between Minnesota and Seattle over free-agent guard Steve Hutchinson, Kraft helped engineer the trade with Huizenga. The Patriots would have had to give up the second-round pick to sign Welker anyway; the seventh-round pick was added partly as a goodwill gesture, and mostly to avoid any protracted hearing between the two sides.

Now New England has Welker, it could have Stallworth, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has at least one weapon he needed.

This should put to rest anyone that has 'issues' with the route the Pats took to land Welker. It's obvious that a seventh took a lot of added 'complications' out of the equation. Pick well spent, IMO.

 

[zippo59]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...

 

[LloydBraun]

Good karma for the org.

This was a strong business move, in every parties best interests.

Well done by all.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm still not happy about it but I've accepted the "OKness" of using a low #2 and low #7 on a low ceiling, high floor player. Worse moves have been made.

 

[Kdo5]

************. We are going a little crazy...if we sign him...well we could seriously have one of the best recieving cores in the league merely because we would have four very solid recievers and a young kid with a torn acl who has potential. Should we really be going this far?

 

[stinkypete]

************. We are going a little crazy...if we sign him...well we could seriously have one of the best recieving cores in the league merely because we would have four very solid recievers and a young kid with a torn acl who has potential. Should we really be going this far?

In a word, YES! Obviously WR was one major problem last year. if you add Welker and Stallworth to this offense, think about how deep out recieving corps becomes. How good a pair of backups are Caldwell and Gaffney? How good does Watson become in the presence of two legin starting WRs?

 

[SeanBruschi54]

This should put to rest anyone that has 'issues' with the route the Pats took to land Welker. It's obvious that a seventh took a lot of added 'complications' out of the equation. Pick well spent, IMO.

Good to see you around here bro.


Anyway Stallworth on a one year deal is worth it all the way around for both sides.

 

[PatsMyBoyz!]

Patriots could suddenly be rich in receivers

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10040904
By Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst


Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.

(March 5, 2007) -- To the relief of quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of Patriot Nation, New England signed one wide receiver and could soon add another.

After trading 2007 second- and seventh-round draft choices to Miami for wide receiver Wes Welker and signing him to a five-year, $18.1 million contract that included $10.75 million in guaranteed money, the Patriots were scheduled to host a visit with Philadelphia free-agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.


The Dolphins and the Patriots avoided a feud over Wes Welker.
Around the league, there are questions about Stallworth's character. But Stallworth is willing to take a one-year deal with New England, the team he would love to play for if he doesn't return to Philadelphia, to prove his value to the Patriots and around the league.

Stallworth recently talked about how much the Patriots appealed to him, and now New England is giving him a chance to say the same thing to its coaches and front office.

From New England, Stallworth is scheduled to visit Tennessee, which lost free-agent wide receiver Drew Bennett to the St. Louis Rams, which gave the free-agent a six-year, $30 million deal that included $9.5 million in guaranteed money.

Stallworth still might also return to Philadelphia. But his decision is expected shortly.

As for Welker, the key to completing a trade between the Patriots and Dolphins was the work of their owners, New England's Robert Kraft and Miami's Wayne Huizenga.

Kraft stepped in, not wanting his organization to engage in any type of public battle for Welker's services. The Patriots were poised to sign Welker to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract that contained a "poison pill" that said if the wide receiver played four games in Florida, his contract would become fully guaranteed.

Knowing the feud that developed last year between Minnesota and Seattle over free-agent guard Steve Hutchinson, Kraft helped engineer the trade with Huizenga. The Patriots would have had to give up the second-round pick to sign Welker anyway; the seventh-round pick was added partly as a goodwill gesture, and mostly to avoid any protracted hearing between the two sides.

Now New England has Welker, it could have Stallworth, and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has at least one weapon he needed.

Bob Kraft-one of the most remarkable businessmen of all time. Let's start a Kraft For President thread! :singing: Seriously that was the smart move to make-avoid the circus and just get it done.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

************. We are going a little crazy...if we sign him...well we could seriously have one of the best recieving cores in the league merely because we would have four very solid recievers and a young kid with a torn acl who has potential. Should we really be going this far?

