Sorry, but Deion was right!

[QuiGon]

Take a deep breath people …

OK, it’s this simple: you say you're worth XXX$, your employer says you're not, then tells you to go and find somebody else that will pay you what you think you are worth. You find two suitors, meaning you are worth what you said you were worth, and your employer was wrong. Period.

Doesn't mean the employer is obligated to pay you that much - if the amount doesn't fit its budget - but it certainly doesn't mean you were out of line in asking for true market value.

You're not out of line for wanting to make market value. You're out of line for trying to alter a contract you signed in good faith with the full knowledge that you would be expected to play it out.

 

[RI Pats Fan]

You're not out of line for wanting to make market value. You're out of line for trying to alter a contract you signed in good faith with the full knowledge that you would be expected to play it out.

Contracts don't get played out in the NFL. This isn't me signing a contract with Sprint. Sprint won't call me up and say after I'm 30 I'm past my prime and not worth having as a customer. My dialing ability can't underperform or overperform to where either party wants to renegotiate or extend... Well, I guess there's rollover minutes? Maybe a bad analogy then lol

 

[Heck67]

Chad Eaton left us after 2001 for the Seahawks and was never heard of again....... actually pretty much everyone except Ty Law, that has left us has become a JAG. I'm not saying Deion will not be great there, but the Patriots system makes everyone shine as a team

 

[Heck67]

Chad Eaton left us after 2001 for the Seahawks and was never heard of again....... actually pretty much everyone except Ty Law, that has left us has become a JAG. I'm not saying Deion will not be great there, but the Patriots system makes everyone shine as a team

Ted Washington, Damien Woody, David Patten,Lawyer Milloy are a few more that kinda dropped of the radar

 

[RI Pats Fan]

Ted Washington, Damien Woody, David Patten,Lawyer Milloy are a few more that kinda dropped of the radar

To be fair to Woody, who ever talks about centers really? He could be a top 5 center and I wouldn't know.

 

[flutie2phelan]

And what makes you think that Graham, Koppen and Samuel have any interest in passing on free agency, and not finding out what they are worth. Put another way, why should any of the three believe that bb will give them a better deal now than any deal that they can get next year.

Piolichick got Branch's value exactly right. Offered him the right number.
For a contract to begin when his existing contract expired.

Come March, the contracts of the Patriots we are now concerned about
will have expired.

I think that the players would do well to assume that Piolichick price their future services right on the market ...
exactly as they got Branch's value right.

With Koppen, Samuel, Graham, Wilson ...
there will be no remaining year to an existing contract
to becloud the issue.
The only real question should be,
Do They Wish To Remain Patriots?

 

[Roxbury Jay]

Re: If you had an employment contract...

and you were offered more money from another employer despite having a year left on your current employment contract,
your only option would be to try to negotiate a new employment contract for higher money with the current employer if they are willing to raise you immediately - which is what Deion wanted -
or wait until the current contract is fulfilled to get the big money - which is what the Pats wanted.

He couldn't wait for the current contract to end to cash in and wouldn't honor the contract he signed.

That's not right - that's called buyers remorse and greed.

Let's not get into the silly "honoring" a contract crap. NFL teams regularly rip up contracts (ask McGinest and Troy Brown if the Patriots honored their deals), so a player asking to renegotiate a deal is not out of line. Brady did it twice, and wisely so. And he did it to get money immediately, which is the smart thing to do. Of course, I'm not comparing Deion to Brady talent-wise, but asking for more money is the right thing to do in their situation. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that you rip a knee ligament and end up playing for the league minimum.

 

[mgteich]

1) We haven't seen the final numbers, but Branch will apparently paid more than the $19M for for four years that the Patriots were willing to pay. The last couple of years are likely to be fluff. When the contract comes out, consider the first four years, including the entire signing bonus and understand that Seattle paid that much PLUS A FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE!!! I think that you will then agree that Seattle was willing to pay more than the patriots were, or should be, willing to pay.

2) With regard to the threesome, you are correct there will be no contract principles involved. The patriots will simply have to decide whether to pay what these players are worth to the patriots or to pay what the market will bear. At that time, we will again self-righteously agree that the patriots make "fair" offers, whatever that means. I guess "fair" means whatever the patriots are willing to pay, given our salary structure that has worked very well thank you.

HOWEVER, please understand that the patriots are most unlikely to outbid others for these players. The teams (including the patriots) have not yet gotten used to the new cap, since there are many players on old contracts, leaving lots of available money. IMHO, there will definitely be teams willing to pay significantly more than the patriots. I see absolutely no reason for Graham not to be in the same situation as Givens. Koppen will also draw big money. Samuel is much more questionable, but that is another issue entirely.

The bottom line is the patriots did what they felt they had to for the future of the the team. They replaced Branch, Givens, McGinist, and Vinitieri with Gabriel, Caldwell, Seau, and Gostkowski. No amount of koolaid will change that. And we should really feel lucky to get Gabriel and Seau. The prospects looked a lot worse a couple of weeks ago.

