What would you consider a fair offer to Samuels/ Graham

[TomBrady'sGoat]

All of these are assuming non-dummy years/dollars.

Asante will probably be looking for something in the range of 6/$45M+ with $10-15M up front. No thanks. Franchise him and either pay him $7-8M for 1 year or trade him if you get an offer you like.

I'd consider 5/35 with 8-10 up front fair. There's no way that gets it done of course.

As for Graham, I think 4/yr is a little much for an injury-prone blocking TE. then again I have no clue how much interest there will be in him. I think 4/12 is reasonable.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

The person to watch in this whole Samuels thing is nate Clements of the Bills.
http://www.buffalobills.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=33929

Celments is only 2 years older than Assante, and is clearly a better cornerback than Assante. The Bills cut a deal with Clements last year and in order to get him to sign the franchise tender they promised not to franchise him again this year, so he is definately going onto the open market. I think that he is someone that the Patriots should go after. If we are going to pay big money for a CB, we might as well go out and get the best available!

Either way Clements is going to set the bar for Assante's contract.

Assante's agent would be insane not to let him get to the free agent market. The best case scenario would be to sign both Clements and Assante (never going to happen), or sign Clements and franchise and then trade Assante for another 1st rd pick.

The point here is that Assante IS NOT THE BEST CORNERBACK in the Free Agent market this year.

 

[cstjohn17]

Graham --- tough question, I think my valuation for him is as a good but not great and never will be great tight end. He has a little more production for the Patriots as a blocker than he will for other teams, but most other teams will use him more as a receiver.

5 years, 4 million to sign, 2 million roster bonus in year 2, total payments of 15 million:

2007 Season: Cap Number: 1.8 million [800k SB, 1.0 mil salary]
2008 Season: Cap Number: 4 million [800K SB, 1.2 mil salary, 2 million roster bonus]
2009 Season: Cap Number: 2.8 million [800K SB, 2.0 mil salary]
L2010 Season: Cap Number: 3.1 million [800K SB, 2.3 mil salary]
2011 Season: Cap Number: 3.3 million [800K SB, 2.5 mil salary]

This contract structure lets the Patriots do a little bit of front loading, and it also makes it likely that Graham will be with the Pats for at least four more years, and could see the entire contract.

Samuels is IMO as close to an elite corner that the Patriots will access to in the next two seasons. The free agent marketplace sucks as every team has the cash to sign their best corners, so what is available are either going to be impossible to negoatiate for players, or JAGs. As another poster noted, Samuels is YOUNG! so a four year contract puts him in place for another big pay day while giving the Patriots time to groom a replacement from the 2008 or 2009 draft.

I think my valuation on Samuels would lead me to offer a 5 year contract with a 10 million dollar signing bonus and a 3 million dollar roster bonus due on the day after the contract is signed contract as well as a guaranteed 1 million roster bonus for the first day of the 2008 free agency season. Total nominal value of the contract would be 41 million dollars as the cap should continue to rapidly increase.

2007 Cap Hit: 7 million [2 mil SB, 3 mil RB, 2 mil salary]
2008 Cap Hit: 7 million [2 mil SB, 1 mil RB, 4 mil salary]
2009 Cap Hit: 8 million [2 mil SB, 6 mil salary] [this is the breakeven point on cap amortization for the cut/trade decision]
2010 Cap Hit: 9 million [2 mil SB, 7 mil salary]
2011 Cap Hit: 12 million [2 mil SB, 8 mil roster bonus for the first day of 2011 free agency period, 2 mil salary]

So this contract is really a reasonable 3 year contract with a decent club option for year 4, and a no way in hell cap landmine in year 5 that will put the Patriots and Samuel in renogatiation or release mode.

As for TBC -3 years 1.5 mil to sign, total value 4.5 million --- right now he is a good JAG with some limited upside potential

2009 Cap Hit:

Really good breakdown, if the Patriots can sign Samuel they will have some of the core positions signed for the next 2+ years.

I don't think they will end up signing Samuel but if they did it would allow them to focus on other concerns (LB, S, WR, etc.)

Position player and average cap hit, http://www.patscap.com/futureyears.html
QB - Brady 2010 - cap $10M
LT - Light 2010 , love him or hate him our LT is signed thorugh 2010 - cap $5
RB - Maroney 2010 - cap $2
NT - Wilfork 2009 - cap $1.4
RDE - Seymour 2009 - $10 cap
LCB - Samuel 2012 (5 year deal as suggested above) - cap $9


Total cap for above positions is about $37 M per year... or 28-35% of the cap for the next couple of years. Don't know if this is ideal or not... more to ponder.

