Wilfork or Mayo - Who isn't a Patriot next year?

[MrNathanDrake]

I don't think both of them will be on the team next year. One is surely going to be cut/traded.

I think it'll be Mayo. Collins/Hightower performed really good this year and showed this defense doesn't need Mayo. In fact it would be hard to have all 3 of them on the field at the same time. It's definitely debatable but Mayo might only be the 3rd best Linebacker if he's still on the team next year.

I'd rather the team re-sign Akeem Ayers for a much lower price than to keep Mayo.

 

[nabwong]

What is either's trade value?

I bet the colts would love to have both.

 

[Patriots1364life]

I am not a capologist but how on earth is this team tied up with cap issues and the donkeys have cap space after going on a spending spree.

 

[50-yard-line]

I don't think both of them will be on the team next year. One is surely going to be cut/traded.

I think it'll be Mayo. Collins/Hightower performed really good this year and showed this defense doesn't need Mayo. In fact it would be hard to have all 3 of them on the field at the same time. It's definitely debatable but Mayo might only be the 3rd best Linebacker if he's still on the team next year.

I'd rather the team re-sign Akeem Ayers for a much lower price than to keep Mayo.

So how much do you think they save by cutting Mayo?

So how much do you think they save by cutting Wilfork?

 

[farn]

I think they both return. Basing on inkling.

As I get older, I am starting to think there is a dollar figure attributed to locker room leaders. That they are invaluable. How much different would a team like Cleveland be if it had guys like Mayo and Wilfork ?

Are they returning to the Patriots under the same salaries ? No. My prediction : Mayo returns for more of a bargain. Maybe heavily incentive based. Vince likes to get his money. And he doesn't bend too much. But he is important - the unquestioned leader on D.

If one doesn't return : I am guessing Vince cause he is uncompromising when it comes to money. But I think BB will want both back. Collins/Hightower were great. We just gonna risk they can make it through a season untouched ? Risky.

 

[mgteich]

So how much do you think they save by cutting Mayo?

So how much do you think they save by cutting Wilfork?

We would save at least $6M by cutting WILFORK and signing Branch. I have no clue whether Belichick is willing to cut Wilfork.

We would save almost nothing cutting MAYO, paying his injury guaranteed salary and adding a mid-level free agent. We could save $4M by restructuring Mayo and move some his salary ($2M) to NLTBE bonuses (games on roster). Even without the NLTBE bonus move, $3M would be saved. CONCLUSION: Mayo is not going.

 

[I.M. Fletcher]

I Reiss's chat the other day, he eluded to the idea that mayo knows he will have to take a pay cut, and is likely to do so.

Wilfork, I have no idea. It is a hit to the pride being asked to take a pay cut in consecutive seasons, but winning may cover over that. I don't really have an idea how wilfork is wired, but it could go either way with him.

 

[JMC00]

Mayo isn't going anywhere. Guy is known as Bill Jr.

 

[deters]

I think Mayo is 100% lock, but he will have to restructure esp after missed a bunch of time 2 straight seasons.

Wilfork, I'm 50/50 on. Good player, not great anymore. Not worth his price tag, but still a great asset to the team.

 

[BobDigital]

If I had to pick one I'd be Wilfork due to cap reasons. Ideally I'd like to keep both but I hate to cut someone like Mayo who is in him prime especially when he has so much dead money on his contract.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I am not a capologist but how on earth is this team tied up with cap issues and the donkeys have cap space after going on a spending spree.

It costs more to build a Super Bowl winner than a play-off fraud

But seriously, I don't think it's fair to say we're tied with cap issues. There's no way to build a perfect team under the salary cap, so every team has to make hard decisions and accept certain compromises.
Manning's Colts were built with super stars on big deals at key positions, and JAGs everywhere else. We've probably got a deeper middle-class than most. But no matter how you build your team, you'll always be up against that cap and never able to spend as much as you want.

The Broncos had a lot of top talent on rookie deals. Those are expiring now so they're going to be scrambling a bit as well. Their 2015 cap is around $123M right now, but doesn't include new potential deals for 2014 starters Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin, and Brandon Marshall, whose rookie deals are expiring. It also doesn't include Terrance Knighton, an important starter for their defense. With an estimated cap around $140M, it will be tough for them to sign half of those guys, let alone bring anyone else in.

The Seahawks are around $124M in commitments, but that doesn't include a big pay upgrade for Russell Wilson, and it also excludes free agents Byron Maxwell and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. They're obviously thinking about an upgrade at WR but will have to sacrifice somewhere else to do it.

And cap room really isn't everything. The Jaguars have probably the most cap room in the league. I certainly wouldn't trade rosters with them. Ditto the Raiders, Browns, Jets, or Titans, who have a ton of cap room.

 

[5thRing-Hunt]

Keep the Fork and pass the Mayo

 

[RayClay]

Neither

 

[zipster9]

We would save at least $6M by cutting WILFORK and signing Branch. I have no clue whether Belichick is willing to cut Wilfork.

We would save almost nothing cutting MAYO, paying his injury guaranteed salary and adding a mid-level free agent. We could save $4M by restructuring Mayo and move some his salary ($2M) to NLTBE bonuses (games on roster). Even without the NLTBE bonus move, $3M would be saved. CONCLUSION: Mayo is not going.

Keep Wilfork, re-structure contract (up front cash, reduce cap hit). Then, TRADE Mayo and get a 2nd/3rd rounder...

 

[PATS16N0]

Don't want to lose Mayo. Wouldn't mind signing Knighton somehow.
If Wilfork leaves, I would miss him but I'd be okay with it. Mayo has way more upside at this point.

Wilfork is only gonna' get older, slower, and less effective.

 

[Patriots1364life]

Lets hope big vince pulls a bruschi and helps us out by restructuring.

 

[Wilfork#75]

Mayo is a Pats lifer, he will end up being a coach here once he retires. I have no doubt he will take a pay cut and stick around.

Big Vince is a more difficult situation. There is no chance they bring him back at his current cap hit, but with so little guaranteed money on his contract it would be pretty simple to restructure/extend to save quite a bit of cap space. If Vince is willing to work with the Pats on this he will be back (which I think will be the case), if he's not he will be playing somewhere else next season.

 

[Gronkowski123]

let vince go and bring in the pot roast!
it would suck to see either of them go...

 

[kennyb]

Mayo has a huge contract. If he passes a physical there's a 6m dead money hit. Total cap hit of over 10m. Plus if you don't cut him this year you'd probably just cut him the following year.

convert his salary to nltbe incentives and save 4 to 5m on it. If he doesn't agree then cut.

Wilfork restructured last year but his money didn't really go down I don't think. So he should be willing to take a cut. But he probably won't. Not sure what they'd do.

Mayo has no trade value. Huge contract coming off nasty injury.

 

[meatface]

I am not a capologist but how on earth is this team tied up with cap issues and the donkeys have cap space after going on a spending spree.

because they had a bunch of players on cheap rookie deals and cheaped out in a bunch of places in order to bring in Talib, Ware and Ward. And they backloaded the deals too so they wont have to pay them much while Manning is with the team, they also have a number of free agents who will want big money