OT: Larry Fitzgerald does not expect to be back with the Cardinals next season

supafly said:

I think the issue will quickly become having to pay Josh Gordon either the same as Fitzgerald, if not even more.

I don't know how it's going to play out as to whether or not Gordon is a FA in 2016 or not, but giving up a high draft pick may not be worth one year of service.

With LF, you know exactly what you're getting. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind one guaranteed year of headcase Gordon at the right price either

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No way Gordon gets the same as Fitzy. Hes too much of a loose cannon. One more screw up and hes working at Micky D's.

At least Fitzy is a proven commodity that should get big money in year 1 and year 2 of a deal.

If he is cut and willing to play on a value contract plus incentives, then the Pats should take a shot at him. Otherwise, stay away.

He is going to 32 next season, hasn't had a 1,000 yard season in the last three seasons, and isn't even the leading receiver on his own team. He is not the player he used to be.

robertweathers said:

No way Gordon gets the same as Fitzy. Hes too much of a loose cannon. One more screw up and hes working at Micky D's.

At least Fitzy is a proven commodity that should get big money in year 1 and year 2 of a deal.

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That all depends on which Josh Gordon we see.

We all know his obvious talent and young age, which often equates to a pretty nice payday.

The issue will be how he handles himself in the coming year.

Rob0729 said:

If he is cut and willing to play on a value contract plus incentives, then the Pats should take a shot at him. Otherwise, stay away.

He is going to 32 next season, hasn't had a 1,000 yard season in the last three seasons, and isn't even the leading receiver on his own team. He is not the player he used to be.

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I think your thoughts wrap things up quite nicely. I think some here are assuming that Fitzgerald is going to command some kind of huge deal again. That may not be the case, especially if he goes to a contender.

It won't be "cheap," but it's not going to be close to the last deal either.

and besides, he'd NEVER play for NE...now the Jets , that's a different story. He'd die to play for the up and coming Jets and probably waive that entire contract to play for an incentive laden team friendly deal.

ctpatsfan77 said:

Wasn't Joey Galloway 37 or 38 when the Pats signed him?

I still doubt it happens, but it bears watching.

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What exactly is your point there?

I'm definitely for letting revis and maybe McCourty go, because we definitely need a third wide receiver.

supafly said:

That all depends on which Josh Gordon we see.

We all know his obvious talent and young age, which often equates to a pretty nice payday.

The issue will be how he handles himself in the coming year.

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Agreed. If any coach/org can reel the young lad in, its the NEP.

Sign the beast.

shmessy said:

The sun rises....the sun sets....and we have our umpteenth Patsfans.com Larry Fitzgerald to the Pats speculation thread:
/

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Well, if it happens this offseason, we'll know that we need to put up ten threads to acquire a player.

supafly said:

I think the issue will quickly become having to pay Josh Gordon either the same as Fitzgerald, if not even more.

I don't know how it's going to play out as to whether or not Gordon is a FA in 2016 or not, but giving up a high draft pick may not be worth one year of service.

With LF, you know exactly what you're getting. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind one guaranteed year of headcase Gordon at the right price either

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Sign the beasts?

I'm not sure it's worth acquiring Fitzgerald for more than pennies on the dollar at this stage. Sure, he may put up good numbers and I am sure he'll be reinvigorated with Tom Brady throwing him the football. Given our pending free agents or players up for extensions, I'm just not sure the cap space is there to pursue the option.

I am of the opinion that Gordon would flourish with the Patriots. The team has the lockerroom and leadership to ship him into shape. That said, I doubt this move is made.

Receiver is not as glaring a need as resigning Revis and DMac, reinforcing the offensive line and defensive front seven, running back, and tight end IMHO.

Gordon and/or Fitzgerald would be below the above areas on the totem pole. There is enough young potential on the team right now with Dobson, Tyms, Boyce, etc. Also, LaFell plays the role Fitzgerald supposedly wants to play but is not ATM IIRC.

sevengables_2207 said:

Receiver is not as glaring a need as resigning Revis and DMac, reinforcing the offensive line and defensive front seven, running back, and tight end IMHO.

Gordon and/or Fitzgerald would be below the above areas on the totem pole. There is enough young potential on the team right now with Dobson, Tyms, Boyce, etc. Also, LaFell plays the role Fitzgerald supposedly wants to play but is not ATM IIRC.

