Top FA/trade targets for the Patriots

[BobDigital]

What I would do.

Sign all the key Patriots players to long term deals, Collins, Hightower, Jones, ect..

Cut - Cannon
Restructure - Amendola

Sign

Hicks - DT
Marvin Jones - WR
Hooman - TE
Zach Miller - TE
Evan Mathis - G (1-2 year deal but could be a very solid pick up and allow you to bring the youngins along)
Lamar Miller - RB
Swing OT - I would need to look more into this but you should be able to get a good option.

I would prefer a trade of some kind for some high impact players at WR or pass rush DT.

For Pass rush DT I like a few options in FA but it sounds like they are not happening. Hicks isn't a bad player but I'd like a headliner there and don't want to have to depend on Easley to do it.

 

[Gronkowski123]

bring in incognito.
he'll toughen up the younger guards in no time..

 

[TBR]

I like this guy. He's coming off a broken tibia though.

 

[BradyBomb]

Patriots' greatest free-agent impact starts with Matt Forte, Dwayne Allen

I like this list from Mike Reiss a lot (beware, ESPN link). To save you the click even though it is Reiss, I will tell you his list: RB Matt Forte (Bears), TE Dwayne Allen (Colts), DT Akiem Hicks (Pats), WR Chris Hogan (Bills), WR Rod Streater (Raiders).

Of course we would all love Forte and Allen and want Hicks back but his picks of Hogan and Streater are interesting. Hogan is a RFA with the Bills, but the Bills are up against the salary cap, so he may not be tendered. He's 6'1" and 220 lbs with 77 receptions the last two years. Streater also might be a hidden gem of sorts - he was playing really well before getting hurt in 2014 and then got lost in the shuffle of new coaches and players last year and now is a FA. 6'2", 195 lbs, has run a sub 4.4 forty-yard dash I believe.

I also saw this article and think its a more realistic free agency for the Patriots. The pipe dream of Megatron, Gordon, etc is just not realistic or the way the Patriots operate. I do not want the Bengals receivers either as they are overrated and will be overpayed. I think this list would be a good haul. With Scar back and a subtraction of Cannon and some minor pickups and draftees the OL will be ok

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Marvin Jones would be a great fit in this offense, you'd be paying for what he would be doing, not what he has done. I think he could very realistically get 100o-1200 yards and 10 TDs in this offense, if it could get done with say a 5 year 30-35 million, not much more than they gave Amendola in 2013 (5 years 28.5 million) than I'd do it. It's unfortunate that's there's so little else out there, his price tag could get too high.

Kearse would be a nice fit if they miss out on Jones and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after Rishard Matthews. Regardless of who else they sign, I could see them signing Brian Quick, IIRC, I think they liked him coming out of school, could be a good value with some upside.

Martin and Miller would be nice at RB but likely too expensive. Forte seems like a logical choice, if they miss out on him, Ivory or Morris should be affordable. Tim Hightower could be a depth signing.

I'd really like to see Dwayne Allen paired up with Gronk. If he makes it to FA and his price tag is $4 million or lower, they should be all over it.

Maybe Brandon Boykin at CB.

Not sure if he has anything left but Chris Long said he only wants to play for a contender, plus he wrote this article last year before the SB:
A Player's Take on Deflategate | By Chris Long

Which included some of these quotes:

You want to know who handles the football more than anyone on the field? The refs. I’m not only talking about the pre-game inspection process. I’m talking about throughout the game, in between every play. Now, I’m not saying that an NFL referee should be a human psi (pounds per square inch) reading machine. (Silicon Valley, get on that.) But if a football feels so obviously different at 11 psi than it does at 13.5 psi — enough to argue that it lends a team a competitive advantage — maybe the best officials on the planet should have noticed something was awry that night at Gillette.

Let’s get down to it: this story isn’t as much about air pressure as it is about the cult of the New England Patriots. The Patriots are really good at two things: winning football games and not giving a **** what you think about them.

Belichick stole the show by calling an impromptu press conference and pulling the ultimate “have some” maneuver: he made the media wait, strolled in on his own schedule and went all Isaac Newton. The media, longing to get Coach Belichick’s time and attention for years, finally had it: in the form of a physics lesson. It was beautiful.

I know this for sure: the most perfect, pristine footballs of all time will be flying around that field in Glendale, Arizona this weekend. If the smoke clears on Monday and the Patriots are world champions, my hope is that everyone will appreciate the Patriots for sustaining one of the great runs by a franchise in league history. Either way, Bill Belichick won’t care what you think.

