Scott Zolak hinted Patriots are talking with Butler about signing an extension (w/ audio!)

[Love The Drake]

Anyone have a feeling they are going to ask Mccourty to take a pay cut In a season or two

 

[Froob]

Denver carried Peyton's ass for years, on the strength of a pass rush and 2 top CBs. The Patriots cap and personnel situation makes it affordable to follow that same pattern, defensively.

It was all Peyton's influence and leadership that somehow turned them into an elite defense. Jim Nantz told me. Also that reminds me of Odell Beckham, what a player...

 

[ALP]

Anyone have a feeling they are going to ask Mccourty to take a pay cut In a season or two

LOL
ask a guy who is at the top of his postiion in the NFL, that is extremely durable, a great leader, and this year probably underpaid?

...your chances by my opinion are about 0.05%

 

[resdubwhite]

LOL
ask a guy who is at the top of his postiion in the NFL, that is extremely durable, a great leader, and this year probably underpaid?

...your chances by my opinion are about 0.05%

I'm sure they'll ask. And I'm sure he'll tell them to foxtrot Oscar.

 

[luuked]

If Butler takes a team friendly deal (think around Logan Ryan money) I am sure they will work something out. If he wants the same insane market price contract like a UFA, he will leave in next year's FA.

That's what everything boils down to. Personally, I don't think his stance will change unless he also gets a new agent but fingers crossed..

 

[patfanken]

I think the sticking point might be the structure. I think the Pats will want to structure it as an "extention" with this season's cap numbers being low. It would mean that he'd make the same $4MM as his salary, with whatever signing bonus being the increase in his 2017 pay.

I think part of the fear with Bulter is that he might not age well. His quickness and acceleration are a huge part of his success. When that starts to slip, even marginally, there might be a fear that he will quickly slip into mediocrity.

 

[Biffins]

This would be beyond great. I'm guessing that Butler has realized he's stuck playing here for $4m this year and nothing's really gonna change that - he will be paid a lot more starting next year but there's no way he gets more THIS year unless he works out an extension with the Pats. I'm guessing he probably would prefer to stay here long-term over a team he's not familiar with, so perhaps he has decided that it makes sense for him to get more than $4m right now and some longer term security, and know he's staying in one spot for a while, even if it means making a little less in the long run. 4/$42 starting today may feel better than 4/$52 somewhere else starting 1 year from today.

Further, it means he hits UFA again a year sooner, so if he starts out on a 4 year deal right now, he'll be just barely 31 the next time he is coming up on free agency. Not "old" yet but he may command a little more money at that time if he's one year younger.

From that perspective, if he stays here on 1/$4m and then signs for 4/$52m next year elsewhere, that's $56m over 5 years. But if he starts on a 4/$42m deal today, he's made less than he would've on the other deal, but after 4 years he can sign a new deal at the then-current market prices for CBs. If he can get $12m a year at that time (seems plausible considering his talent, age, and the salary cap increases year-over-year), then he's made $54m across that same 5 year time period, barely less money than in the first scenario, and he gets to stay put in NE.

Getting money now also abates the risk of injury / loss of form etc.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Lotta money left over....Miguel shows $20 mill......take some of the hit now. The Saints assisted in pricing Butler so this could move fast if Zo the Boob is correct.

Bingo. Malcolm was able to learn what his market price is and BB is trying to figure out how to keep the kid.

Everything is going according to BBs design.

 

[Digit]

I think part of the fear with Bulter is that he might not age well. His quickness and acceleration are a huge part of his success. When that starts to slip, even marginally, there might be a fear that he will quickly slip into mediocrity.

Wouldn't some slippage make him more of a free safety then? He seems to be a good enough tackler to make up for it, unlike, say, Revis.

 

[deroc5050]

4 year deal worth 10/12m a year not counting this one. He will be 31 years old when he hits free agency again. This is clearly a very important decision for him because he may not get another contract after this one. When do CB's usually hit the wall? 32ish?