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Sometimes you need to head down the proven commodity path opposed to relying on potential. I have high hopes for Dobson but if he bombs out next season, the Patriots should probably look at acquiring Free Agent Wide Receivers in the future and leave the draft alone when considering WRs (unless it's a can't miss, sliding prospect).

ausbacker said:

Sometimes you need to head down the proven commodity path opposed to relying on potential. I have high hopes for Dobson but if he bombs out next season, the Patriots should probably look at acquiring Free Agent Wide Receivers in the future and leave the draft alone when considering WRs (unless it's a can't miss, sliding prospect).

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Good point. I would like to see the Patriots be proactive in setting themselves up to have some alternatives should their young receivers not pan out. Free agency is probably the best means of acquiring the talent, because the college game, for the most part, churns out receivers who do not come from pro style systems.

I remember reading when Pats scouted Fitz, he rated higher than anyone they "ever" scouted.

He would seem to be just the type of receiver we need. He may not have the same top end speed, but Brady does not throw the long ball like he did when we had Moss.

Fitz is still fast enough to stretch the defense, but I believe he would excel playing with Brady because he is an excellent slant route receiver who has great hands and good size and he has never been afraid to go across the middle. Brady throws the best over the middle slant pass of any quarterback I have ever seen.

I can also picture Brady throwing
One of the Patriots favorite pass plays.

Brady gets the snap and Fitz is lined up wide to the left. Fitz steps back a
Yard or two and Brady throws a horizontal pass to Fitz with LaFell
Blocking.

Fitz would also be a great Redzone receiver because of his hands &
Tremendous jumping ability.

I believe Fitz is just the type of guy
Belichick dreams about.

There are a lot of creative ways to structure a contract without taking a
Major cap hit in the first year or two.

Where there is a will, there's a way !

RayClay said:

I'm definitely for letting revis and maybe McCourty go, because we definitely need a third wide receiver.

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If Revis is extended, his 25m dollar cap hit is off the books and replaced with a much more manageable one, so I'm not sure where you're getting the whole "Revis/McCourty versus other needs" idea from? That seems to be a popular misconception going around. We're currently on the hook for a 25m dollar cap hit with Revis' 2nd year option, and that's very unlikely to stay on the books in my opinion.

As a matter of fact, we could potentially retain BOTH Revis and McCourty (franchise tag) and still end up with a few million dollars saved on the cap. It's really about extending Darrelle Revis or replacing him with another CB (which no one wants to do). Either way, it shouldn't stop the team from improving in other areas, and I don't understand how the salary cap prevents any of it from happening? Either Revis is extended and it saves money, or he goes somewhere else and it saves a LOT of money.

The answer should be to add a "third wide receiver" via low/mid level free agency and the draft, which provides much better value. Anyone arguing against the need of improvement on Amendola/Tyms/Dobson/Boyce/Slater (FIVE wasted "receivers") needs to have their head checked in my opinion. Obviously, it needs to be addressed on some level. I don't believe that there are too many who actually believe that Larry Fitzgerald is really going to walk through the door this spring, but there's nothing wrong with weighing the pros and cons and having a reasonable debate.

cupofjoe1962 said:

I believe Fitz is just the type of guy
Belichick dreams about.

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I agree.

Larry Fitzgerald is Darrelle Revis on the other side of the ball. He's guaranteed to pick the offense up, produce, and likely flourish. He's the kind of guy that gives you everything in every situation, whether it be practice, film study, etc. He's the ultimate professional and would instantly upgrade the offense tremendously.

I think the odds are low of him actually coming here though.

RayClay said:

What exactly is your point there?

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The appropriate comparison is not with Galloway but with R. Moss, whom the Patriots signed when he was 30. If the Pats signed Fitzgerald in the off season, he would be 31. Moss had three outstanding years with us. Fitzgerald should be good for at least two, and he comes without the baggage that Randy brought and that ultimately led to his departure.

RayClay said:

I'm definitely for letting revis and maybe McCourty go, because we definitely need a third wide receiver.

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Obviously revis and dmac won't be let go because of this but we badly need help at wide out. Its a pile of crap after edelman and lafell.

supafly said:

If Revis is extended, his 25m dollar cap hit is off the books and replaced with a much more manageable one, so I'm not sure where you're getting the whole "Revis/McCourty versus other needs" idea from? That seems to be a popular misconception going around. We're currently on the hook for a 25m dollar cap hit with Revis' 2nd year option, and that's very unlikely to stay on the books in my opinion.

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5m of Revis' contract will hit the cap no matter what. If he gets a contract with lets say 14m per year and it is not specifically structured differently this means that instead of 25m we will pay him 19m.. that is not a huge save..

I doubt that we will see any of the Hernandez money (if he is found guilty) before 2016 if not 2017. I think you are underestimating how tight the cap situation really is (if we resign most of our FA)..

You'd have to cut someone big to have some space for a WR that gets more than 5m+..