Ramifications of the July 15th Cutoff Date on Extending Tagged Players

[Pat_Nasty]

per the NFLPA Calendar:

July 14, Saturday

* Any club designating a Franchise Player shall have until 4 pm EDT to sign the player to a multi-year contract or extension. After July 14 the player may sign only a one-year Player Contract with his Prior Club, and such Player Contract may not be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.

Basically, what this says is that if anything is going to happen with Asante, if he's going to be extended or traded or what have you, it needs to happen by July 14th, 4pm. Previously, before the new CBA, this is around when teams were just being allowed to start negotiations with their franchised players -- and the negotiations could carry well into camp and the regular season.

What this deadline does is basically tie the Patriots hands, and prevent them from further negotiating. Starting July 15th, Samuel's only options will be to sign his tender and play, or wait 10 weeks before signing his tender and playing.

Since no contract extension can be negotiated, Samuel cannot posit his hold-out as conditional on the team doing something. Previously, franchised players could continue their holdout well into camp, promising to report for camp if the team would only sweeten the pot, or promise not to franchise him next year.

Now, the July 14th deadline makes this impossible. At that point, Samuel's choice will be binary -- either sign the tender and play, or hold out for 10 weeks, sign the tender, and play the latter half of the season. He will no longer be able to put the onus of reconciliation on the franchise.

What this tells me is that, barring a last-minute trade or extension, we'll know shortly after July 14th what's going to happen with Samuel -- if the hold-out threat is only a bluff, part of his present negotiations, than he'll quickly change his tune and say he's reporting for camp. If he really is as angry and hurt as he says he is, than he just might hold out.

Either way, since there's nothing the Pats can do differently after that point, there's no reason for Samuel not to just lay down his hand.

 

[Mix]

per the NFLPA Calendar:

Basically, what this says is that if anything is going to happen with Asante, if he's going to be extended or traded or what have you, it needs to happen by July 14th, 4pm. Previously, before the new CBA, this is around when teams were just being allowed to start negotiations with their franchised players -- and the negotiations could carry well into camp and the regular season.

What this deadline does is basically tie the Patriots hands, and prevent them from further negotiating. Starting July 15th, Samuel's only options will be to sign his tender and play, or wait 10 weeks before signing his tender and playing.

Since no contract extension can be negotiated, Samuel cannot posit his hold-out as conditional on the team doing something. Previously, franchised players could continue their holdout well into camp, promising to report for camp if the team would only sweeten the pot, or promise not to franchise him next year.

Now, the July 14th deadline makes this impossible. At that point, Samuel's choice will be binary -- either sign the tender and play, or hold out for 10 weeks, sign the tender, and play the latter half of the season. He will no longer be able to put the onus of reconciliation on the franchise.

What this tells me is that, barring a last-minute trade or extension, we'll know shortly after July 14th what's going to happen with Samuel -- if the hold-out threat is only a bluff, part of his present negotiations, than he'll quickly change his tune and say he's reporting for camp. If he really is as angry and hurt as he says he is, than he just might hold out.

Either way, since there's nothing the Pats can do differently after that point, there's no reason for Samuel not to just lay down his hand.

I believe you are wrong on the parts I bolded. From what I understand this deadline is only for signing a long-term deal, it doesn't prevent NE from signing and then trading Asante after that date, so we won't really know what is going to happen with Asante at that time.

 

[arrellbee]

That raises an interesting point. If a player signs a 1 year franchise player contract, can the team trade him to another team under that contract ?

 

[JR4]

Seems like the restriction is with "his Prior Club", the Patriots.
If a trade was to happen it seems there would have to be agreement between
parties involved.
Samuel would have to sign PATs franschise offer so he would be under contract
then Pats could trade him.
Then the new team would rewrite the franchise contract according to whatever agreement they made with Samuel.
It also seems this could be done upto trade dead line when ever that is.

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

That raises an interesting point. If a player signs a 1 year franchise player contract, can the team trade him to another team under that contract ?

