2014 Off-Season Additions for the Offense

ATippett56 said:

Tight end Anthony Fasano received a 4 year, $16 million contract from the Kansas City Chiefs.

http://overthecap.com/cap.php?Name=Anthony Fasano&Position=TE&Team=Chiefs

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Wow higher than I'd expect for Fasano. The Pats have enough funds to get one guy in one offensive grouping. I don't even know if they can afford to land another WR over $5M after the $29M they just spent on Amendola. Plus they have a huge need at upgrading the offensive line center position.

I lover what Blount brings to this team but I doubt he will be back. He should be able to get more than the Patriots are willing to give him in free agency. I doubt the Patriots would go beyond 2 years with him and I don't see them going over 2.5-3 million a season. When power backs decline it is almost always instantly and i think they feel like that's a role they can replace on the cheap.

Edelman is the offensive priority, hopefully they can get him for 4-16 with a big chunk guaranteed (8-10). If someone wants to give him 30 million then I believe he will be gone, but I hope they get creative and find a way to get this one done.

I would like to see them get an interior OL in free agency but don't see them spending much there, I think the draft is where they are going to look to address their offensive needs, and i would love to see them gto offense with their first 2 picks, and if they could come out of it with Amaro and Odell Beckham (WR LSU) then I believe their offense would be close to being back in peak condition. Now that would almost certainly mean getting the #33 from Houston because neither will be on the board when they pick in the 2nd, but imo that is a serious possibility and not a pipedream. If they could then get a guy like Swanson with their 2nd then they would have addressed their offensive needs without using very much of their cap space on them.


Beckham is a superior athlete with big play ability (19 yards per Rec.) but the question, as with any receiver, would be his ability to understand their offense, if he has that capability then he's a great prospect, but from a distance that is always the most difficult thing to know about any receiving prospect.

They don't have a lot of cap space but they should be able to manufacture some, if they re-sign Edelman and go this route for TE and WR then they can use what remains to address defensive needs.

There are rumors that the relationship between Graham and Saints is kind of complicated because they want to tag him with the TE tag which would give him 6mi only.

NO is trying to steal him for a year. The appeal has been written and will filed on the day that NO tries this stunt. Graham was lined up as a WR twice as often as he was lined up as a TE.

varjao said:

There are rumors that the relationship between Graham and Saints is kind of complicated because they want to tag him with the TE tag which would give him 6mi only.

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DropKickFlutie said:

Decker probably isn't leaving Denver

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My guess is Decker will go to the raiders. $60 mill in cap. Expect them to be huge spenders. He will go where the $$ is and the best deal won't come from denver

Pats don't have a lot of cap room..near the bottom of the league..so don't expect them to spend $$ on WRs unless cheap. Even if boldin were to leave SF..don't think pats could afford him with edelman..oline needs ect

Presume that we keep either Amendola or Edelman.
Presume that we sign a top corner (Talib or another)
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How would YOU first use free ageny cap money.

1) Sign Edleman (keeping both Amendola and Edelman)

2) Sign a downfield receiver.

3) Sign a top tight end.

4) Sign a center.

WHICH WOULD HELP THE OFFENSE MOST?

Yes, I understand that we will be producing cap room and may be able to do much more. I am still interested in how folks would evaluate the options above.

mgteich said:

Presume that we keep either Amendola or Edelman.
Presume that we sign a top corner (Talib or another)
=================================
How would YOU use free ageny cap money.

1) Sign Edleman (keeping both Amendola and Edelma)

2) Sign a downfield receiver.

3) Sign a top tight end.

4) Sign a center.

WHICH WOULD HELP THE OFFENSE MOST?

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The bolded quite comfortably.

Amendola and Moe could replicate Edelman's offensive offerings, Dobson will be a year on plus we might get something out of Mark Harrison and the upgrade at center won't be nearly as important as upgrading TE and giving Brady a bigger body over the middle.

mgteich said:

Presume that we keep either Amendola or Edelman.
Presume that we sign a top corner (Talib or another)
=================================
How would YOU first use free ageny cap money.