These are some of the most critical positions on the roster

 

[fester]

Really good breakdown, if the Patriots can sign Samuel they will have some of the core positions signed for the next 2+ years.....

Position player and average cap hit, http://www.patscap.com/futureyears.html
QB - Brady 2010 - cap $10M
LT - Light 2010 , love him or hate him our LT is signed thorugh 2010 - cap $5
RB - Maroney 2010 - cap $2
NT - Wilfork 2009 - cap $1.4
RDE - Seymour 2009 - $10 cap
LCB - Samuel 2012 (5 year deal as suggested above) - cap $9


Total cap for above positions is about $37 M per year... or 28-35% of the cap for the next couple of years. Don't know if this is ideal or not... more to ponder.

These are some of the most critical positions on the roster

And note, Seymour and Brady will probably be extended, bringing down their 2009-2010 cap hits , while Warren and Wilfork will most likely see their cap hits increase. My basic assumption on the planning is that the 2007 and 2008 seasons will see the Patriots have most of its core signed on relatively cheap contracts but starting in 2009, a lot of high value contracts are up, so any frontloading and cap space transfers forward will have a good chunk of value. That is why I have both Graham and Samuels taking roster bonuses early in their contracts to get the money pulled forward.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

It will be a cold day in hell IMHO when Belioli gives a player not named Brady or Seymour $20M in the first two years of a deal it would then cost them $6M in dead cap to walk away from entering year 3 (which of course they would only be considering doing if he morphed into a big deal bust or injury problem). Not to mention $26M over 3 years if they don't. Your proposing they pay him $8.7M per for 3 years which likely exceeds the franchise tag in at least 2 of those seasons.

They probably aren't going to give him a double digit signing bonus, and if they do it will be split as they did with Brady and Seymour and it will be the only bonus money he sees in those first 3 seasons. You have to look at the impact that kind of deal will have on your ability to function if you lose that player in year one. They are reluctant to have too many of those kinds of players/deals potentially looming at any given time. As well as remaining mindful of all those who will soon follow and potential cash over cap repercussions.

And remember in November when they broke off negotiations they were offering a $7.5M signing bonus which means they pegged him as a $5M+/- value player. He got more INTS thereafter, but BB believes that is equal parts talent and system/coaching.

 

[cstjohn17]

And note, Seymour and Brady will probably be extended, bringing down their 2009-2010 cap hits , while Warren and Wilfork will most likely see their cap hits increase. My basic assumption on the planning is that the 2007 and 2008 seasons will see the Patriots have most of its core signed on relatively cheap contracts but starting in 2009, a lot of high value contracts are up, so any frontloading and cap space transfers forward will have a good chunk of value. That is why I have both Graham and Samuels taking roster bonuses early in their contracts to get the money pulled forward.

That makes sense, but I don't see them signing both Graham and Samuel. I won't look too far into the future, anything can happen most notably injuries.

Something that teams like San Diego and Philly have been doing with some of their younger players on the rise is extend them early on, it will be interesting if the Pats try this with the next wave of players (Wilfork, Warren, etc.). The risk is the player gets injured or their play drops off substantially, the upside is if the player performs you have them at a managable number.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This really isn't about fairness, since their value will be determined on an open market. Whatever they get is "fair," because that's where the market came out. I guess the question being asked is what sort of an offer would either or both not take as an insult.

I'm not as familiar with Graham's numbers, but the consensus seems to be that Asante's worth is somewhere in the $40--45 million range over five years with $10--12 million or so as a signing bonus. I guess the Patriots could come in a little under the low end of the range, say at $39MM with a $10MM signing bonus, without being regarded as having put an "insulting" offer on the table. But, I don't think it would be enough to get him if he wants to go to the highest bidder.

Given the Patriots' philosophy, I think they should franchise him and then trade him outside the Division (or Conference) for less than his value, but still not losing him to Free Agency, since, if what the New York Papers say is true, the Jets will go high to have him on their team in the same division.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

This really isn't about fairness, since their value will be determined on an open market. Whatever they get is "fair," because that's where the market came out. I guess the question being asked is what sort of an offer would either or both not take as an insult.