Simply...yes.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The player can either be traded after signing his tag - and then his new team is free to sign him to a long term deal, or he can sign a one year deal that is not the franchise tag (as Shawn Alexander did with Seattle stipulating he would not be tagged again) and either play here or be traded. The only thing that can't be traded is the right to tag him (or re-tag him).

All the July 15th deadline impacts is his/our ability to sign a long term deal HERE. Which they can still do in 2007 but not before the last week of the regular season through the first day of FA in 2008. If they haven't re-signed him in that window, then the dance starts over again and they either have to re-tag him or he automatically becomes a FA.

 

[mgteich]

I think the July 14th is important to us. If Samuel isn't signed to a long-term deal, he will not likely be signing one with the patriots, ever. And, BTW, it is absolutely irrelevant to me whether an out-of-game-shape player appears in Week 10. He won't be playing. To me, after July 14th, there will be three options:

1) Samuel will play by Game 2 and for the rest of the season

2) Samuel will be traded

3) Samuel will sit out and not play

If a deal can't be worked out, I am rooting for #2

 

[fgssand]

Do the Patriots send a message here??

Assante, sign a long term deal or sign the tender and play this year for 7.9MM , otherwise, guess what, if you hold out to week 10 - we will franchise you again and we do this dance all over again.

How much value will Zant have if he were to be franchised twice and only play 1/2 seasons each year?

How much of a distraction would all of that be and would it be worth it? Probably not, I say Patriots would trade him and move on, just as they did with Meion.

 

[Miguel]

Ramifications of the July 16th Cutoff Date on Extending Tagged Players

The CBA says

"Any Club designating a Franchise Player shall have until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on July 15 of the League Year (or, if July 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the first Monday thereafter) for which the designation takes effect to sign the player to a multi-year contract or extension. After that date, the player may sign only a one-year Player Contract with his Prior Club for that season, and such Player Contract may not be extended until after the Club’s last regular season game."

So it is not EOB, the 14th but EOB, the 16th as the deadline for the Patriots and Samuel to reach a long-term with each other.

--
Miguel (who thinks that he will post this several more times)

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Ramifications of the July 16th Cutoff Date on Extending Tagged Players

I would be surprised to see Asante traded THIS season mainly because we'd really be looking for a CB which narrows the possibilities. My guess is that he plays hardball and comes to play late in the season. We'll most probably need injury relief by then.

 

[patfanken]

Actually the idea of a trade requires another team to be a willing partner. Again I have doubts that there is ANOTHER team out there who will be willing to put up the kind of money Assante wants AND give the Pats a package of draft picks that would conclude the deal.

Clearly I was wrong when I made a similar statement concerning Deion Branch. . However now we are talking about a lot more money than even the Branch deal that Seattle paid out. Samuel (@ $60-80MM) is a huge investment for ANY team, so teams will tread very gingerly in an attempt to sign him

 

[PatsFan37]

Actually the idea of a trade requires another team to be a willing partner. Again I have doubts that there is ANOTHER team out there who will be willing to put up the kind of money Assante wants AND give the Pats a package of draft picks that would conclude the deal.

Clearly I was wrong when I made a similar statement concerning Deion Branch. . However now we are talking about a lot more money than even the Branch deal that Seattle paid out. Samuel (@ $60-80MM) is a huge investment for ANY team, so teams will tread very gingerly in an attempt to sign him

This is different than Branch. Branch was not allowed to seek a trade, but when he did, he immediately came back with a deal and a first-round pick. Asante is permitted to seek a trade and in several months has not come back with a deal, or at least one with sufficient compensation in picks.

There's been a lot of press about Vasher and Clements affecting Samuel, but just as powerfully, Branch may be affecting Samuel. Some people said Branch was good and others argued Brady made him good. Some people say Samuel is good and others argue that with that front seven, anyone would be good. It's a weaker argument with Samuel, since CB's are much more on an island, but it's there nonetheless.

What team out there wants to be the 2007 version of Seattle?