1) Sign Edleman (keeping both Amendola and Edelman)

2) Sign a downfield receiver.

3) Sign a top tight end.

4) Sign a center.

WHICH WOULD HELP THE OFFENSE MOST?

Yes, I understand that we will be producing cap room and may be able to do much more. I am still interested in how folks would evaluate the options above.

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manxman2601 said:

The bolded quite comfortably.

Amendola and Boyce/Moe could replicate Edelman's offensive offerings, Dobson will be a year on plus we might get something out of Mark Harrison and the upgrade at center won't be nearly as important as upgrading TE and giving Brady a bigger body over the middle.

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I'd opt for either 3 or 4, preferably both. I think that keeping Brady upright and not on the run would be tremendously important for the offense, so if I had the option to sign someone like Alex Mack I'd do it in a flash. But the cost of signing a quality veteran TE like Brandon Pettigrew should be considerably less, and would also have a tremendous impact on the offense. I would rate those two as considerably more valuable than keeping both Amendola and Edelman.

mayoclinic said:

I'd opt for either 3 or 4, preferably both. I think that keeping Brady upright and not on the run would be tremendously important for the offense, so if I had the option to sign someone like Alex Mack I'd do it in a flash. But the cost of signing a quality veteran TE like Brandon Pettigrew should be considerably less, and would also have a tremendous impact on the offense. I would rate those two as considerably more valuable than keeping both Amendola and Edelman.

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I don't really see Boyce as a slot guy, more an offensive burner on the outside. Like him a lot though. I am excited by the potential of Boyce*, Moe, Harrison and McGuffie as potential additions to this offense. I know most, and maybe all, won't hit but if just one or two does then we're laughing.


*Included Boyce because he didn't contribute much this year.

Would being able to find an affordable way out of Onthemendola's contract be considered
addition by subtraction?

Danario alexander. There's your wr! There! Cheap too.

Scott chandler. Alex Mack if they cut enough dead weight.

kennyb said:

Danario alexander. There's your wr! There! Cheap too.

Scott chandler. Alex Mack if they cut enough dead weight.

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Danario Alexander is lucky if he can still hobble to the bathroom these days, with both torn up knees. I'd be interested in just about any potential addition if the price is right though.

Alex Mack is going to command some serious coin. We're talking about an OL where we'd have Mankins, Mack, and Vollmer ALL making premium dollar at their positions, with Nate Solder due his 5th year option soon and a new extension waiting in the wings? That seems awfully unrealistic to me, personally. I have a hard time with these top rated players at their positions for major money. That isn't normally Belichick's M.O.

As ctpatsfan77 said yesterday, we need to consider drafting one/both of TEs Amaro and Lynch. That would be an instant upgrade of significant size and talent, and even better TE is a position unlike WR, where we can see a more immediate return in the investment as their responsibilities are added throughout the year; much like Gronk/Hernandez in 2010.

Option #2 would be to try and pry Tony Gonzalez out of retirement with one last shot at potentially going to the Super Bowl for good money. That would be the kind of middle of the field, physical presence that we're looking for.

Option #3 would be one of the top 2 options + bringing in another more physical downfield threat in free agency.

I think Edelman stays as the grass is pretty green here with best friend Brady, in an offense that guarantees him many targets. On top of that, he's guaranteed to be in a winning environment with SB aspirations every season, and a scheme that he knows inside and out. That could even mean a 1-2 year deal, but there has to be a middle ground between (much like Welker) between making nothing and suddenly making what Welker made after 6 seasons of not only staying healthy, but also catching over 100+ balls.

Cap, you need to keep up. Our understanding of Amendola's contract has changed.

We would save $2.88M of 2014 cap room by cutting Amendola before March 11. The cap money would be available to sign the rookies in June.

Patriots Salary Cap

captain stone said:

Would being able to find an affordable way out of Onthemendola's contract be considered
addition by subtraction?

