Breaking News Per Schefter: Long-term contract for Hernandez!

[BradyFTW!]

What is it that you don't understand? When a player is continually getting better, which Welker has been, they aren't getting worse, despite the claims of those who want to make that argument. They made it before last season for the exact same reasons and he had one of the best seasons any receiver has ever had. When you claim a player is going to get worse for a set of reasons, and they get better, then coming back with the exact same argument a year later is complete bullsh.t, and those making it should be embarrased by it.

the Welker bashers should be admitting they were 100% wrong, and then shutting their pieholes, instead they are even more adamant they are right despite being proven completely wrong, it doesn't get more screwed up than that. It's no different than all the clowns who bashed Brady for years as a system QB, who could never match the numbers they have been proven wrong 100% of the time, and although they can continue to make those claims it will never make them right.

You're totally right. Welker, like fine wine, is just going to continue getting better every year. We should just sign him through 2040 right now and be done with it.

 

[BradyManny]

You're totally right. Welker, like fine wine, is just going to continue getting better every year. We should just sign him through 2040 right now and be done with it.

Forget 2040. Just wait until Cyborg Belichick unleashes Zombie-Welker in about 2075.

 

[Deus Irae]

You're totally right. Welker, like fine wine, is just going to continue getting better every year. We should just sign him through 2040 right now and be done with it.

Prior to last season, there was a contingent here that was insisting

a.) Welker would begin his decline

b.) Hernandez and Gronk would make Welker redundant


While Ivan may be taking things over the top here, the truth is that his general point is correct, and all the people trying to play the decline card are really just saying "one day my argument will be right, guaranteed!", while having basically nothing else to sink their argument in, since the age thing (at least in regards to the next 2 years) has been debunked in other threads.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I don't know the final details but that contract looks like another great deal for us.

Gotta give the front office kudos. The Jets spend $10M a year for Santonio Holmes and we signed Wilfork, Gronk, and Hernandez for $2-3M less per year. All bonafide studs and top 3 or 4 at their position

 

[shmessy]

Prior to last season, there was a contingent here that was insisting

a.) Welker would begin his decline

b.) Hernandez and Gronk would make Welker redundant


While Ivan may be taking things over the top here, the truth is that his general point is correct, and all the people trying to play the decline card are really just saying "one day my argument will be right, guaranteed!", while having basically nothing else to sink their argument in, since the age thing (at least in regards to the next 2 years) has been debunked in other threads.

.....hence the argument is about (2014+) AFTER the next two years.

 

[zeroakuma]

I love Wes, but in the little fantasy I have, Wallace and Lloyd are partners outside, while THE GRONK and Money are the insiders.

I miss watching a burner like Randy Moss and his one handed TD catches. :cry2:

 

[BradyFTW!]

Prior to last season, there was a contingent here that was insisting

a.) Welker would begin his decline

b.) Hernandez and Gronk would make Welker redundant


While Ivan may be taking things over the top here, the truth is that his general point is correct, and all the people trying to play the decline card are really just saying "one day my argument will be right, guaranteed!", while having basically nothing else to sink their argument in, since the age thing (at least in regards to the next 2 years) has been debunked in other threads.

Anyone who's claiming that Welker's decline is already happening, or that they know that it's imminent, is obviously wrong. Nobody knows what will happen - not us, Belichick, or even Welker for that matter. I'm not sure if anyone's actually made that argument on this thread, though; I know that the people that Ivan keeps lashing out at haven't. All that most of us have been saying is that, come 2013 and beyond, we'd rather be paying Hernandez in his mid-20s than Welker in his mid-30s. Even that assumes that it's an either-or scenario, and I'm still hopeful that it isn't.

 

[Deus Irae]

.....hence the argument is about (2014+) AFTER the next two years.

It's 2 years beyond the current year. And the argument has been about last year, this year, next year and beyond. It hasn't been static.

 

[BradyManny]

While Ivan may be taking things over the top here, the truth is that his general point is correct, and all the people trying to play the decline card are really just saying "one day my argument will be right, guaranteed!", while having basically nothing else to sink their argument in, since the age thing (at least in regards to the next 2 years) has been debunked in other threads.

This, in spite of my jest above, I would 100% agree with.

Ultimately, there's no proof Welker was asking for something that long-term. If anything, what we have heard suggests that three years at fair value for him would've done the trick.

All evidence suggests that Wes Welker will still be terrorizing DBs and LBs in 2014.

Now if he had wanted four or five years. Yeah, then maybe we can talk about how effective he'll be then. But he didn't.