I'm not as familiar with Graham's numbers, but the consensus seems to be that Asante's worth is somewhere in the $40--45 million range over five years with $10--12 million or so as a signing bonus. I guess the Patriots could come in a little under the low end of the range, say at $39MM with a $10MM signing bonus, without being regarded as having put an "insulting" offer on the table. But, I don't think it would be enough to get him if he wants to go to the highest bidder.

Given the Patriots' philosophy, I think they should franchise him and then trade him outside the Division (or Conference) for less than his value, but still not losing him to Free Agency, since, if what the New York Papers say is true, the Jets will go high to have him on their team in the same division.

I think almost every year we go through this amazing "concensus" implosion. Now we are cavalierly assuming Asante is worth more than the franchise tag in a multi year deal. LOL

 

[cstjohn17]

I think almost every year we go through this amazing "concensus" implosion. Now we are cavalierly assuming Asante is worth more than the franchise tag in a multi year deal. LOL

Step up to the plate big guy, what are your numbers?

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

---------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some recent CB signings, make your own guess on where Samuels ranks. According to Miguel the Franchise number (average of top 5 salaries) for Cornerback, $7.79 million

Samari Rolle, Baltimore - 6 years, $30.5 M, $11M bonus, YOB 1976
Fred Smoot, Vikings - 6 years, $34 M, $10M bonus, YOB 1979
Antoine Winfield, Vikings - 6 years, $35 M, $10.8M bonus, YOB 1977
Fred Baxter, Cleveland - 6 years, $30 M, $10M bonus, YOB 1978
Brian Williams, Jacksonville, 6 years, $34M, $10M bonus, YOB 1979
R.W. McQuarters, Giants - 3 years, $6M , $2M bonus, YOB 1976
Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh - 4 years, $22.5M, $6.4 bonus, YOB 1980
Deshea Townsend, Pittsburgh - 4 years, $8M, $2 bonus, YOB 1975
Lito Shepperd, Eagles - 5 years, $25M, $9M bonus, YOB 1981
Sheldon Brown, Eagles - 6 years, $30M, $7M bonus, YOB 1979
Ty Law, Chiefs - 5 years, $31.5M, $4M bonus, YOB 1974
Mike McKenzie, Saints - 5-year, $22M, $4M bonus, YOB 1976

FA class is weak, http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/...eagentsDB.html

Samuels - ???? - YOB 1981
- wow, I didn't know he is so young, he is only 2 years older than Hobbs
My guess, I think he on the rise and while he may never be a top 5 CB he should be a better than average 1st line CB for the entire length of the contract. If the Pats sign Samuels and draft a CB in rounds 1 or 2 cornerback will become a position of strength.

Too bad you didn't put Champ Bailey's contract on that list. Five things to condsider:

1.) The changing market: the huge increase in the cap will mean slightly inflated FA salaries.

2.) Asante is only 26: Samuel is younger than Bailey and is in the prime of his career.

3.) Free agency AND the draft are weak for CBs: Successfully replacing Samuel will take a miracle.

4.) Asante has the Pats over a barrel: #1 CBs are in great demand and Pats fans are deluding themselves if they think they will be better (or as good) w/o him.

5.) The Pats have no depth and no young players on their roster: I like Hobbs as a #2 CB, but he's inconsistent. Moreover, his lack of size shows when paired up with big/tall WRs. In truth, the Pats were lucky at SD when Rivers was picking on Hobbs all afternoon. Every time Hobbs was getting torched (beaten by 2+ steps) several things happened: dropped passes, 1 pass was underthrown, a WR did a poor job getting both feet in the endzone. Outside of Hobbs, the Pats have nothing but aging journeymen at CB.

These 5 points will drive up the price for Asante. Moreover, the reason the Pats were able to win the SB in '04 was that Asante was playing so well that the Pats were able to shift coverage toward Gay and leave Samuel on an island. Samuel is more valuable to this team than Seymour right now.

Bottom Line: If Asante wants to stay and the Pats give him a strong offer, he'll stay and I'll be very happy. If he wants out and is tired of living in NE, he'll ask for the moon and stars and force his way out via a trade. As for tagging him, it's a no-brainer regardless of what happens. The Pats would be fools for letting a player like Asante walk for nothing.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Step up to the plate big guy, what are your numbers?

