UPDATES on Butler situation: Butler wants to be "A Patriots for Life" AND "paid like a Top 10 CB"

[RobertWeathers]

I'm still waiting for a single shred of evidence that Butler's agent has done a single thing wrong for his client.

They are maneuvering towards free agency and a Gilmore-type contract. And next year they will get it (if not sooner). They aren't holding out or threatening a hold out. This hardly makes the guy a "dumb dumb."

I'll tell you what he did wrong in sequence.

1. NE/Malcolm negotiated an extension last year. He declined their offer which is fine. Some players want the home run now. I get that Some are patient go along with the system. Some want the security. For a goy who grew up poorer than poor, does he really want to take the chance of blowing out his knee in 2017? I'm conservative financially by nature and I understand how some want to roll the dice. He should have advised his client to take a 3 year/$24/$8-10m guaranteed deal and be a FA when he is 29 or 30. If he was still a Pro Bowler he'd get a short deal but pretty lucrative one. At the end of the day he'd net around ~$40m in career earnings and a lifetime of security.
2. He does not understand what RFA means or how player get top dollar. Because it constricts a free market scenario and adds additional investment a team must make in acquiring him, that reduces the number of suitors. It also allows NE with $60m in cap space to match any offer. It also means the Patriots are not forced into paying him market rates.
3. I don't think he is accurately estimating the influx of CB talent in the draft. That will only negatively impact his client's market.
4. Sign the tender. It a) guarantees $3.9 m and b) puts the mechanism in place to be traded. Right now he has nothing to his name he might as well go back to Popeyes for a few months. Plus if he shows up week 10 he'll get squat.

I get that you can argue his agent is playing hardball with NE and trying to shoot his way out of town but the problem is he doesn't have leverage and his old team has a CB1 already so it's not like their secondary will suck next year.

 

[XLIX]

- He lied when he said "BB said he would never pay a CB more than $10 million", when Belichick has not only done it, but offered another contract for more than that, and pays his Free Safety nearly that much - and thought no one would notice.

When did he say that?

He said his client wouldn't hold out, the only actual leverage the player has.

Holding out would be absolutely moronic. He is wise not to hold out.

He said 'several teams have interest', yet that's not confirmed by any other teams via their nameless sources.

Are you honestly saying the guy is stupid for saying "several teams have interest" in his client?? Really..??!?

He advised his client not to sign the $3.91, tender, jeopardizing guaranteed money. He and his client can still shop around after the tender is signed.

Are you bleeping serious here??!??!? Do you even have the first clue what you are talking about?!?!? How the hell is he "jeopardizing guaranteed money"?!?!?

He isn't jeopardizing a single dime by waiting to sign the tender. It isn't like the Patriots are going to retract the tender offer (which, ironically enough, would be something that Butler wants).

It would be stupid to sign the tender right now and not shop his client around the league. It's hilarious how you are calling Butler's agent a "dumb dumb" when your advice is incredibly idiotic.

You need to step back and take off the silver-colored glasses.

- It's clear by the transparent whining he's done in the media, that he has zero clue what a restricted free agent is, how NFL contracts work, and through these actions, is giving his client terrible representation. The more this whining goes on, the more it damages his client's reputation in the league, and lowers his market, which is ****ing wrong.

Newsflash: If Butler is a UFA at this time next year, not one single team in the league is going to give the slightest damn that he had some very small, very slight contract disagreements with NE today.

He's a top-of-the-market CB, and deserves to be paid as such, in time. The agent is doing a lot more harm than good.

So far the agent has done absolutely nothing wrong. All the hatred for the guy comes from the fact that he isn't bending over to let Pat Patriot **** him in the ***.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

My question is..is the rumor true?...Pats told Butler they wouldn't pay a CB 10-11Mill per...then go and sign Gilmore?

If it is and they just flat out lied. They year that bridge is 100% on fire

 

[TommyD4207]

My question is..is the rumor true?...Pats told Butler they wouldn't pay a CB 10-11Mill per...then go and sign Gilmore?