I think I need to wake up... This really is not happening , is it??? Next thing after we hopefully sign Donte Stallworth, would be we are signing Donnie Edwards

 

[Kdo5]

In a word, YES! Obviously WR was one major problem last year. if you add Welker and Stallworth to this offense, think about how deep out recieving corps becomes. How good a pair of backups are Caldwell and Gaffney? How good does Watson become in the presence of two legin starting WRs?

Major? No.

But I would like it if we signed Stallworth for 1 year.

 

[Brownfan80]

Good to see you around here bro.


Anyway Stallworth on a one year deal is worth it all the way around for both sides.

I've been lurking a bit, mostly posting on the Planet in OT threads, lol. But now a bunch of 'football' stuff happened, so I decided to chime in a bit.


Agreed about Stallworth.

 

[tombonneau]

************. We are going a little crazy...if we sign him...well we could seriously have one of the best recieving cores in the league merely because we would have four very solid recievers and a young kid with a torn acl who has potential. Should we really be going this far?

I disagree. If you are counting Caldwell, Welker, Stallworth, Gaffney as our top 4 INPO, let's just rate them for now Stallworth, Caldwell, Welker, Gaffney, we'd have a borderline average #1, average to arguably above average #2, excellent #3, above-average #4.

I won't even count CJax due to no history and the injury.

It would be an improvement, but it certainly wouldn't be a WR corps you gameplan around.

That said, the Pats don't really need that to begin with, so its no big deal. They are better off with four WRs who are just pretty good than one great, a couple average, and a below average WR.

 

[BelichickFan]

Major? No.

Given what's happening this offseason, I think Belichick and Brady disagree with you. In fact while everyone blamed McDaniels all season, I bet that the coaches and QB felt the lack of serious WR was the bigger problem.

 

[Kdo5]

Given what's happening this offseason, I think Belichick and Brady disagree with you. In fact while everyone blamed McDaniels all season, I bet that the coaches and QB felt the lack of serious WR was the bigger problem.

Maybe but I didnt see recieving lose us games after Denver until Reche's drop. But that was only part of the reason because the defense was out of gas.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

If I were the Patriots or the Dolphins lawyer, I would tell them to STFU about why they gave a 7th. If it really was to avoid the unpleasantness of using the poison pill, they should certainly never acknowledge that.

The NFLPA and the NFL negotiated the poison pill, and the NFL couldn't get it taken out. If owners now collude among themselves not to use it, they are going to be facing much more than a "hearing" between two clubs.

 

[BelichickFan]

Maybe but I didnt see recieving lose us games after Denver until Reche's drop. But that was only part of the reason because the defense was out of gas.

I think the WR affected a lot. Defenses not respecting them, pressing the line against the run, getting our offense off the field. My gut feeling, and that's all it is, is that Brady was more ticked off at the poor abilities of the WR than we know and that's why they're trying to upgrade.

 

[Fencer]

So the Patriots gave up a 7th to avoid distractions, and by the way created some possibility of getting a comp pick 5 years down the road after Welker's contract runs out. (If a guy leaves as a FA, you may get a comp pick; if he has fictitious contract years and you cut him, you don't.)

I.e., the Patriots gave up VERY little football value in this trade beyond the 2nd they were planning to give up anyway.

That's a legitimate way for the owner to "interfere." If there's one thing the Pats' front office has done not-so-well, it's avoid acrimony. Kraft's personal business skills may actually be helpful to them in that one regard.

 

[spacecrime]

If I were the Patriots or the Dolphins lawyer, I would tell them to STFU about why they gave a 7th. If it really was to avoid the unpleasantness of using the poison pill, they should certainly never acknowledge that.

The NFLPA and the NFL negotiated the poison pill, and the NFL couldn't get it taken out. If owners now collude among themselves not to use it, they are going to be facing much more than a "hearing" between two clubs.

Since when were teams not allowed to negotiate terms with each other for the purpose of trading players?

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Also getting the deal done, save the long week process of do we get him or not... They could move on to other things.. Like another LB and Donte Stallworth...