 

[supafly]

What I would do.

Sign all the key Patriots players to long term deals, Collins, Hightower, Jones, ect..

Cut - Cannon
Restructure - Amendola

Sign

Hicks - DT
Marvin Jones - WR
Hooman - TE
Zach Miller - TE
Evan Mathis - G (1-2 year deal but could be a very solid pick up and allow you to bring the youngins along)
Lamar Miller - RB
Swing OT - I would need to look more into this but you should be able to get a good option.

I would prefer a trade of some kind for some high impact players at WR or pass rush DT.

For Pass rush DT I like a few options in FA but it sounds like they are not happening. Hicks isn't a bad player but I'd like a headliner there and don't want to have to depend on Easley to do it.

Great list for fantasy purposes, but hard to imagine us getting ONE of these players, not to mention the unlikelihood of extending all of HT, Jones, Collins, and Butler.

 

[supafly]

bring in incognito.
he'll toughen up the younger guards in no time..

They should've done that last offseason, when the price was ridiculously cheap.

Of course, they may have been back to square one if they had agreed to a one year, prove it deal.

 

[Ross12]

I also saw this article and think its a more realistic free agency for the Patriots. The pipe dream of Megatron, Gordon, etc is just not realistic or the way the Patriots operate. I do not want the Bengals receivers either as they are overrated and will be overpayed. I think this list would be a good haul. With Scar back and a subtraction of Cannon and some minor pickups and draftees the OL will be ok

Yeah Reiss seems to have a good handle on a what a realistic free agency for the team looks like. I would still be ecstatic if they landed both Forte and Allen... Hicks is an important resigning, and while Streater & Hogan would both be good potential guys, my hope would be they would get at least one more "upside" WR either in FA or the draft.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Marvin Jones would be a great fit in this offense, you'd be paying for what he would be doing, not what he has done. I think he could very realistically get 100o-1200 yards and 10 TDs in this offense, if it could get done with say a 5 year 30-35 million, not much more than they gave Amendola in 2013 (5 years 28.5 million) than I'd do it. It's unfortunate that's there's so little else out there, his price tag could get too high.

Kearse would be a nice fit if they miss out on Jones and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after Rishard Matthews. Regardless of who else they sign, I could see them signing Brian Quick, IIRC, I think they liked him coming out of school, could be a good value with some upside.

Martin and Miller would be nice at RB but likely too expensive. Forte seems like a logical choice, if they miss out on him, Ivory or Morris should be affordable. Tim Hightower could be a depth signing.

I'd really like to see Dwayne Allen paired up with Gronk. If he makes it to FA and his price tag is $4 million or lower, they should be all over it.

Maybe Brandon Boykin at CB.

Not sure if he has anything left but Chris Long said he only wants to play for a contender, plus he wrote this article last year before the SB:
A Player's Take on Deflategate | By Chris Long

Which included some of these quotes:

You want to know who handles the football more than anyone on the field? The refs. I’m not only talking about the pre-game inspection process. I’m talking about throughout the game, in between every play. Now, I’m not saying that an NFL referee should be a human psi (pounds per square inch) reading machine. (Silicon Valley, get on that.) But if a football feels so obviously different at 11 psi than it does at 13.5 psi — enough to argue that it lends a team a competitive advantage — maybe the best officials on the planet should have noticed something was awry that night at Gillette.

Let’s get down to it: this story isn’t as much about air pressure as it is about the cult of the New England Patriots. The Patriots are really good at two things: winning football games and not giving a **** what you think about them.

Belichick stole the show by calling an impromptu press conference and pulling the ultimate “have some” maneuver: he made the media wait, strolled in on his own schedule and went all Isaac Newton. The media, longing to get Coach Belichick’s time and attention for years, finally had it: in the form of a physics lesson. It was beautiful.

I know this for sure: the most perfect, pristine footballs of all time will be flying around that field in Glendale, Arizona this weekend. If the smoke clears on Monday and the Patriots are world champions, my hope is that everyone will appreciate the Patriots for sustaining one of the great runs by a franchise in league history. Either way, Bill Belichick won’t care what you think.

$4m a year for Allen? Way too high.

 

[signbabybrady]

Marvin Jones would be a great fit in this offense, you'd be paying for what he would be doing, not what he has done. I think he could very realistically get 100o-1200 yards and 10 TDs in this offense, if it could get done with say a 5 year 30-35 million, not much more than they gave Amendola in 2013 (5 years 28.5 million) than I'd do it. It's unfortunate that's there's so little else out there, his price tag could get too high.