 

[Danger Zone]

I was about to write that I love Welker as much as anybody.. but since that is clearly not the case, let me state that I love Welker (in a NFL manly kind of a way).

But how big was this "contingent" anyway? A dozen posters? Half a dozen?

I just don't see the disrespect.

 

[shmessy]

I miss watching a burner like Randy Moss and his one handed TD catches. :cry2:

He made that one handed TD catch in a loss to the Jets........ a quarter before quitting on a ball that went for a game changing interception/TD.

Just sayin'....

Sportscenter Highlights are fun, but gimme David Patten and 3 SB's.

 

[shmessy]

It's 2 years beyond the current year. And the argument has been about last year, this year, next year and beyond. It hasn't been static.

Ugh.

He's playing for NE this year. NE can tag him for next year (if he's healthy, and if they want).

The only question is whether to commit to him for his potential in 2014+.

THAT is the point. If you want to spin it differently with your usual semantics, we're all ready to hear the pearls of wisdom.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Prior to last season, there was a contingent here that was insisting

a.) Welker would begin his decline

b.) Hernandez and Gronk would make Welker redundant


While Ivan may be taking things over the top here, the truth is that his general point is correct, and all the people trying to play the decline card are really just saying "one day my argument will be right, guaranteed!", while having basically nothing else to sink their argument in, since the age thing (at least in regards to the next 2 years) has been debunked in other threads.

We call that making the Borges argument... He's been waiting over a decade to be right, although he can only occasionally gloat ever so briefly over fleeting instances he feels keep the possibility of eventual validation in play.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

EXCELLENT! Dynamic Duo here long term is a Win-Win for all involved and importantly concentrating on playin football. It puts to rest speculations, negotitations etc that could be distractions.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Ugh.

He's playing for NE this year. NE can tag him for next year (if he's healthy, and if they want).

The only question is whether to commit to him for his potential in 2014+.

THAT is the point. If you want to spin it differently with your usual semantics, we're all ready to hear the pearls of wisdom.

That reminds me of something I've been wondering. If you franchise somebody for the 2nd year in a row, is the tag # still the top 5 average or more?

 

[Deus Irae]

Ugh.

He's playing for NE this year. NE can tag him for next year (if he's healthy, and if they want).

The only question is whether to commit to him for his potential in 2014+.

THAT is the point. If you want to spin it differently with your usual semantics, we're all ready to hear the pearls of wisdom.

I'm not spinning anything, Smessy, and your "the only question" is simply not an accurate portrayal of what the Welker arguments have been. If, however, my posts bother you, perhaps you could stop reading them...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Ugh.

He's playing for NE this year. NE can tag him for next year (if he's healthy, and if they want).

The only question is whether to commit to him for his potential in 2014+.

THAT is the point. If you want to spin it differently with your usual semantics, we're all ready to hear the pearls of wisdom.

This isn't semantics. What you fail to grasp is signing him to a 3 year deal or even a 4 year deal would be commiting nothing to him in 2014 beyond what he's already been paid because of the way contracts are structured against the cap. His guaranteed money would all have been paid out this season if not by next and all that would be left is unguaranteed salary they can leverage him to reduce under threat of being cut with minimal dead cap consequences.

Tagging him again next season will cost more than getting a 3 year deal done this year or last year would have in cash and cap.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

That reminds me of something I've been wondering. If you franchise somebody for the 2nd year in a row, is the tag # still the top 5 average or more?

It's the higher of the new tag (top 5 averaged over 5 years) or 120% of the previous one which is almost always the higher.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

It's the higher of the new tag (top 5 averaged over 5 years) or 120% of the previous one which is almost always the higher.

Thanks Mo. That would make Welker's tag around $11M I think if they wanted to do it again

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Projected two year total $20.9M or where the $21M he must want figure always emanates from. Most mediots who have any real insight felt what he wanted was closer to $18-19M guaranteed on a 3 or even 4 year deal (and longer would be better for the team from a cap flexibility standpoint) in the $8M+ range. The last year or two would be backend salaries aren't guaranteed. Makes no sense they wouldn't do it beyond they really don't want to pay him more than $6-7M AAV (which is really all they seemed to ever be offering). They decided it was better to overspend that this year than commit to anything more than that going forward. They may think with a slight drop off in production due not to decline but personnel they can keep him on for less than that going forward because he's loyal to Brady. It's a gamble. Only thing that could flumox it is if that production decline isn't realized. Then he will have a better open market.