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=50345

I already have wise guy - maybe you need to try reading more and post less... And make a few less assumptions.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I think almost every year we go through this amazing "concensus" implosion. Now we are cavalierly assuming Asante is worth more than the franchise tag in a multi year deal. LOL

but you know as well as I do that rationality doesn't play the dominant role in the evolution of this consensus. that's been the pats' greatest strength, IMO, not giving in to short term pressures.

did losing deion hurt last year? you bet.

will we be fine next year with more experience among the current receivers and that nice first round pick? you bet as well.

will we get along without asante? you bet, as long as we get something in return for him and don't let the Jets get him.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Based on those numbers I would offer 6/36M with a 10M signing bonus. I think that would be more than fair. And I think Asante is worth the money.

PS To those who want to reference the Champ Bailey contract, how many pro bowls has Asante been to? Bailey has made 7 pro bowls and been named to 3 All-Pro teams. Champ Bailey is the best corner in the game. Asante I would consider a top 10 corner but not best in game.

I will try to answer this with a straight face... ok, it is not working.. I am already cracking up....

4 years - $24 million??? Is that a joke?

First, what the heck does fair have to do with it? This is Samuel's chance to bank, he won't be looking for a fair offer. he will want every penny he deserves.

A better question is what will it take to sign them? Fair is for the teams that didn't land the player.

I admit, I don't follow TE contracts very closely and am not overly concerned about Graham. I posted the following information in a thread earlier, it provides some context on recent CB signings.

Just my guess but something in the range of 6 years - 34-37 Milion with 11- 15 in guaranteed bonuses (maybe not all at once but all guaranteed)

---------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some recent CB signings, make your own guess on where Samuels ranks. According to Miguel the Franchise number (average of top 5 salaries) for Cornerback, $7.79 million

Samari Rolle, Baltimore - 6 years, $30.5 M, $11M bonus, YOB 1976
Fred Smoot, Vikings - 6 years, $34 M, $10M bonus, YOB 1979
Antoine Winfield, Vikings - 6 years, $35 M, $10.8M bonus, YOB 1977
Fred Baxter, Cleveland - 6 years, $30 M, $10M bonus, YOB 1978
Brian Williams, Jacksonville, 6 years, $34M, $10M bonus, YOB 1979
R.W. McQuarters, Giants - 3 years, $6M , $2M bonus, YOB 1976
Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh - 4 years, $22.5M, $6.4 bonus, YOB 1980
Deshea Townsend, Pittsburgh - 4 years, $8M, $2 bonus, YOB 1975
Lito Shepperd, Eagles - 5 years, $25M, $9M bonus, YOB 1981
Sheldon Brown, Eagles - 6 years, $30M, $7M bonus, YOB 1979
Ty Law, Chiefs - 5 years, $31.5M, $4M bonus, YOB 1974
Mike McKenzie, Saints - 5-year, $22M, $4M bonus, YOB 1976

FA class is weak, http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/...eagentsDB.html

Samuels - ???? - YOB 1981
- wow, I didn't know he is so young, he is only 2 years older than Hobbs
My guess, I think he on the rise and while he may never be a top 5 CB he should be a better than average 1st line CB for the entire length of the contract. If the Pats sign Samuels and draft a CB in rounds 1 or 2 cornerback will become a position of strength.

 

[mgteich]

How many teams do you believe will be bidding for Clements and Samuel, the best two corners available in free agency. How much of a step down are nest set of corner available? When we franchise Samuel, we will be in the bidding for Samuel. How high would you expect to bid for Clements? Will the cost to keep Samuel now be less or more than if we didn't franchise Samuel.

BTW, I wouldn't expect any serious "trade" negotiations for someone on a tag until afer the draft.

The person to watch in this whole Samuels thing is nate Clements of the Bills.
http://www.buffalobills.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=33929

Celments is only 2 years older than Assante, and is clearly a better cornerback than Assante. The Bills cut a deal with Clements last year and in order to get him to sign the franchise tender they promised not to franchise him again this year, so he is definately going onto the open market. I think that he is someone that the Patriots should go after. If we are going to pay big money for a CB, we might as well go out and get the best available!

Either way Clements is going to set the bar for Assante's contract.

Assante's agent would be insane not to let him get to the free agent market. The best case scenario would be to sign both Clements and Assante (never going to happen), or sign Clements and franchise and then trade Assante for another 1st rd pick.

The point here is that Assante IS NOT THE BEST CORNERBACK in the Free Agent market this year.

