Texans offer to Givens: $18.5M/5 Years

[NE39]

According to Houston Chronicle:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/3719091.html

 

[patsfaninpa]

3.7m per year. Seems very reasonable to me given the increased
salary cap. May have to go 4.0m to off-set playing in hometown
and no state income tax.

 

[richpats]

Givens will re-sign w/ the Pats, I can feel it. The more teams he turns down, the more likely he'll come back and catch passes from a real QB this fall.

 

[mcdonut16]

He is as good as gone for that money.

There is no way the Patriots will pay 4 mil a year to a number 2 receiver in an offense that prides itself in spreading the ball around to everybody. He is a posession receiver, not a game breaker.

I love Givens as a player but this is not value.

 

[drew4008]

And the article is implying he wants MORE?

 

[drewdagreat]

I'd give him that, I think.

 

[BelichickFan]

He is as good as gone for that money.

Yeah, then we're paying Branch $5M a year and into WR for about $10M a year combined. I hope we can sign Branch this offseason, and get somewhat of a discount for doing so, I doubt we give him $5M a year with or without Givens.

 

[fgssand]

Watch for the Pats to let Givens sign elsewhere, then immediately extend Branch with a nice deal for all sides. This will send a message that it is far more rewarding to the player that likes it here, to deal with the Patriots as classy as they will deal with you. DGiv and his agent has turned this into a circus.

 

[madmike77]

I'd say that sounds decent, but given the deal Randle El got it's understandable Givens would want more than what Houston is offering.

 

[JR4]

Really depends on how that 18.5M is structured in the contract.
How much of it was really guaranteed?
If there is only say 8M guaranteed, PATs may still be able to compete.

 

[mgteich]

You mean the pats might "want" to compete.

Really depends on how that 18.5M is structured in the contract.
How much of it was really guaranteed?
If there is only say 8M guaranteed, PATs may still be able to compete.

 

[shakadave]

Yeah, then we're paying Branch $5M a year and into WR for about $10M a year combined. I hope we can sign Branch this offseason, and get somewhat of a discount for doing so, I doubt we give him $5M a year with or without Givens.

I think we might do a little better. Match the 3.7/yr offered to Givens, so that if he leaves he can't say it was for the money. Then offer Branch 4.1/yr (I don't think he's worth THAT much more than Givens, plus Branch gets it about the hometown discount.) Thus we would get the pair of receivers for under $8m/yr for long enough to win two more Super Bowls. That's what I'd do. Any other opinions?

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

I think we might do a little better. Match the 3.7/yr offered to Givens, so that if he leaves he can't say it was for the money. Then offer Branch 4.1/yr (I don't think he's worth THAT much more than Givens, plus Branch gets it about the hometown discount.) Thus we would get the pair of receivers for under $8m/yr for long enough to win two more Super Bowls. That's what I'd do. Any other opinions?

Good plan. But I'd like to see some $ held back to grab Moulds if/when the Bills release him later on.

Not sure Branch would go for it though when he sees what Randal-El just signed for ------ 6 years, $31M, $8M bonus.

 

[Garbanza]

He is as good as gone for that money.

There is no way the Patriots will pay 4 mil a year to a number 2 receiver in an offense that prides itself in spreading the ball around to everybody. He is a posession receiver, not a game breaker.

I love Givens as a player but this is not value.

True - but with only two wide receivers presently on the roster - branch and johnson - the spread is a wee-bit think right now. LOL!

 

[Richter]

I hope for Givens sake he doesn't go to the Texans, even if he doesn't remain a Patriot. I've followed the team regularly since I moved to Texas, and they are an awful organization, incompetent from the top down. Stupid owner, awful GM, poor on-field talent. They still believe Domanick Davis is a starting RB in the NFL, and that David Carr is anything but a huge bust. Maybe Kubiak can start to turn it around, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[mgteich]

You think that Branch will accept $400K a year more than Givens. I suspect that both Givens and Branch would say no. Neither care whether anyone says that they did or didn't leave for the money.

Next year Branch will likely be offered at least $1M a year more than Givens. At least, he will want to wait and see.

I suspect that Givens is using patriot offers to get more from wherever he plays. We are all wishing and hoping, but the time to have signed Givens was last year. We chose to get a deal at $1.4M. Part of that deal was losing him this year if he had a good year.

I think we might do a little better. Match the 3.7/yr offered to Givens, so that if he leaves he can't say it was for the money. Then offer Branch 4.1/yr (I don't think he's worth THAT much more than Givens, plus Branch gets it about the hometown discount.) Thus we would get the pair of receivers for under $8m/yr for long enough to win two more Super Bowls. That's what I'd do. Any other opinions?

 

[IcyPatriot]

He certainly stretched the field for us...but I think that role may now go to Ben Watson. No way Belichick pays big money for duplicate skills...and Watson has more uses other than stretching the field.

I say he's gone and will be replaced by a cheaper WR with speed in the draft. A player like Bethel who is there to stretch and not necessarily catch all the time.
Could even be Patten is coming back to do the same...if he hasn't signed yet.

Let's not forget Givens looked better when we lost Patten.