Will we extend Wilfork this offseason?

[carolinatony]

He is the one player we need to resign and keep a Patriot. Isn't this the last year of his contract?
When do they start to talk to players about contracts. Do they wait till after the draft ?

thanks

 

[Kontradiction]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

They'll probably wait until right after the draft, or shortly before the season begins to do it. Lord, I hope we get him extended. He is the anchor of this defense line. I don't want to lose Seymour either but Wilfork is a MUST extend.

 

[Jimke]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Whether or not the Patriots extend Wilfork probably depends on the

health of Tom Brady. If Tom cannot start the season and Cassel remains

with the team and plays deep into the season, the Patriots will be quite

tight against the cap. They will be hard pressed to sign their draft choices

and sign a few free agents to fill out their roster.

 

[JoePats]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Reiss said in a video on his blog that talks had cooled and it was on the backburner for now.

 

[N.Eman]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

I think they will extend him sooner or later. They know how hard it is to replace a player like Wilfork. They are so hard to find nowadays!

 

[ayjackson]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

The Cassel situation shouldn't affect Wilfork. They can work the numbers to minimize his first year cap hit.

I think I may have hypothesized mid-season (after a low participation game by Vince) that they might not pay him what he could get on the open market. I no longer believe that. He played a lot down the stretch and was dominant.

I don't believe they'll extend Sey though. I think they'll let the season play out and see how his health holds out.

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

I agree that the Cassel situation won't affect Wilfork. Keeping Vince is one of our highest priorities, as he is top 3 at his position and extremely hard to replace.

All indications are that Wilfork wants to remain a Pat, but not at a severe discount. His wife handles negotiations for him, and is fairly tough. I expect he is not willing to negotiate anything until seeing how Albert Haynesworth fares. Haynesworth is a FA this year and should set the market. I would expect him to get something around 6 years $60M. I could see Wilfork settling for something slightly less than what Haynesworth gets, but more than what the Bears gave Tommie Harris - roughly around 6 years $54M. Just an early guess at this point.

I doubt we extend Seymour unless he wants to remain a Pat and is willing to extend for reasonable money - something like 3 years, $18M. He is excellent but aging, and replacing a 3-4 DE is much easier than replacing a 3-4 NT. Chris Canty from Dallas is a FA this year and would be an adequate (if not as good) replacement. There are a number of talented players in the 2010 draft who could be excellent 3-4 DE's: Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma (probably top 10 pick), Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska, Vince Oghobasse from Duke, and Arthur Davis from Syracuse, among others.

 

[stinkypete]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

History shows that defensive line is the one position that the Patriots will consistently pay to keep in town. Seymour, Warren and Green were all extended during the summer prior to the start of their contract year.

A similar move would make a lot of sense, given that by June/July we will have a much better idea of the QB situation. The downside of course is that by then both Albert Haynesworth and Tommie Harris will have signed their deals. I see the deal that Wilfork eventually signs, be it with the Pats or elsewhere, to fall somewhere in between the total money of those players.

Here's keeping my fingers crossed that Haynesworth takes a home town discount to remain in Tennessee.

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Because of free agent needs and the need to keep money available for draftees, the team probably feels that it can't extend Wilfork until the Cassel situation is resolved.

 

[carolinatony]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Let Seymour go and just sign Vince please.

 

[condon84]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Cassel's situation of course has to be resolved first. Regardless what happens with Cassel, our draft picks, and FAs, I believe Wilfork being extended has got to be a priority. He is key in our 3-4 defense and letting him play out his contract and the possibility of getting into a bidding war with other teams is a HUGE mistake. We could always franchise him if it comes down to it, but historically, franchised players are not too happy and only play if there is a stipulation that they don't get franchised again the following year. We gotta sign him.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

...yes, if they have any sense at all.

 

[slash83]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

...yes, if they have any sense at all.

:yeahthat:

 

[BelizePats]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

If they were willing to extend Warren and got it done, you would have to think that this happens after the draft and before training camp!
Not doing this would really make me question the front office for the first time in a long while!

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

If they were willing to extend Warren and got it done, you would have to think that this happens after the draft and before training camp!

Warren agreed to a reasonable contract. It takes two to get a deal done and I don't get the feel that Wilfork will take a penny less to stay here. I expect him to play this year out then be Franchised; if the Franchise tag still exists and works the same, I don't keep up with the CBA and possible uncapped year, etc.

 

[billdog3484]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Let Seymour go and just sign Vince please.

i think seymour hasnt been as great as we all hoped he would turn out. BUT, he has been a very good player. i personally get frustrated with him during games, but i dont know about releasing him. i think he gets paid a little much but i think its better to overpay some guys than not to have them altogether. theres a fine line. hopefully he will dominate this year

 

[j00fek]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

that should be the #1 priority next season

 

[mgteich]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

It does take two in order to have a deal. However, in the case of Wilfork, the team could franchise him in 2010 and in 2011 if necessary, so the immediate need is not great. Even though the defensive ends are not as important as Wilfork, their re-signings and extensions are a more serious problem for the team.

I do agree that trying to extend Wilfork should be a very high priority.

With regard to Cassel, we cannot extend Wilfork until Cassel is no longer using up $14M of cap space. Wilfork's 2008 salary is only $1.5M. Even if the new contract started in 2010, and the bonus was $20M over five years (it will be more), the 2008 cap hit would be $4M.

Until the Cassel situation is solved, we might not even be able to re-sign Wright, a safety (James Sanders or his replacement), Gaffney (or his replacement) along with Paxton, Hochstein, Evans, Lew Sanders and Hanson. This is the minimum free agent need, before any serious upgrades or the extension of Wilfork. Green could be extended without additional cap monies.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Here's a question: Is Wilfork better at his position, than Seymour is at his?

 

[102 Pat]

Re: Will we extend Wilfork this off season?

Didn't Wilfork say at some point this season he wants to stay with the team?