If it is and they just flat out lied. They year that bridge is 100% on fire

If it's true, then the entire front office has a concussion and forgot the seasons of 2014, and 2015.

In other words, no there's no chance Belichick said that.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

If it's true, then the entire front office has a concussion and forgot the seasons of 2014, and 2015.

In other words, no there's no chance Belichick said that.

I think they were saying they told him..not the past..but the upcoming future they wouldn't do this

 

[BobDigital]

Butler has played at a high level 2 years and stayed pretty healthy all of him. Pay the man.

Give him some money. I have no issue dumping a bunch of money into the secondary. You need depth but you also need stars. I personally love the idea of a secondary with Butler/Gilmore/McCourty/Harmon all locked up for years. When 1 part of your D is that solid it allows you flexibility to have a lot of movement in other parts.

The idea you shouldn't have 2 really good CBs makes no sense to me. Also if we sign a long term contract today I think we will look back in 2-3 years as the cap goes up and up and be happy we did and find ways to get well priced guys in the front 7 one way or another.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I just want this saga gone...say you are staying..sign him ect...and move on (for us fans at least)

 

[CISGS]

I have zero issue, whatsoever, with a player asking for what he is worth.

Malcolm Butler is a Top 10 NFL Cornerback, period. He deserves to be paid like one.

 

[XLIX]

I'll tell you what he did wrong in sequence.

1. NE/Malcolm negotiated an extension last year. He declined their offer which is fine. Some players want the home run now. I get that Some are patient go along with the system. Some want the security. For a goy who grew up poorer than poor, does he really want to take the chance of blowing out his knee in 2017? I'm conservative financially by nature and I understand how some want to roll the dice.

1. What was the offer that he declined?

He does not understand what RFA means or how player get top dollar. Because it constricts a free market scenario and adds additional investment a team must make in acquiring him, that reduces the number of suitors. It also allows NE with $60m in cap space to match any offer. It also means the Patriots are not forced into paying him market rates.

What makes you think he "doesn't understand" any of this? What offers has he received, and declined, which makes you think he is doing wrong by his client?

I don't think he is accurately estimating the influx of CB talent in the draft. That will only negatively impact his client's market.

I disagree. His client is worth Gilmore money on the open market. Yes that's still a year away, but you don't take $35M to $40M today when you can get $65M to $70M tomorrow.

Sign the tender. It a) guarantees $3.9 m and b) puts the mechanism in place to be traded. Right now he has nothing to his name he might as well go back to Popeyes for a few months. Plus if he shows up week 10 he'll get squat.

With all due respect, this advice is stupid. Butler gains absolutely NOTHING by signing the tender right now and he loses the right to negotiate with other teams.

Butler's agent would be a complete moron if he advised Butler to sign the tender right now. There is zero chance whatsoever the Patriots rescind the offer. If Butler holds out, or doesn't sign by June 15, then you have a point. Get back to me in 3 months if that happens.

I get that you can argue his agent is playing hardball with NE and trying to shoot his way out of town but the problem is he doesn't have leverage and his old team has a CB1 already so it's not like their secondary will suck next year.

I don't even see this as "shooting his way out of town." There have been a few unsubstantiated rumors and leaks to the press, but this is not a contentious negotiation compared to ones we have seen in the past.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Malcolm Butler is a Top 10 NFL Cornerback, period. He deserves to be paid like one.

eventually...he will. But he has to take a cut if he wants more up front money. "Sign a 2-year or 3-year contract extension for up to $10 million (with incentives) and cash in when you reach free agency at age 28 or 29" is what any decent agent would've told him

 

[PrairiePat]

Butler has played at a high level 2 years and stayed pretty healthy all of him. Pay the man.

Give him some money. I have no issue dumping a bunch of money into the secondary. You need depth but you also need stars. I personally love the idea of a secondary with Butler/Gilmore/McCourty/Harmon all locked up for years. When 1 part of your D is that solid it allows you flexibility to have a lot of movement in other parts.

