February 21st-Decisions Begin

[Jimke]

February 21st is the last day to designate a franchise player. If the
Pats tag Moss, it wipes out their cap space and starts in motion a lot
of interconnected decisions.
1. Franchise Moss or come to agreement on a long term contract?
2. Restructure and extend Tom Brady?
3. Restructure and extend Colvin? Cut him?
4. Restructure Stallworth or cut him?
5. Restructure Washington or cut him?
6. Tender offer to Moore and Wright if any?
7. Apply Eckel's 2007 LTBE towards Moss' contract?
8. Re-sign Gaffney, Paxton, Gay, Mitchell, Samuel, Scott, Wilson,
before their contracts expire?
9. Probably no action at this time on Brown, Bruschi, Izzo, and
Seau. They may or may not retire.
I don't expect the Pats to be major players in free agency this year due
to lack of cap space. They will have to use their ingenuity to retain
their own players. They may have to rely more on the draft this year.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

1. Oh please, let Moss and the Pats simply come to terms, and quickly at that. No idea what kind of money. My guess is toward the top of the receiver ranks but not establishing a new "uber receiver' category, regardless of last year's performance. Probably a token cut below the highest tier, to show he's not "about money" at this point. But he'll want longevity and money up-front. Not a terrible thing in cap terms, since the salary (not to be confused w/bonus proration) could be quite low this year.

2. Stallworth and Washington are both restructure-or-cuts.

Great to see KW's special teams play (we all remember the all-world punt downing,) but worth 2 million+ per year going forward? Izzo's been a ST stud for years, and he's been between a half mill and a mill for years. Obviously KW's being paid as a receiver, and if kept, will have a chance to compete for that spot. But his contract is paying him receiver money for ST contribution...

I think Stallworth is gone. He's going to want a shot at being a #1 somewhere. There's no room for him in New England. He's a number 2 receiver (i.e., "flanker" receivers as opposed to slot,) and he's getting number 3 attention. He's also in competition w/Gaffney for that. He hasn't shown that the big payday due him in this offseason makes any sense for the team going forward. He's a luxury, unless he restructures down to the bone.

Good news. Between the two of them, that's over $8.3M to the good in cap terms. Of course, there's the re-structure option, if they take it; probably that gets us to, say, $6M savings... if they take it.

3. Brady would do that for us? Realllly? I dunno. Maybe. He did to get Moss, maybe he would again to win. But from his POV, it means winning an MVP, and pretty much just taking on years to the deal. Sure, I'd love him to play for $7M this year, and put off the other 7... again.... building it onto the "end" of his neverending deal. Not a bad idea if he's up for it, especially as we get closer to the (maybe) Uncapped Future.

4. Gaffney's a yes. I think we get him relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than Dante. In effect, that makes Moss a 1, Welker a 2, and Gaffney a 3. I think Gaffney will take 3 money.

5. Eckel's fake money goes wherever (sure, to Moss, if you want to say that's where it went.) I hope good ol' Kyle isn't buying a house on the Cape with that cash, cuz he ain't gonna see it.

6. Samuel, the $80 million question to use the Clement money. I just don't see him being here in '08, just from the few indicators we've seen thus far. We could get him done, and I'd like to see it. But not paid as THE best corner in the league, because I just plain don't believe that. I think Asante does believe that, and I wish him well. I had a lot of hate for the guy last offseason, but I'm done with that... it's business.

One man's opinion, as I always say,

PFnV

 

[ctpatsfan77]

3. Brady would do that for us? Realllly? I dunno. Maybe. He did to get Moss, maybe he would again to win. But from his POV, it means winning an MVP, and pretty much just taking on years to the deal. Sure, I'd love him to play for $7M this year, and put off the other 7... again.... building it onto the "end" of his neverending deal. Not a bad idea if he's up for it, especially as we get closer to the (maybe) Uncapped Future.

IIRC, they didn't actually reduce his salary for 2007; they just guaranteed it so they could amortize it.

4. Gaffney's a yes. I think we get him relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than Dante. In effect, that makes Moss a 1, Welker a 2, and Gaffney a 3. I think Gaffney will take 3 money.

I hope so.

5. Eckel's fake money goes wherever (sure, to Moss, if you want to say that's where it went.) I hope good ol' Kyle isn't buying a house on the Cape with that cash, cuz he ain't gonna see it.

Not all of it, but, as a rule, the NFLPA gets pi**y if teams use these tricks without throwing the player a bone of some sort. So, not $5M, but probably $50K-$100K.

 

[DonBlackmon55]

1. Oh please, let Moss and the Pats simply come to terms, and quickly at that. No idea what kind of money. My guess is toward the top of the receiver ranks but not establishing a new "uber receiver' category, regardless of last year's performance. Probably a token cut below the highest tier, to show he's not "about money" at this point. But he'll want longevity and money up-front. Not a terrible thing in cap terms, since the salary (not to be confused w/bonus proration) could be quite low this year.

2. Stallworth and Washington are both restructure-or-cuts.

Great to see KW's special teams play (we all remember the all-world punt downing,) but worth 2 million+ per year going forward? Izzo's been a ST stud for years, and he's been between a half mill and a mill for years. Obviously KW's being paid as a receiver, and if kept, will have a chance to compete for that spot. But his contract is paying him receiver money for ST contribution...

I think Stallworth is gone. He's going to want a shot at being a #1 somewhere. There's no room for him in New England. He's a number 2 receiver (i.e., "flanker" receivers as opposed to slot,) and he's getting number 3 attention. He's also in competition w/Gaffney for that. He hasn't shown that the big payday due him in this offseason makes any sense for the team going forward. He's a luxury, unless he restructures down to the bone.

Good news. Between the two of them, that's over $8.3M to the good in cap terms. Of course, there's the re-structure option, if they take it; probably that gets us to, say, $6M savings... if they take it.

3. Brady would do that for us? Realllly? I dunno. Maybe. He did to get Moss, maybe he would again to win. But from his POV, it means winning an MVP, and pretty much just taking on years to the deal. Sure, I'd love him to play for $7M this year, and put off the other 7... again.... building it onto the "end" of his neverending deal. Not a bad idea if he's up for it, especially as we get closer to the (maybe) Uncapped Future.

4. Gaffney's a yes. I think we get him relatively cheap. Certainly cheaper than Dante. In effect, that makes Moss a 1, Welker a 2, and Gaffney a 3. I think Gaffney will take 3 money.

5. Eckel's fake money goes wherever (sure, to Moss, if you want to say that's where it went.) I hope good ol' Kyle isn't buying a house on the Cape with that cash, cuz he ain't gonna see it.

6. Samuel, the $80 million question to use the Clement money. I just don't see him being here in '08, just from the few indicators we've seen thus far. We could get him done, and I'd like to see it. But not paid as THE best corner in the league, because I just plain don't believe that. I think Asante does believe that, and I wish him well. I had a lot of hate for the guy last offseason, but I'm done with that... it's business.

One man's opinion, as I always say,

PFnV

Stall is gone.......no doubt. Time for Chad Jackson to step up

Moss, Welker, Gaffney, Jackson, .....5th spot for vet FA.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Stall is gone.......no doubt. Time for Chad Jackson to step up

Moss, Welker, Gaffney, Jackson, .....5th spot for vet FA.

This is damn sure Jackson's time to move it or lose it. If he shows nothing his third year he's a bust. WRs usually show production around their 3rd year and blossom after that. Lets see...