All quiet on Hightower front or Dont'a-do-it FA tour

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Not surprised.

lol...

Maybe I am just overreacting to this situation, but you do acknowledge that this situation is extremely rare, right? High profile free agents poised to make $10M+ on a multi-year deal, with multiple bidders, not rebounding from a major injury or coming off a down year, do not usually flounder around like this for a week.

Well, if you don't, just go look at virtually any website's list of the top free agents on the market. You'll see that Hightower is the only one who isn't signed yet, and that nearly every other one of them was locked up five days ago. And I'm willing to bet if you went back 10 years and looked through all those lists, you would find very few cases like this. Do you really think Hightower's decision is going to come down to a PowerPoint sales pitch, a birthday cake, and whether or not Mike Tomlin has a firm handshake?

 

[The Gr8est]

His actions show no such thing.

He's enjoying this time and good for him.

No one visits the Rats for enjoyment.

Most people scrub with bleach if they spend too much time in the Rats' company.

 

[NashuaPats]

LOL

Hilarious. They can't offer him a winning environment so they shower him with cupcakes. What a joke of a franchise. Lol.

 

[ViperGTS]

He is trying to save face. He probably doesn't want the appearance of leaving for the same amount of money to a loser franchise. He should have taken the 10 last offseason and he would be fine right now. Instead he is basically hoping and praying some team overpays so he can save his dignity and leave like he pretty much seems to want to. Otherwise he's take the Pats offer right now. This is week 2 of FA (yes the tampering period counts) and when was the last time a number 2 FA was unsigned at this point? I was thinking no biggie on Fri/Sat. Now it's one week and NOW he is going on visits?

There is nothing normal with this situation.

Well the white knights are out in full force. What a shocking surprise.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I wish I could play poker against some of the people in this thread. No nerves, no concept of strategy and no subtleness. Seriously, just relax and let the process play itself out..

And please just shut the **** up and stop coming up with tinfoil hat stories about HT being a mercenary or not interested in coming back. The guy is exploring all options before making a decision which is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Especially when it comes to life-altering decisions like a first FA contract which is supposed to be the (financial) culmination of decades of work.

Yes, this is a logical viewpoint...but it ignores that Hightower's approach and extended adventure diverges greatly from 99% of other players in a similar situation as a highly valued free agent with multiple offers, who have all had loads of time to understand the market, its suitors, and the available offers.

 

[luuked]

lol...

Maybe I am just overreacting to this situation, but you do acknowledge that this situation is extremely rare, right? High profile free agents poised to make $10M+ on a multi-year deal, with multiple bidders, not rebounding from a major injury or coming off a down year, do not usually flounder around like this for a week.

Well, if you don't, just go look at virtually any website's list of the top free agents on the market. You'll see that Hightower is the only one who isn't signed yet, and that nearly every other one of them was locked up five days ago. And I'm willing to bet if you went back 10 years and looked through all those lists, you would find very few cases like this. Do you really think Hightower's decision is going to come down to a PowerPoint sales pitch, a birthday cake, and whether or not Mike Tomlin has a firm handshake?

Yes, this is a logical viewpoint...but it ignores that Hightower's approach and extended adventure diverges greatly from 99% of other players in a similar situation as a highly valued free agent with multiple offers, who have all had loads of time to understand the market, its suitors, and the available offers.

If you look back in the last 10 years you haven't seen a FA period where almost every team had still money left a few days in. Usually, there is a rush to get the deals done early because the cap space dries up pretty quickly.

What's the rush this year ?

 

[ViperGTS]

lol...

Maybe I am just overreacting to this situation, but you do acknowledge that this situation is extremely rare, right? High profile free agents poised to make $10M+ on a multi-year deal, with multiple bidders, not rebounding from a major injury or coming off a down year, do not usually flounder around like this for a week.

Well, if you don't, just go look at virtually any website's list of the top free agents on the market. You'll see that Hightower is the only one who isn't signed yet, and that nearly every other one of them was locked up five days ago. And I'm willing to bet if you went back 10 years and looked through all those lists, you would find very few cases like this. Do you really think Hightower's decision is going to come down to a PowerPoint sales pitch, a birthday cake, and whether or not Mike Tomlin has a firm handshake?

