Can someone who KNOWS clarify the legality of tag-and-trade?

[VJ11]

1. The Patriots use the franchise tag in order to retain his rights for one more season. This consists of Cassel signing a 1-year tender, which is worth at least the minimum of the top 5 salaries at his position. By signing the tender, Cassel consents to stay with the Patriots for the upcoming season if nothing else happens. After the next season he is an unrestricted FA again.
2. By Cassel signing the tender, the Patriots retain his rights. By owning these rights, they can do several things that include offering him a multi-year deal which would be a significant improvement over his previous contract, as well as trading him to another team for the right compensation, in this case a first round pick and a second round pick. The other team is now obliged to offer him a satisfactory compensation package, instead of the Patriots.

The only people who object to this order of actions are the agents who see the possibility disappear to offer their client to the highest bidder without restrictions, and players who feel they are already with one foot out the door.

 

[fgssand]

Basically Cassel is going to work out a deal and then come to the Pats to approve and execute. This is going to be a very smooth process. Cassel is working with us amicably, and he has lots of suitors. This should go down in a neat, win-win process.

I agree, sound reasonable and I feel is exactly what will happen and why not.

Patriots have treated MC right and MC is going to leave here with true class and we will all wish him the very best (unless and until we play VS him).

Patriots usually do treat their players right, even the ones they cut or cannot work out a deal with (yes, I know there are exceptions, but very few leave here bitter).

 

[Funktopus]

Well, they don't exactly want to be on the hook for $14.6M, either. . . .

Maybe they don't want to pay 14.6M for a backup, but at some point the Pats must have discussed the possibility that Cassel could be a 14.6M backup and that this scenario would be an acceptable way to preserve the value of their assets. Should any offer for Cassel materialize, I'd also expect the Pats to try to maximize the value of that offer.

2nd, Dunn is obligated to maximize the remuneration of his own client, Cassel. Presumably, he's done that already by advising Matt to sign the franchise tender. And if the Pats are willing to trade Cassel (and we all think they are) then Dunn will be obligated to get Cassel the best offer he can get.

3rd, and this is the interesting part as far as i'm concerned. The suitors for Cassel must engage in separate negotiations with Dunn and the Pats for what looks to me like the same transaction. They exchange value in the form of draft picks to the Pats and they exchange money with Cassel that impacts their cap and bottom line. If I were the potential suitor I'd evaluate the entire deal, both what I have to give up to the Pats and what I have to give up to Matt Cassel. If the deal in total isn't attractive then I wouldn't be interested.

So that's why I thought it was interesting (after reading this thread and learning that subterfuge wasn't necessary to trade a franchised player) that BB said, "We look forward to working with Matt again in 2009." BB wants to make sure that the Pats get the better end of the total transaction in what could be a 14.6M dollar game of chicken.

Then again, I could attribute all this to too much free time and an overactive imagination.

-F