News regarding extensions for Pats Players

[p8ryts]

IMHO, Bennett would be the franchised player.

This makes sense dollar wise, TE money less than the LB number

 

[long distance]

 

[BTTA]

I think we get to keep both Butler & Collins, both are hard workers...
Hightower is a 50/50, it depends on how much he wants...I hope he puts team ahead of greed.

Let's talk about "greed."

You are suggesting that he should put team loyalty ahead of money. We assume that sticking with the Pats and playing in New England is more emotionally satisfying for him. Let's leave that unchallenged for now.

The alternative is to take high dollar on the open market. This puts several million dollars more in his bank account with which he can do things that matter to him. In his case, this includes millions more available to fight diabetes (his public cause).

NFL Players Association - New England Patriot Dont’a Hightower Named Week 17 NFLPA Community MVP

The additional funding also might mean endowing an entire generation of his family with college funding. E. g. with a team friendly offer, he can fund 12 family members. With a high market offer, he can endow 20.

These salaries are real numbers with real consequences. He might also blow out a knee in the first month of his first year of the new contract. That signing bonus is really going to matter in that case.

So, how do we define greed? Him taking less money so he can have a somewhat more satisfying emotional life? Or him taking more money so he can put some portion of it towards fighting a major chronic disease, or taking care of more of his family, while (potentially) sacrificing his own football related pleasure?

If we are quick to judge him as being "greedy" for taking more money, without looking hard at his choices, we are the ones being greedy, operating out of our own emotional satisfaction of him staying with the team.

Maybe he can have both emotional satisfaction and top dollar, by taking an offer from a team that plays in the south, where he's from.

 

[patchick]

My gut says that Bennett and Hightower stay, Collins goes.

Collins just seems like a fish out of water here. He's a very quiet, very private guy from a tiny town in rural Mississippi. He hates the limelight. He likes peace and quiet and warm weather and family and fishing. And as a flashy athletic marvel, he'll be able to pick his landing spot.

 

[Big Bucks]

My gut is that Gronk gets a new deal before everyone else.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Funny how we give mayo 25 million gauranteed and mccourty 48 million and you never hear patsfan Moan about them being greedy for wanting that amount of money.

Yet Collins and Hightower, two clear cut better players than mayo want to get paid...its "well they can stay on a team friendly deal if there not greedy"

How about we just pay both of them much like we paid mayo and mccourty?

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Funny how we give mayo 25 million gauranteed and mccourty 48 million and you never hear patsfan Moan about them being greedy for wanting that amount of money.

Yet Collins and Hightower, two clear cut better players than mayo want to get paid...its "well they can stay on a team friendly deal if there not greedy"

How about we just pay both of them much like we paid mayo and mccourty?

If we could sign Collins and Hightower to what we paid Mayo and McCourty, I think every single person on this board would jump at that chance.

Mayo could have gotten more if he left. McCourty almost left, and unless I'm mistaken, even the offer we kept him with wasn't quite as much as he would have gotten from the Giants.

Both players deserve a lot of money. If one or both want to be the highest paid LB in the league, that's not going to happen here.

 

[mgteich]

My gut says that Bennett and Hightower stay, Collins goes.

Collins just seems like a fish out of water here. He's a very quiet, very private guy from a tiny town in rural Mississippi. He hates the limelight. He likes peace and quiet and warm weather and family and fishing. And as a flashy athletic marvel, he'll be able to pick his landing spot.

I agree.

Folks ignore the personal. Why should Collins be in Boston for half the year when he can be in FL, TN or TX? I'm presuming that the patriots don't offer lots MORE than other teams to make up the difference.

If he signs a 4 year contract with someone, does he want to marry and raise a child here?

 

[long distance]

3. Depth

We should look at depth factor more I think and not only through 2017 but beyond. Incredible depth is what makes 2016 team special. If we had this depth last year the season would end differently and it was a pretty deep 2015 team to start.

- Currently Pats have only 2 players taking over 10M of cap space: Brady and Solder
and they will most probably remain (note that Brady's cap goes up 8M (to 22M) in 2018 if not restructured).
- There are only 3 players with 6-8M cap hit: High, Sheard, Gronk
- 6 players are around 5M mark:
- 7 are between 2-4M
- 9 are between 1-2M
- 26 are below 1M

To add to the extensions/depth thoughts:

1) Extending Hightower keeps the above roster/cap “mold“ more or less intact. Here's Miguel's offer from June


2) Tendering Butler (c. 4M) also doesn't hurt the current salary structure (going from bottom to 4th cat).

