Do We Dare Ask?

[mgteich]

JUST WONDERING

What will Belichick and Pioli do with $12M of free agent money, now unspent. Were there really no players who could have been a one-year contracts as upgrades? or even two year contracts with high first year salaries, instead of bonuses. Will we just shake our heads as we look at the bottom three roster players, and wonder whether our SB chances would have been better with two or three additions who would have cost say $4M a year each, paid out at say $5 and $3M over two years, or even $6M and $2M?

Perhaps we will extend a couple of players, with high first year salaries to use the money this year, or maybe we will sign rookies to high first year salaries and lower bonuses. But that just shifts the money to next year. We're in reasonable shape next year.

Sure, Law could still sign with us, and we could trade. If both those happened, we might use the money, if we front-loaded contracts.

 

[maverick4]

re

No worries.

I am positive we will spend to the cap, as we have done in the past.

If any players can be had for good value after June 1, then we can expect Piolichick to sign a few of them.

If, due to the higher salary cap, that no good players are available after June 1, then I expect the Pats to re-sign talented young players who are in the last year or last two years of their contract.

.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

:ditto: :agree: and :beersign:

It's the Dead Zone between draft and TC when we argue about things like "how about a 5 TE set?" and "what numbers look tight?" Happens every year. We'll see about the conventional wisdom that the pickins will be so slim there is nothing to pick up but next year's check.

Maybe

PFnV

 

[ilduce06410]

haven't let go yet

No worries.
I am positive we will spend to the cap, as we have done in the past.
If any players can be had for good value after June 1, then we can expect Piolichick to sign a few of them.
If, due to the higher salary cap, that no good players are available after June 1, then I expect the Pats to re-sign talented young players who are in the last year or last two years of their contract..

BB/SP must be positive that some real players will come available after June 1, and also in the summer cutdowns. that's a goodly mount of money patriots have. i guess the picture would become clearer after some analysis of other teams' rosters, but hey, the suspense if good for the soul.
i assume they're POSITIVE that the players who can be brought in with all thios money represent an upgrade over mcginest and chatham.
look at theo epstein and redsox. they were willing to acknowledge a huge mistake, trading mirabelli away, and had the humility to bring him back.
i hope BB/SP are still willing to acknowledge that they may have screwed the pooch with willie ray. not that it'll make any difference.
on vinatieri i'm getting more chilled out. still won't be able to watch him kick in the razor wearing a dolts uniform.

 

[arrellbee]

"how about a 5 TE set?"

.........

 

[NordicVoyager]

First time posting here after lurking for several years...

You ask what the patriots might do about the $12mm or so left in 2006 cap money? You might recall that the Pats at their option can move something like $6mm of Seymour's 2007 bonus forward to 2006 (after sometime after the one year anniversary date of his last contract modification). I strongly suspect that the Pats are in fact planning to do this at some point in 2006 thereby giving them more 2007 cap flexibility.

The remaining money $6mm or so probably will be used to extend some of the starters that BB/SP really want to keep AFTER evaluating them again in the TC process. Branch, Koppen and Graham would be high on my list for starters.

 

[BelichickFan]

Branch, Koppen and Graham would be high on my list for starters.

Agreed and Samuel also but a little less. God it would rule if we could get all those guys done.

 

[Flying Fungi]

I suspect that they will keep a few extra $$ heading into the season this year. if I recall, the team was so decimated by injuries that they had run out of money to sign injury fill-ins by the end of the season in 2005.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Can we move more of Dillon's bonus money to this year? He's
on the hot seat. I expect a good year from him. But, if he doesn't
perform and Maroney looks the part. He may not be around in 07 and
wouldn't be as big a cap hit if we can move some of that money
to this year.

 

[JoeSixPat]

JUST WONDERING

What will Belichick and Pioli do with $12M of free agent money, now unspent.

Trades are always possible through this stage of the off-season

In many cases players with questionable value are available relatively cheap (Andre Davis from last year for example)

Players of more significant value may be demanding trades because they've outplayed contracts and are in search of a new deal.

With $12 mil of cap space the Pats are better able to make these deals happen.

Also keep in mind that while the Pats haven't been terribly active in FA - it has been among THE busiest FA offseasons ever. So when camps begin, and any injuries happen, supply for replacement players will low, and demand will be high.

While most of the FA players available now are marginal, if the Pats are in a bidding war on any FAs chances are they can win if they want to.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Idea #1, use it to pay off the contract of a big name trade candidate, i.e., Donnie Edwards. Since this is a very common idea, and one which I am espousing in the name of both myself and the teeming masses, it is unlikely to be the answer.

Idea #2, use it for some middle class pickups between now and TC (or even between now and the start of the season). Leave 3 mill for in-season guys.

Idea #3, move peoples' cap hits up in time to this year, in the form of bonuses and/or restructuring. It's quite possible that BB/SP saw this as the fallback position, even as they MADE this cap room, knowning that if they didn't get what they wanted out of FA, they could just plow the money back into the "future," by paying people this year instead of next (or next or next.) They'd most likely do this judiciously, a little here a little there, so that they don't kill all notion of incentives going forward by shelling the bucks out now.

Idea #4, get some more tight ends. Just kidding.

Idea #5, probably the lion's share of the answer: Re-sign all the guys you have and like to realistic contracts you would not have the opportunity to do without the cap windfall (will some other modest adjustments mixed in - maybe a big name FA pickup, more likely a guy you don't really know much of... YET.)