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

Based on those numbers I would offer 6/36M with a 10M signing bonus. I think that would be more than fair. And I think Asante is worth the money.

PS To those who want to reference the Champ Bailey contract, how many pro bowls has Asante been to? Champ Bailey is the best corner in the game. Asante I would consider a top 10 corner but not best in game.

Doesn't matter. PB selections are subjective. There have been CBs with far worse seasons who've made PBs (Lito Sheppard immediately comes to mind). Moreover, one of the best CBs in the NFL in 2006, imo, was Nnamdi Asomugha, but he didn't get PB'd because he plays for the lowly Raiders.

Current circumstances (demands, CBA, cap hike, etc.) decide the market and Asante has a PB-type season. Asante became a FA at the best possible time for him.

I do agree somewhat with your salary projection but it would be $11-12 mil and $40mil total for 6 years at minimum, imo. Samuel is worth every penny. Imagine how the Pats would have fared in 2006 w/o him.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

How many teams do you believe will be bidding for Clements and Samuel, the best two corners available in free agency. How much of a step down are nest set of corner available? When we franchise Samuel, we will be in the bidding for Samuel. How high would you expect to bid for Clements? Will the cost to keep Samuel now be less or more than if we didn't franchise Samuel.

BTW, I wouldn't expect any serious "trade" negotiations for someone on a tag until afer the draft.

Not sure why you would say that based on the last player tagged and traded just last season:

"NEW YORK (March 21, 2006) -- John Abraham finally got what he wanted when the Jets traded the Pro Bowl defensive end to the Atlanta Falcons in a three-way deal with Denver.

The Broncos had to get involved for the much-anticipated trade to finally take place. Denver and Atlanta swapped No. 1 picks, with the Broncos getting the 15th overall selection and the Falcons getting pick 29. Then the Falcons sent that pick to the Jets in exchange for Abraham, the player's agent told The Associated Press.

Atlanta also got middle-round picks in 2006 and 2007 from Denver. The NFL is expected to approve the trade March 22.

The Jets had placed the franchise tag on Abraham for the second successive year. Both sides made it clear they wanted to part ways.

Last week, the Jets and Falcons started working on a trade, but Atlanta was willing to give up only a second-round pick. The Seattle Seahawks were offering a first-round selection, and that was the deal the Jets wanted to get the maximum value for their star player.

Abraham, however, had worked out his long-sought-after long-term deal with the Falcons and refused to negotiate with Seattle. He wanted to play for Atlanta to be closer to his daughter and mother, who live in South Carolina.

Now that he is officially with the Falcons, Abraham agreed to a six-year deal.

"He's elated," said Abraham's agent, Rich Rosa. "He's very happy, he's got the long-term deal he's always wanted."

The 27-year-old Abraham made it clear he wanted out of New York once the one-year tag was placed on him last month.

After Abraham was franchised in 2005, then-general manager Terry Bradway said the team would work toward giving him a commitment if he could stay healthy for an entire season. Abraham did that, playing all 16 games for the first time since 2002 and notching 10½ sacks despite coming into training camp late.

Once again, he got nothing from the Jets. So he visited with Washington, Seattle and Atlanta last week, settling on the Falcons. Though there has been some bad blood between Abraham and the Jets, Rosa said the player has no hard feelings.

"All in all, he got an opportunity to put himself in a position, with the help of the Jets, to go where he really wanted to go," Rosa said.

Abraham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection in six seasons, has 53½ sacks, fourth on the team's all-time list. Though he stayed healthy last season, Abraham has had a history of injuries. In 2004, he missed the final four games of the season and both playoff games because of a sprained knee.

In 2003, he played in seven games but missed time with a groin injury. He also missed one because he was arrested for drunken driving. But Abraham turned himself around after that, becoming more of a leader in the locker room and on the field. "

 

[JoeSixPat]

Everyone here seems to be saying that Samuel is gone to the highest bidder.

Although there have been some rumors out there, has the front office actually said they won't use the franchise tag on Samuel?

Did I miss that news?

And if the Pats hold the threat of a $1 yr $8 million contract, do people really think Samuel would sit out the season in protest? I don't think he'd be happy but he wouldn't give up that money. The Pats should be happy to pay that for one year only and if he remains health and productive they might consider a 20% bump franchising him the next year too.

So if you're assante and you have a choice of $8 million in salary for 2007 or a longer term deal with more guaranteed money now, why would you rule that out?