Sure, I know we drafted Jackson; but he should be Troy's replacement, when he retires after this year, not the miracle man 2nd round draft choice. We are the best roster planners in the league. Barring major injuries, we shouldn't need to depend on 2nd round rookie wide receivers, no matter how good they are.

Piolichick got Branch's value exactly right. Offered him the right number.
For a contract to begin when his existing contract expired.

Come March, the contracts of the Patriots we are now concerned about
will have expired.

I think that the players would do well to assume that Piolichick price their future services right on the market ...
exactly as they got Branch's value right.

With Koppen, Samuel, Graham, Wilson ...
there will be no remaining year to an existing contract
to becloud the issue.
The only real question should be,
Do They Wish To Remain Patriots?

 

[nukin]

Neither is Vick

Come to think of it... half of the players arnt worth what they are getting paid.
*coughrothleswhatevercough*

 

[flutie2phelan]

1) We haven't seen the final numbers, but Branch will apparently paid more than the $19M for for four years that the Patriots were willing to pay. The last couple of years are likely to be fluff. When the contract comes out, consider the first four years, including the entire signing bonus and understand that Seattle paid that much PLUS A FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE!!! I think that you will then agree that Seattle was willing to pay more than the patriots were, or should be, willing to pay.

Quite so, Mark. The Seahawks were high bidder, perhaps by a decent amount.
Rolls-Royce, LandRover, and Lamborghini, though, do not set the market price for automobiles.
There are always premium purchasers. The market price is the price that clears the market ...
absorbing as much product at a price level as any producer will furnish at that price level.

Even if you count the Jets' manipulative, "funky-structure" bid ... the week-long open auction
disclosed no other team willing to top the Patriots. THAT is the market price.
Seattle paid above market.




2) ....
HOWEVER, please understand that the patriots are most unlikely to outbid others for these players. .... I see absolutely no reason for Graham not to be in the same situation as Givens. Koppen will also draw big money. Samuel is much more questionable, but that is another issue entirely.
....

Acknowledged.
In recent years we have seen a fairly long string of Pats free agents benefiting from the halo effect
and going elsewhere to make hay. That might happen again with some of these fellows.

The long term effect of other teams paying more than true value for our players, however,
is to degrade our competitors' CAP-acity to field a 45-man roster as strong as ours.

1234567890

 

[waspie (UK)]

Let's not get into the silly "honoring" a contract crap. NFL teams regularly rip up contracts (ask McGinest and Troy Brown if the Patriots honored their deals), so a player asking to renegotiate a deal is not out of line.

Why not? Deion and his agent at the time made a calculated decision 4 years ago - he signed a five-year contract. Antwaan Randle El, taken three picks ahead of Branch, signed a four-year rookie contract with a $930,000 signing bonus. Branch, the 65th pick, got a larger signing bonus ($1.025 million) to sign for five years.
This was a smart move for the Pats, giving them more leverage on Branch if he turned out to be a top player.
But it was also a smart move for Branch at the time - there was no guarantee, even as a second round pick, that he was going to make it in the NFL.
Of course the Patriots were willing to renegotiate the contract, but just because they didn't agree on Branch's value doesn't make them wrong. Sure. I'm worried by the lack of depth at WR this year - but I still trust Belichick and Pioli to make the best long-term decisions.

 

[Pats726]

Re: If you had an employment contract...

Let's not get into the silly "honoring" a contract crap.

There is nothing silly about that..Branch is a liar..someone OF ZERO integrity..The words came from HIS mouth...not mine..not your not anyone else's..Branch said he would HONOR it and he did NOT honor it. THAT is a lie!
Branch is a worthless punk..time to move on without him..

 

[marty]

I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that word. Could you explain?

:rocker: Channeling Branch now, are we!!!! Good one Ray!

 

[grapedog]

Take a deep breath people …

OK, it’s this simple: you say you're worth XXX$, your employer says you're not, then tells you to go and find somebody else that will pay you what you think you are worth. You find two suitors, meaning you are worth what you said you were worth, and your employer was wrong. Period.

Doesn't mean the employer is obligated to pay you that much - if the amount doesn't fit its budget - but it certainly doesn't mean you were out of line in asking for true market value.

Give the brotha a break. He played his heart out for every down he was here, and shined in each Super Bowl in which he played, helping the Patriots win titles. He is worth every nickel a team in the league is willing to pay him, and there is nothing wrong with him wanting to be paid that amount. The Patriots' offer was significantly less than what he will pocket from Seattle, and what idiot can criticize a man for wanting to be paid on a level commensurate with what others of his status earn?

Congratulations on the new contract Deion, and good luck. You brought much joy to Patriots’ fans and the true, decent fans wish you well. We’ll miss you.

Now, of course, if we see you in the playoffs, we’re going to lock E-Hobbs on your butt all over the field and have Rodney crunch numbers with you every time you come across the middle.

… now feel free to return to your regularly scheduled “We All Hate Deion Day."

just to re-iterate, you live in fantasy land, as does BRanch...