The idea you shouldn't have 2 really good CBs makes no sense to me. Also if we sign a long term contract today I think we will look back in 2-3 years as the cap goes up and up and be happy we did and find ways to get well priced guys in the front 7 one way or another.

The problem if you 'pay the man' now (assuming he gets more than $4 million this season) is that every other RFA in the league will point to that as the starting point for their own negotiations. No team is going to lose the leverage the CBA gave them to keep non-free agents from making big $ until they hit free agency.

 

[Marqui]

The idea you shouldn't have 2 really good CBs makes no sense to me.

It's actually one of the more stupid things I've heard in a while.

 

[XLIX]

eventually...he will. But he has to take a cut if he wants more up front money. "Sign a 2-year or 3-year contract extension for up to $10 million (with incentives) and cash in when you reach free agency at age 28 or 29" is what any decent agent would've told him

1. Bullcrap.
2. Did the Patriots offer him 3 years, $30 million?

 

[PatsSox363804]

I mean it's not just football either. Mookie Betts and Kris Bryant are 2 of the top 10 players in baseball and aren't making crap this year compared to what they "should." Its how this works, Butlers agent is doing him a disservice here.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

1. Bullcrap.
2. Did the Patriots offer him 3 years, $30 million?

I'm only giving an example of the kind of contract extension any properly advised player would expect to receive, if they haven't already become UDFA.

If Butler is unhappy with the money he's making now (or made last year) he could take an extension lasting 2 or 3 years, reach unrestricted free agency, and still be young enough to receive a top-of-market contract by age 28 or 29.

The point, there is no reason to expect unrestricted free agent money when the team is under no obligation to give it to him at this moment

 

[mariomega]

Is Butler a top 10 CB? IMHO, he is.

Should he get paid accordingly? Yes, he should.

But he and his agent need to realize he is a RFA this year and Pats can pay him 3.9m. Why in the hell would Bill pay more than that?

Does he want a extension and get paid 10m a year? So he needs to accept an offer in the north of 4y/34m, because Bill will want this season to be bought out.

Simple as that. But his agent doesn't care. He wants Butler to be treated like an UFA, which he is not.

Only UFA gets the big money. As soon they understand that, a deal can be made.

Now his sorry ass agent is leaking some info to change the narrative. I feel sorry for Butler, he is a hard worker and he deserves the best.

 

[Grogan14]

Butler has played at a high level 2 years and stayed pretty healthy all of him. Pay the man.

Give him some money. I have no issue dumping a bunch of money into the secondary. You need depth but you also need stars. I personally love the idea of a secondary with Butler/Gilmore/McCourty/Harmon all locked up for years. When 1 part of your D is that solid it allows you flexibility to have a lot of movement in other parts.

The idea you shouldn't have 2 really good CBs makes no sense to me. Also if we sign a long term contract today I think we will look back in 2-3 years as the cap goes up and up and be happy we did and find ways to get well priced guys in the front 7 one way or another.

pay the man what he is worth when it is time. If you pay him whatever he asks for now a year early, the risk is that there will be someone else maybe on offense or defense that will not fit under the cap and will need to be let go.
BB and Caserio need to mange for an entire team......Yes of course it would be easy to just pay Butler what he is asking for....but the downstream carryover effect on resigning future star players may not be great

 

[Angelpats]

He shouldn't be mad at Gilmore's contract. He played his 5 year contract and got paid. Bulter needs to realize the grind required to get paid. Brady paid it, so did most everybody else. Third year in league, second at the starter. Sign your tender and get paid next year.

 

[Rob0729]

That is surprising if true - not that I don't think he would be a good player for many teams (he definitely would). It's just that most GMs are so protective of first rounders that some of them would rather pass on proven players for the promise of rookies.

I bet the Pats said before this season that they wouldn't pay a CB who is two years away from unrestricted free agency $10 million a year, but now Butler's agent is spinning it to be any CB.