Kearse would be a nice fit if they miss out on Jones and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after Rishard Matthews. Regardless of who else they sign, I could see them signing Brian Quick, IIRC, I think they liked him coming out of school, could be a good value with some upside.

Martin and Miller would be nice at RB but likely too expensive. Forte seems like a logical choice, if they miss out on him, Ivory or Morris should be affordable. Tim Hightower could be a depth signing.

I'd really like to see Dwayne Allen paired up with Gronk. If he makes it to FA and his price tag is $4 million or lower, they should be all over it.

Maybe Brandon Boykin at CB.

Not sure if he has anything left but Chris Long said he only wants to play for a contender, plus he wrote this article last year before the SB:
A Player's Take on Deflategate | By Chris Long

Which included some of these quotes:

You want to know who handles the football more than anyone on the field? The refs. I’m not only talking about the pre-game inspection process. I’m talking about throughout the game, in between every play. Now, I’m not saying that an NFL referee should be a human psi (pounds per square inch) reading machine. (Silicon Valley, get on that.) But if a football feels so obviously different at 11 psi than it does at 13.5 psi — enough to argue that it lends a team a competitive advantage — maybe the best officials on the planet should have noticed something was awry that night at Gillette.

Let’s get down to it: this story isn’t as much about air pressure as it is about the cult of the New England Patriots. The Patriots are really good at two things: winning football games and not giving a **** what you think about them.

Belichick stole the show by calling an impromptu press conference and pulling the ultimate “have some” maneuver: he made the media wait, strolled in on his own schedule and went all Isaac Newton. The media, longing to get Coach Belichick’s time and attention for years, finally had it: in the form of a physics lesson. It was beautiful.

I know this for sure: the most perfect, pristine footballs of all time will be flying around that field in Glendale, Arizona this weekend. If the smoke clears on Monday and the Patriots are world champions, my hope is that everyone will appreciate the Patriots for sustaining one of the great runs by a franchise in league history. Either way, Bill Belichick won’t care what you think.

Kinda makes you ignore who his father is.

 

[Love The Drake]

Sign the man.

 

[captain stone]

THE #1 target should be: OLman Kelechi Osemele.
A 4-position stud, he can start immediately at LG and fill-in more than capably at LT, RG & RT.
He'll cost a lot of course, but at this stage of Brady's career he'll be worth every penny.

My dream OL on Opening Day:
Solder - Osemele - Mason (at Center, where he could be an All-Pro) - Stork - Vollmer
Backups: High-round draft pick LT - Kline - Andrews - Jackson - Fleming

Cannonfodder, naturally, must go as soon as it is financially expedient.

 

[Ross12]

I like this guy. He's coming off a broken tibia though.

Not a bad idea if he can get healthy. He can run and catch pretty decently. The market is kind of flooded with RBs this season so a lower profile guy like Robinson coming off injury would probably come pretty cheap. If the Pats miss out on Forte and aren't interested in Foster, Robinson could be a good pickup.

 

[crownontherocks]

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports free agent DE Mario Williams is visiting the Dolphins on Saturday.

 

[AvocadoIceCream]

Some of you need to step back and pump the breaks.

Go root for Miami if you want them to sign 2-3 of the top free agents. It ain't happening here!

 

[manxman2601]

Some of you need to step back and pump the breaks.

Go root for Miami if you want them to sign 2-3 of the top free agents. It ain't happening here!

I'd be fine with an off-season that nets us the equivalent of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Brandon LaFell and Patrick Chung.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

$4m a year for Allen? Way too high.

Top free agent TE on the market if he makes it to FA. Pats paid Chandler $3.250,000 this year. We've already had this discussion, no sense in going back and forth on it again.

 

[Joey007]

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports free agent DE Mario Williams is visiting the Dolphins on Saturday.

Lol where are they getting the cap space to do this..? Last I checked they didn't have much.

 

[ashley]

I think Mathis on the interior of our line would be ideal. I've heard a lot of people saying Forte so that probably means it won't happen...it would be very nice to have a backfield of Forte and Lewis though!!!

I was impressed with Hicks last year, so if we can resign him, that would be great!!!!

 

[Sciz]

Lol where are they getting the cap space to do this..? Last I checked they didn't have much.

I assume they'd have to lose Olivier Vernon before they can sign Williams. Vernon is currently on the cap for $12.7 million, so anything less for Williams would mean that they're saving money compared to where they are right now.