PFnV

 

[PromisedLand]

Idea #3, move peoples' cap hits up in time to this year, in the form of bonuses and/or restructuring. It's quite possible that BB/SP saw this as the fallback position, even as they MADE this cap room, knowning that if they didn't get what they wanted out of FA, they could just plow the money back into the "future," by paying people this year instead of next (or next or next.) They'd most likely do this judiciously, a little here a little there, so that they don't kill all notion of incentives going forward by shelling the bucks out now.

Questions for capologists (Miguel, please stand up and take a bow):

1. Is it possible to convert bonuses (which are pro rated) to salary (which is charged against the cap in the current year)?

2. Is it possible to opt to NOT pro rate a bonus but rather to opt to accelerate the cap hit?

3. What other techniques (if any) exist to move cap money from future years to the current year?

 

[tailgater]

Unless the Pats do re-sign Branch and Graham, I think they'll go into the season millions under the cap. Why? Fo rone reason, because many teams have a boatload left under the cap. Why not follow the Eagles lead? They've been 9-11Mil under the cap the last few season, then they make those midseason extentions ala Westbrook.

Also, the June 1st cuts will be as slim or even moreso than the past 2-3 seasons. Teams have had he luxury of cutting guys since the CBA was renewed. Why wait, except to force a team into a trade (McNair), of to punish the player?

My best guess? They redo Seymours deal in August, escalating next years bonus as salary (say 5-6 Mil), then extend Branch and Graham at some point before the deadline (sometime in October?).

 

[hallfamebrady]

I have been wondering this myself.

I would like to think some of this money will be spent on Ty Law. I doubt it though

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Idea #4, get some more tight ends. Just kidding.
PFnV

I expect at least one more in camp for competition and to learn the system so he can lurk on the shadow roster.

Another thing to consider as teams hold their mini-camps; there are 10 new Head Coaches this year, with new staffs, it seems very likely that rosters will wind up being more fluid as they evaluate players in the new systems....I wonder which club(s) will have the necessary green bait to dangle?

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Another thing to consider as teams hold their mini-camps; there are 10 new Head Coaches this year, with new staffs, it seems very likely that rosters will wind up being more fluid as they evaluate players in the new systems....I wonder which club(s) will have the necessary green bait to dangle?

Okay. Now all we need is a team switching TO the 4-3 FROM the 3-4. Oh wait, those will be teams not GOOD at the 3-4...

But seriously... I wouldn't be surprised at any of the scenarios, including a late offseason raid into the FA ranks.

Around this time of year it's just plain excruciating. Oh, for the first crack of pads on pads...

PFnV

 

[rookBoston]

Questions for capologists (Miguel, please stand up and take a bow):

1. Is it possible to convert bonuses (which are pro rated) to salary (which is charged against the cap in the current year)?

2. Is it possible to opt to NOT pro rate a bonus but rather to opt to accelerate the cap hit?

3. What other techniques (if any) exist to move cap money from future years to the current year?

1. No. Bonuses are distributed over the years of the contract by rule

2. Never heard of it.

3. This one is a Pats favorite: write some incentives into a player's contract as Likely-to-be-Earned, which ensures that the cap hit of those incentives are incurred in the year they are expected to be earned, but ensure that those incentives cannot possibly be earned.

For example, add a LTBE clause into Brandon Gorin's contract that if he starts 5 games at WR, and hauls in at least 3TD passes, he will receive a $5MM bonus. Because it's classified as LTBE, the $5M bonus hits in the current year. But at the end of the year, when it turns out he didn't earn that bonus (oh, shucks), then the NFL gives the team that cap space back in the next year.

There've been a couple of documented cases where BB has done this. Miguel will remember the details. The one I remember was a young lineman, Mruc or Gorin, I think.

 

[PromisedLand]

Aha. Thanks.

That makes sense, except I don't understand how such an incentive could be LTBE. I thought to be LTBE the incentive had to be based on the player reaching a milestone (such as number of receptions) which had been reached the previous season.

 

[Fumblerooski]

First time posting here after lurking for several years...

You ask what the patriots might do about the $12mm or so left in 2006 cap money? You might recall that the Pats at their option can move something like $6mm of Seymour's 2007 bonus forward to 2006 (after sometime after the one year anniversary date of his last contract modification). I strongly suspect that the Pats are in fact planning to do this at some point in 2006 thereby giving them more 2007 cap flexibility.

The remaining money $6mm or so probably will be used to extend some of the starters that BB/SP really want to keep AFTER evaluating them again in the TC process. Branch, Koppen and Graham would be high on my list for starters.

Exactly, I would not be too concerned over the "unspent" cap dollars until they actually become "unspent".

Seymour will be locked up for 2010 later this summer. (August - which he is subject to by the one year rule)

Also, they can simply move it forward to 2007 by writing a NLTBE contract for someone on the last day before the cap counts. (ala like they did on the Gorin contract a few years back)

Not to worry, focus on something more constructive until they actually pocket the "unspent" cap money.

 

[Miguel]

Aha. Thanks.

That makes sense, except I don't understand how such an incentive could be LTBE. I thought to be LTBE the incentive had to be based on the player reaching a milestone (such as number of receptions) which had been reached the previous season.

In the old CBA any incentive added to a contract during the regular season is automatically classified LTBE. Do not know if this is still true in the new CBA