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I think they keep the young receivers and see what a second year in the system with Brady brings. All three showed good potential from time to time should develop much better chemistry with Brady thus becoming more of a threat offensively going forward. Most receivers aren't All Pro their rookie year they develop into them. I feel they'll draft for the OL and TE positions.

As for defense I feel they go for/draft some young stud DL (one or possibly two) as the Jets did this past year and a another CB.

Just my two cents.

mgteich said:

Cap, you need to keep up. Our understanding of Amendola's contract has changed.

We would save $2.88M of 2014 cap room by cutting Amendola before March 11. The cap money would be available to sign the rookies in June.

Patriots Salary Cap

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Not quite.

That requires the Pats designate him as a post-June 2 cut, which means that his cap hit wouldn't drop until then.

It would also put some of the dead money that would normally hit in 2014 in 2015.

mgteich said:

Cap, you need to keep up. Our understanding of Amendola's contract has changed.

We would save $2.88M of 2014 cap room by cutting Amendola before March 11. The cap money would be available to sign the rookies in June.

Patriots Salary Cap

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Wow. Now this is interesting. I'm ready to flip flop on Edelman now and say sign him for 4 years 16-20 million and cut Amendola.

I don't get why people want to cut Amendola yet keep Edelman around for the same relative contract. Amendola came up big in a few games and played the whole season with a torn groin, missing a few games as well as with a concussion.

Yes the knock on Amendola is his durability, but Edelman is just as fragile. Since when has he ever been reliable and consistently healthy outside of this year? So many fans love to overlook that.

If the choice ever comes down to Amendola vs. Edelman, I keep Amendola. He's a better player than Edelman and will actually cost money to release. Edelman is a product of the Patriots' system. Any slot WR in this offense will produce. Edelman isn't half the receiver he is if he were to go elsewhere. Who knows if he'll even be able to stay healthy (I know same can be questioned of Amendola).

If the Patriots go into next season with Amendola, Boyce, Dobson, Slater, and maybe Thompkins (depending on any veteran WR additions such as Emmanuel Sanders or even another rookie WR), as long as they can reinforce the Offensive Line and get any sort of production out of their Tight Ends they will be ok.

Your analysis is fine.

The point is that we have a choice to make by March 11, presuming that we know that we have a tentative deal with Edelman.

MTM558 said:

I don't get why people want to cut Amendola yet keep Edelman around for the same relative contract. Amendola came up big in a few games and played the whole season with a torn groin, missing a few games as well as with a concussion.

Yes the knock on Amendola is his durability, but Edelman is just as fragile. Since when has he ever been reliable and consistently healthy outside of this year? So many fans love to overlook that.

If the choice ever comes down to Amendola vs. Edelman, I keep Amendola. He's a better player than Edelman and will actually cost money to release. Edelman is a product of the Patriots' system. Any slot WR in this offense will produce. Edelman isn't half the receiver he is if he were to go elsewhere. Who knows if he'll even be able to stay healthy (I know same can be questioned of Amendola).

If the Patriots go into next season with Amendola, Boyce, Dobson, Slater, and maybe Thompkins (depending on any veteran WR additions such as Emmanuel Sanders or even another rookie WR), as long as they can reinforce the Offensive Line and get any sort of production out of their Tight Ends they will be ok.

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I don't see the conflict between your post and mine. I apologize for any confusion.

I agree that the $2.88M in cap room will not be available until June 2nd when we start signing rookies. In any case, we will need to have double that amount available after June 1.

I agree that this cut would move some of the unamortized bonus (dead money) to 2015.

The key is that we have to lay out EXACTLY ZERO new money, if we so choose. All of Amendola's 2014 compensation is avoidable.

DEJU ALL OVER AGAIN
Last year, Belichick chose between Welker and Amendola, and might have signed both.
This year, Belichick must choose between Amendola and Edelman, and might sign both.

ctpatsfan77 said:

Not quite.

That requires the Pats designate him as a post-June 2 cut, which means that his cap hit wouldn't drop until then.

It would also put some of the dead money that would normally hit in 2014 in 2015.

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