ESPN Story Says Willie May be headed to FA

[BelichickFan]

but this year, patriots either have to pay him the money IN HIS SIGNED CONTRACT, or RENEGE ON THE CONTRACT by simply giving him his release.

It's a moot point, the players and agents know the contract isn't guaranteed and it's all about the signing bonus.

 

[ilduce06410]

last big payday = getting the $ in his contract

Well no-one saw the Milloy cut coming just before 2003. If Willie plays the salary game, he'll retire as a Patriot. But he may want one last big payday.

one last big payday---after milloy (who was hardline), troy brown (cut last offseason to renege on a $2.5 million bonus, then re-signed at NFL minimum) and now willie ray (either gets cut to renege on a $3.5 million bonus, or swallows the payment), i no longer know what that means.
we didn't see milloy.
i'm not sure many people noticed the troy brown thing.
we're all aware of the mcginest situation.
next up for the 2007 $h!t sandwich: dan koppen, larry izzo, asante samuel, brandon gorin, russ hochstein, tbc.
tough negotiations next year: big sey, daniel graham, eugene wilson.

 

[dhamz]

one last big payday---after milloy (who was hardline), troy brown (cut last offseason to renege on a $2.5 million bonus, then re-signed at NFL minimum) and now willie ray (either gets cut to renege on a $3.5 million bonus, or swallows the payment), i no longer know what that means.

Based on this I'm not sure you do either.

You seem to be under the impression that Willie this year and Troy last year were ever going to be paid those bonuses.

Both are dummy years whose only purpose is to lower cap numbers in the year's prior. Both the team and the player know that those years aren't real years and neither has the expectation that they will ever be paid.

 

[BelichickFan]

one last big payday---after milloy (who was hardline), troy brown (cut last offseason to renege on a $2.5 million bonus, then re-signed at NFL minimum) and now willie ray (either gets cut to renege on a $3.5 million bonus, or swallows the payment)

There is no reneging on bonuses, they are, by definition a team option, as is every season's salary.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

Don't forget that Willie has all of the signing bonus already, the $1.3mil 'signing bonus' shown against the cap for this year is the pro-rated amount the Pats spread out to ease the hit. It's merely book keeping. His salary and roster bonus are what he won't see.

 

[Digger44]

This really isn't worth commenting on. Is this anything we don't already know? If McGinest doesn't restructure, he could be cut. No sh!t. He's been in this position before, and has renegotiated each time. Willie should be concerned with two things right now, earning more rings, and enhancing his HOF chances. Both of those are best accomplished with Belichick.

When Brady's last year of his contract gets here, he can write the same thing. If Brady's contract isn't renegotiated he could be a free agent.

In fact you could take any player in the NFL, write "could be a cap casualty" and be right. And I could be the next Mr. Jessica Simpson. And could be the #1 pick in this years draft. And could have already won 10 million dollars in the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

Only way you would ever be the next Mr. Jessica Simpson is if you put up the $$$ for a sex change operation.

 

[ilduce06410]

who's jessica simpson?

Only way you would ever be the next Mr. Jessica Simpson is if you put up the $$$ for a sex change operation.

what's with the insult.
i say a player's getting screwed and this is what you write.
a sex-change operation.

 

[ilduce06410]

even if everyone knows it'll happen, it's still reneging

Don't forget that Willie has all of the signing bonus already, the $1.3mil 'signing bonus' shown against the cap for this year is the pro-rated amount the Pats spread out to ease the hit. It's merely book keeping. His salary and roster bonus are what he won't see.

is willie ray going to get all the money in his his contract? or will (can/could) he but cut over it?
if it's merely bookkeeping, why won't he get the money in his contract.
it's a glaring hole in the CBA.
gene clearly thinks it's to the players' benefit.
i wonder what the effect would be if the cba was changed, and a contract became binding. would it be like baseball (no, inn the nfl dead money counts against the cap) or basketball (i don't know what they do over these.)

 

[ilduce06410]

by definition a team option

There is no reneging on bonuses, they are, by definition a team option, as is every season's salary.

clearly that is what the cba says. but "team's option on paying salaries" does not seem to be the case in other sports. in basetball and baseball, payments to players are bound by the terms of the contract or a negotiated settlement.
this is what reporters are calling "one-way contracts" in the nfl, right?
my point, it's a bizarre cba.

 

[dhamz]

is willie ray going to get all the money in his his contract? or will (can/could) he but cut over it?

if it's merely bookkeeping, why won't he get the money in his contract.
it's a glaring hole in the CBA.

You are completely missing the point. It is not a real year on his contract. Willie and the Pats agreed to an extension for that year that neither wanted solely for salary cap purposes. The Pats did not want to commit to him for the extra year at his going rate at the time and and Willie did not want to lock himself away from free agency for the extra year for that $.

The reason the numbers are so ridiculously high (just as they were last year for Troy Brown) is to in fact assure that the Pats must renogiate his deal right now Willie becomes a free agent.