4 years 48 million dollar extension with 28 mil guarenteed? Is that a low ball?

 

[VJCPatriot]

I would love to see Butler back long-term. He will always be a hero in my book. At the very least Butler will play very hungry in 2017. I'm looking forward to seeing his best year as a pro to date!!

How about a 4/44 extension with 20m in guarantees? That would work out to 5/48 over 5 years. Could make sense for both sides.

 

[ALP]

is he willing to be the 2nd highest paid CB on the team tho? to a new guy? thats the biggest question now

 

[ViperGTS]

is he willing to be the 2nd highest paid CB on the team tho? to a new guy? thats the biggest question now

He gets long term security a year earlier than he should, plays for a massive SB favorite and a team he's familiar with. That's worth a bit of a haircut pay wise.

 

[Edelmania]

No idea why everybody thought he was gone. The Patriots have done absolutely NOTHING to signal the end for Butler. All that has happened the whole time was Butler exploring his options.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I think the sticking point might be the structure. I think the Pats will want to structure it as an "extention" with this season's cap numbers being low. It would mean that he'd make the same $4MM as his salary, with whatever signing bonus being the increase in his 2017 pay.

I think part of the fear with Bulter is that he might not age well. His quickness and acceleration are a huge part of his success. When that starts to slip, even marginally, there might be a fear that he will quickly slip into mediocrity.

That's a reasonable fear, but he's still young enough that I don't think it has to be an enormous obstacle on his next contract. He just turned 27 over this offseason - he won't play a down in his 30s for another 3 seasons. They could sign him to a deal now, and if they had a reasonable out after year 3 they could release him before he turns 30.

 

[Biffins]

Anyone have a feeling they are going to ask Mccourty to take a pay cut In a season or two

They might have if the salary cap had stayed flat. With the rise in salary cap, I don't think they will. BB and Kraft seem to examine the % of cap per position in their analysis. The salary cap will rise faster than McCourty's pay so McCourty's cap hit as % of overall cap actually decreases in the coming years.

This could also explain the Gilmore contract, Hightower contract and recent discussions with Butler. I think the Pats are realizing that just as signing shorter term contracts and keeping flexibility was more beneficial from 2007 till 2015 ish when salary cap stayed flattish, signing long term deals make more sense now in a rising salary cap environment.

I expect a lot more long-term deals to get done this year and next year.

 

[RayClay]

I said it before. due to his late start, he's simply not getting that long term 10 mil+ contract. turning 2.6 into a decent extensions, he can be protected from injury and still have a decent 6-7 mil long term. Otherwise, he needs to play for 2.6 and hope to get enough top dollar years to offset.

It's a matter of getting the best out of the position you're in.

 

[n6249c]

Butler probably realized his true worth and the fact that playing in NE is by far the best situation for him.

I think he's known that all along, just been trying his best to play the hand he was deslt to maximize his winnings. For all the teeth gnashing criticism of him on this board, what else could he have done that would have maximized his value?

 

[n6249c]

Almost guaranteed it would be for the average N.O. offered with one year removed and replaced by this year's $4M. Gives him something long term, would get him more now but keep the average to something the Patriots are good with.

The best move might be to tear up this year and replace it with a higher payout today for the same average over the life of the deal. Pats have still got plenty of cap space today, so taking the cap hit now is beneficial later, and time value of money says Butler getting cash in hand now has lots of value to him, so it's a win-win.

 

[n6249c]

Butler also has at least one team that had told him what he could expect to make as a ufa next year.

If you're talking about the Saints, as they drafted a CB at #11 that market may have changed for next year.

But the Saints had been negotiating with Butler before the draft, so they would've talked numbers before they made that draft pick.

It would be great and truly BBian to have used all that Saints interest to get Butler and agent into a realistic realm for a Win-Win extension.

Yep, got the Aints to peg market value, and then turned down all their trade offers. If I'm Sean and they do extend Butler I'm feeling used.