They don't. Any attempt to bring facts to the discussion that in ANY are seen to be a slight to the player, the white knights show up to defend said players' honor. Nothing you nor I have said is untrue or wrong.

They are tilting at windmills and that's the funny thing.

 

[The Gr8est]

Hilarious. They can't offer him a winning environment so they shower him with cupcakes. What a joke of a franchise. Lol.

Rumor has it things were going well until "pin the tail on the donkey" went embarrassingly bad.

 

[The Gr8est]

Count me in as someone that thinks he really is looking to leave town. Whether its the Collins trade or whatever. Don't get the warm and fuzzies. Mind you, not many are showing and love.

I think it's possible, and I'd be concerned about signing a guy whose heart isn't in it.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

If you look back in the last 10 years you haven't seen a FA period where almost every team had still money left a few days in. Usually, there is a rush to get the deals done early because the cap space dries up pretty quickly.

What's the rush this year ?

The rush has been the exact same as in previous years. Hightower is the anomaly here, not the calendar year. The long list of signed players, with only Hightower being undecided, confirms it.

 

[kennyb]

Pats should tell him their offer expires in 24 hours. Then sign zach brown!

 

[resdubwhite]

If he goes to meet with the Montreal Alouettes something is definitely up.

 

[luuked]

The rush has been the exact same as in previous years. Hightower is the anomaly here, not the calendar year. The long list of signed players, with only Hightower being undecided, confirms it.

Read again.

There is no rush for anyone to sign anywhere if that person is unhappy with what he has been offered so far. The money is not disappearing as in every other FA period the has come before.

 

[NashuaPats]

Rumor has it things were going well until "pin the tail on the donkey" went embarrassingly bad.

Could you imagine Bill Belichick presenting cupcakes during a meeting with a free agent and leading a Happy Birthday song? No, but the thought of it cracks me up.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Read again.

There is no rush for anyone to sign anywhere if that person is unhappy with what he has been offered so far. The money is not disappearing as in every other FA period the has come before.

That is not true at all. Word is the Titans pulled out of the running. That is one aggressive suitor who is no longer interested because Hightower has taken too long to decide. They spent their free agency-allotted money on other players. The Jets don't even have a ton of cap space; do you think they are going to put their money aside for a few weeks while Hightower decides? Less market demand generally means less money. The Patriots are one more big signing/trade away from moving on; I don't think they have any plans to make another major move besides Hightower, but you can be sure that Bill won't be adhering to Hightower's way-slower-than-industry-standard schedule.

Maybe Hightower has 31 visits scheduled, along with the CFL, NFL Europe, and Vince McMahon.

 

[102 Pat]

I wish I could play poker against some of the people in this thread. No nerves, no concept of strategy and no subtleness. Seriously, just relax and let the process play itself out..

And please just shut the **** up and stop coming up with tinfoil hat stories about HT being a mercenary or not interested in coming back. The guy is exploring all options before making a decision which is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Especially when it comes to life-altering decisions like a first FA contract which is supposed to be the (financial) culmination of decades of work.

Since the word of his Jets visit got out, some in this thread are giving off a "bitter ex" vibe.

 

[BTTA]

Yes, this is a logical viewpoint...but it ignores that Hightower's approach and extended adventure diverges greatly from 99% of other players in a similar situation as a highly valued free agent with multiple offers, who have all had loads of time to understand the market, its suitors, and the available offers.

Or maybe Hightower has more discipline, emotional maturity, and less neediness than the other players who sign immediately after having big numbers thrown in their face.

"Extended" isn't defined by other people's behavior. If I go to the food and beverage section of the movie theater, and spend some time pondering the offerings and thinking about what I want, does that make me somehow lesser than all those who walk right up and buy something?

 

[DaBronxPats14]

So Jets* tried to Wooo HT with a tower of cup cakes for his B'day.
That's it! They got us! C'ya HT.

Cup Cakes?! Can't make this stuff up!

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Hilarious. They can't offer him a winning environment so they shower him with cupcakes. What a joke of a franchise. Lol.

they probably contained cannibis. Now we will sign him and lose him for 4 games.

 

[The Gr8est]

Hilarious. They can't offer him a winning environment so they shower him with cupcakes. What a joke of a franchise. Lol.

You call them cupcakes, the Rats call them "a goddamn snack" and it's part of their team's culture.