3) Franchising Bennett (c. 9M) is a bit steep but it is one of the cheapest tags and doesn't involve future cap hits. It adds another player in the 6-10M cat. which might hurt depth a bit but with Ninko, Flowers, McClellin and Long (on probably below 3M extension) Sheard might be let go.

4) Franchising (c. 14-15M) or extending Collins (even on above High proposal w might not be realistic) would have more significant salary structure and depth consequences so this is something to take in consideration as well. Of course if Bennett or Sheard walk (or sign friendly extensions around 5M - which would be a tough ask) Collins can stay without shaking too much the salary structure. Another thing to consider in this big guys math is Gronk (talks about new contract were around during preseason)

I have a feeling that 2017 LB depth of Hightower, Roberts, Mingo (doable FA), Freeny + OLB Ninko & McClellin wouldn't look so bad to BB especially since he can always add a very solid FA (like Long this year f.e.) or draft one.

From the rest Id say keeping Branch for another year or two would be essential considering the depth and youth of our DT position. It really is a shame they couldn't bring back Hicks.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

You don't let a YOUNG stud athletic freak superstar like Collins walk for nothing but a compensatory 3rd. That's very bad business.

Pay your YOUNG STUDS!!

 

[Deus Irae]

You don't let a YOUNG stud athletic freak superstar like Collins walk for nothing but a compensatory 3rd. That's very bad business.

Pay your YOUNG STUDS!!

There's only so much a team can do in any season where they have multiple YOUNG STUDS heading to market. The team only has one franchise tag.

 

[farn]

I'll vote HT & Butler. Love to keep them all, but is a 30 year old Bennett & oft injured Collins worth what other teams will be willing to pay. Emphasis on that last part : love to have them, but I've got to think other teams will offer lotsa $$$.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Why is everyone ok with getting rid of Collins, not only is he by far our most athletic defender, he is also by far the best playmaker. He is young entering his prime. You do not let talent like that go.

We loses Collins, our D takes a massive hit. Bank on it

 

[ashley]

I'm not quite sure who stays and who leaves at this point, but I would think we make a priority to keep Collins and Butler, followed by Hightower and Bennett.

I have to admit, I sure would hate to lose Bennett at this point with the way he has fit into this offense so far.

 

[farn]

Why is everyone ok with getting rid of Collins, not only is he by far our most athletic defender, he is also by far the best playmaker. He is young entering his prime. You do not let talent like that go.

We loses Collins, our D takes a massive hit. Bank on it

I base it purely on the recent/preseason chatter re Collins. More people recognize his skills & as we've seen, there are many stupid GMs out there. I think he's gone based on the interest he will garner and BB's unwillingness to break the bank.

HT is the leader of the D. I think he might be a little cheaper than Collins to retain (yet still expensive).

 

[ashley]

Why is everyone ok with getting rid of Collins, not only is he by far our most athletic defender, he is also by far the best playmaker. He is young entering his prime. You do not let talent like that go.

We loses Collins, our D takes a massive hit. Bank on it

I don't think everyone is ok with letting Collins go, some people like Hightower better, I think we should try and keep Collins, but as Deus said earlier, we can't keep every player.

 

[AvocadoIceCream]

They won't keep all of them. Say good bye to at LEAST 2 of the following

Ryan
Hightower
Collins
Butler
Bennett

 

[patchick]

I agree.

Folks ignore the personal. Why should Collins be in Boston for half the year when he can be in FL, TN or TX? I'm presuming that the patriots don't offer lots MORE than other teams to make up the difference.

If he signs a 4 year contract with someone, does he want to marry and raise a child here?

If I turn it around and ask myself, "How much more money would I have to be paid to convince me to raise my kids in rural Mississippi?" the answer is "a vast amount." And Collins won't even have to make that tradeoff; he should get good, lucrative offers closer to his home turf.

So I think he's gone -- not because I'm "ok with getting rid of him," not because I don't think the Patriots value him, and not because they're cheap. Because he's going to be a free agent, and can use that freedom to pursue happiness as well as money.

 

[rochrist]

I don't think Mr macaroni and cheese is above just making something up that sounds good. Press release "We have made many team friendly, cheap, lowball offers." Stacy James.

A) this is stupid. B) Kraft has nothing to do with kraft food products.

 

[rochrist]

I think we get to keep both Butler & Collins, both are hard workers...
Hightower is a 50/50, it depends on how much he wants...I hope he puts team ahead of greed.

I think they're prioritizing Hightower over Collins actually. Listen to the way Bill has been talking about him.