Requesting your input on Devin McCourty

• Will be expensive
• Might prevent a re-signing of Revis
• Duron Harmon is improving and is possibly being groomed to replace McCourty

• Probably the 3rd best pass defending safety in the league
• His ability to play single high allows us to do so much else in the secondary
• Smart and a defensive leader that has the respect of his colleagues
• Unless they feel Harmon can step in, replacing a top quality single high safety will be very difficult
• It would mean spending a fairly high draft pick on a replacement safety and there are other needs in the draft.

• Devin McCourty is a top 3-5 safety in this league. He great ball awareness and can man the over-the-top safety alone if necessary. He is rangy which allows the Pats to play the other safety closer to the box.
• McCourty is a leader and players look up to him. He is the captain of the defense and works much like Brady does on offense calling out assignments and formations.
• Belichick loves him. Even when many people felt his move to safety was a demotion, I don't think Belichick felt that way at all. I think Belichick knew the league was moving to a more man coverage type of league which isn't McCourty's strong suit, but he was too valuable to be sitting on the bench. He zone coverage skills as a CB made him an elite or near elite safety.

• Money. Earl Thomas and a few other recent signings at safety skewed what top safeties in this league make. Belichick just might not think a safety is worth $9-10 million a year.
• He might not give a home town discount. The Patriots like value. McCourty may just want to be paid. He might decide that he is going to go to the highest bidder no matter who is throwing around the money. Someone is likely to outbid the Pats.

Fencer said:

Why re-sign:

Team leader.
Second-best player in the secondary.
Excellent decisions, great range, makes some big plays.
Versatile enough to play CB, where he in fact made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Has been fairly durable after seeming more fragile earlier in his career (more in impaired play than in actual games missed)

Role:

QB of the secondary
Commonly the single deep safety, but plays other roles too.
Good ST contributor (blocks the gunner, correct?)
Too valuable to return kicks any more.

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everlong said:

The franchise tag is 6.7M for a safety for next year. He will 100% be on the roster. I could be wrong but if they franchised him a second year he would make roughly over 8M that season. I don't think the Patriots want to play hardball with him and I believe he wants to be here but if worst comes to worst 2 years a 14.7M is value IMO for everything he brings to the team.

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Miguel said:

The franchise tag number will be 6.713% of the 2015 league cap.
So if the league cap number is $142 million, the franchise tag number for a safety will be $9,532,000.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...e-tags-position-by-position-projected-numbers

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