Unless that Pats have stated unequivicolly that they are not tagging Assante I think predictions of his departure are VERY premature.

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

Everyone here seems to be saying that Samuel is gone to the highest bidder.

Although there have been some rumors out there, has the front office actually said they won't use the franchise tag on Samuel?

Did I miss that news?

And if the Pats hold the threat of a $1 yr $8 million contract, do people really think Samuel would sit out the season in protest? I don't think he'd be happy but he wouldn't give up that money. The Pats should be happy to pay that for one year only and if he remains health and productive they might consider a 20% bump franchising him the next year too.

So if you're assante and you have a choice of $8 million in salary for 2007 or a longer term deal with more guaranteed money now, why would you rule that out?

Unless that Pats have stated unequivicolly that they are not tagging Assante I think predictions of his departure are VERY premature.

I agree that he'll be tagged, though i have no clue if NE would rather pay him for a year or trade him. I'd rather pay him for a year with the option of extending or tagging (with the option of trading) him again next year, and I agree with you that there's no way Asante sits out rather than collect his $8M. Oh, and doing so buys you an extra year to see if he's really a top corner.

I doubt Asante settles for a lesser deal because of the tag. He's only 26 and he can survive a year or two of being tagged and then hit free agency, or he can try to force a trade. accepting a lesser deal is also conceding, which an agent looking to make a name for himself does not like to do.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Everyone here seems to be saying that Samuel is gone to the highest bidder.

Although there have been some rumors out there, has the front office actually said they won't use the franchise tag on Samuel?

Did I miss that news?

And if the Pats hold the threat of a $1 yr $8 million contract, do people really think Samuel would sit out the season in protest? I don't think he'd be happy but he wouldn't give up that money. The Pats should be happy to pay that for one year only and if he remains health and productive they might consider a 20% bump franchising him the next year too.

So if you're assante and you have a choice of $8 million in salary for 2007 or a longer term deal with more guaranteed money now, why would you rule that out?

Unless that Pats have stated unequivicolly that they are not tagging Assante I think predictions of his departure are VERY premature.

Because tagged or not Asante will get to test the market. And if he finds there is a team or team willing to pay him (let's just say for comparison purposes) $15M in signing bonus on a 6 year $42M deal that will implicitly guarantee him he sees upwards of $24M in the first 3 years, his agent will advise him that jeopardizing that contract for a 1 year $7.9M payday is insanity. And all he has to do is say trade me because I am not going to play under a tag and the Pats will have to acquiesse because we all now know that if the player stands his ground he eventually forces even a Patriots hand. It would only be a difference of do we want compensation for him in the 2007 draft or in 2008.

If Asante isn't signed before the first day of FA, and it doesn't look or sound as if he will be (in part because having made it this far his agent would likely advise against it), the odds he plays here in 2007 become slim and none. Three months ago the concept of franchising this player was insanity because all the Pats were offering him was the equivalent of tag money in a signing bonus which indicated they valued him at roughly half the franchise rate. But the buzz from his INTS and the dramatic cap increase in the last 12 months, not to mention a tight talent market and the nature of the NFL beast has led to a point where that same player will now likely command upwards of $7M per. If the Pats have changed their value assessment of him based on his performance, they likely are willing to pay him more now than they were in November 2006. But is it double? And are they even interested in having a CB who absorbs that much cap? I don't think so, but we'll know in about 4-6 weeks I guess.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Because tagged or not Asante will get to test the market.

This is what I'm not understanding. How can he be tagged by us and test the market to play elsewhere?

If he's tagged he plays or sits. Maybe we have to plan for that contingency and sign a bargain CB as an alternative but that's not a problem with $30 mil in cap space.

If I'm Branch - under contract, not tagged - I'm willing to sit and do without a paltry $1 million to force a trade/payday for 10x that amount and more.

If I'm Asante, am I really prepared to give up $8 million in the biggest payday I've ever had as player, knowing that even if I give that up, I'm still in the same situation next year, maybe unable to command as much of a contract having sat all season, and looking for a longterm contract in 2008?

The only bottom line difference for Asante is that he sat and gave up $8 million - his situation hasn't changed for having sat out a season.

So there's no way Asante doesn't play in the regular season if tagged. Pre-season's a different matter - but with that scenario it might actually makes sense for both sides to reach an agreement.

As far as entertaining offers from other teams, its all theoretical money. Assante can't play for them if tagged. It's that simple.