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- Apr 3, 2006
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We've been talking a lot about guys to bring, but what about the guys already here. Last offseason, I proposed extending Vereen, since he was generally in a "buy low" position and many of us thought he would finally break out. The Patriots, I'm sure, wish they had listened to us, because they probably could have locked him up for 3-4 years and 2.5-3.0M annually.
The Pats have quite a few players who will be free agents in 2016, and it's always a good idea avoiding these free agency situations where they often lose out to higher bidders. Of course, the value has to be there and they need to be sold on the player.
Dont'a Hightower- Seems to me like a great candidate for an extension because they are not going to pay $13M to franchise him. Hightower is one of the young cornerstones of our defense and has demonstrated great leadership as well.
Nate Solder- Patriots picked up his option and will pay him $7.4M. There have been doubts about whether he's the long-term answer at LT, and the pendulum seems to have swung back to "probably" instead of "probably not." An extension would make sense to lessen this year's cap hit and solidify him as Brady's protector... there are few positions as important as LT when we are talking about stability and the importance of familiarity with the system and offense.
Stephen Gostowski- The franchise tag should be an indication that the Patriots want to keep Gost for a long time. At 31, he still has a lot of years ahead of him. Unlikely they'd apply the franchise tag again, and it's very likely some team will pay him a lot since he is a Patriot. I think he is the top candidate for an extension this offseason.
Ryan Allen- People seem to have mixed feelings about Allen as a punter. We have seen the kicking and punting game make a huge difference in the last two Super Bowls we've played in. Like Gostowski, Allen could expect pretty big money by virtue of teams collecting the Patriots free agents and beating them off the field rather than on it.
LeGarrette Blount- Blount doesn't appear to be slowing down, and I think he realizes he needs the structure in his life that playing for Belichick provides him. I wonder if he'd be open to a 2 year extension for maybe $3M? It is possible, though, that BB would see year 2 as two risky and prefer to take his chances on free agency looking for one more year.
Tim Wright- I doubt the Patriots see the value in Wright at the moment to invest in him beyond this next season. We'll see if he can develop.
Chandler Jones- Patriots have a club option for 2016, so extending him wouldn't make a lot of sense right now. If Jones performs similarly this year as he has so far in his career, it's going to be a tough decision whether or not to pay someone like a top DE when he is at least one step below that class. I have a feeling that Jones will end up being an agonizing decision for the Pats front office. He has played well, just not as well as we keep expecting him to play.
The Pats have quite a few players who will be free agents in 2016, and it's always a good idea avoiding these free agency situations where they often lose out to higher bidders. Of course, the value has to be there and they need to be sold on the player.
Dont'a Hightower- Seems to me like a great candidate for an extension because they are not going to pay $13M to franchise him. Hightower is one of the young cornerstones of our defense and has demonstrated great leadership as well.
Nate Solder- Patriots picked up his option and will pay him $7.4M. There have been doubts about whether he's the long-term answer at LT, and the pendulum seems to have swung back to "probably" instead of "probably not." An extension would make sense to lessen this year's cap hit and solidify him as Brady's protector... there are few positions as important as LT when we are talking about stability and the importance of familiarity with the system and offense.
Stephen Gostowski- The franchise tag should be an indication that the Patriots want to keep Gost for a long time. At 31, he still has a lot of years ahead of him. Unlikely they'd apply the franchise tag again, and it's very likely some team will pay him a lot since he is a Patriot. I think he is the top candidate for an extension this offseason.
Ryan Allen- People seem to have mixed feelings about Allen as a punter. We have seen the kicking and punting game make a huge difference in the last two Super Bowls we've played in. Like Gostowski, Allen could expect pretty big money by virtue of teams collecting the Patriots free agents and beating them off the field rather than on it.
LeGarrette Blount- Blount doesn't appear to be slowing down, and I think he realizes he needs the structure in his life that playing for Belichick provides him. I wonder if he'd be open to a 2 year extension for maybe $3M? It is possible, though, that BB would see year 2 as two risky and prefer to take his chances on free agency looking for one more year.
Tim Wright- I doubt the Patriots see the value in Wright at the moment to invest in him beyond this next season. We'll see if he can develop.
Chandler Jones- Patriots have a club option for 2016, so extending him wouldn't make a lot of sense right now. If Jones performs similarly this year as he has so far in his career, it's going to be a tough decision whether or not to pay someone like a top DE when he is at least one step below that class. I have a feeling that Jones will end up being an agonizing decision for the Pats front office. He has played well, just not as well as we keep expecting him to play.
