What Might Get Done In Ten Days (before the season starts)

[mgteich]

We all expect Branch and McClellan to be gone in ten days, bringing our available cap money to $21M. It seems that we do the following before free agency starts. My hope (pipe dream) is that we spend $12M as detailed below, leaving us to enter free agency with $9M before. Restructures and cuts need to be used to produce the $10M-$12 needed to start the playing season in August. So, the budget is $9M, not a lot at all.

There is no need to do anything about restructures/extensions before the season starts; just pay Bennett the $2M. Restructures/extensions could be done to the contracts of Brady, Gronk, Gostkowski, Hogan, Cooks, Bennett and/or Allan.
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PRIORITY ONE - OT (cap cost $10M)
sign Solder and either Fleming or Waddle

SIGN BADEMOSI ($1.5M)

SiGN EBNER ($1.5M)

SIGN KING ($1M)

SIGN HARRISON ($1.5M)

SIGN FLOWERS ($1.5M)

Equal salary hits DOES NOT mean that the players will have equal AAV's or contract length.

I'll give sample contract for a player if anyone wishes. One example structure for a 3 year contract is
2018 salary $1M
2019 salary ???
2020 salary ???
bonus $1.5M, $3M, or $4,5M
Incentives can be added
A 2019 bonus before the season starts can be added.
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So, for me, my top free agent targets from the list of top free agents available is Solder, plus Fleming or Flowers.
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[signbabybrady]

Just a gut feeling but I think things might get wild. 9 MIL is not enough BB has a lot of work to do on defense and several guys on offense to re-sign or replace.

 

[supafly]

Just a gut feeling but I think things might get wild. 9 MIL is not enough BB has a lot of work to do on defense and several guys on offense to re-sign or replace.

Yes, I agree with you. I am expecting a surprise cut or trade.

 

[HailHydra]

Imagine if Jimmy G had signed an extension here

CAP HELL

 

[DarrylS]

I not only suspect McClellin and Branch, but some other of these guys who have not met the Pats standard.. to speculate on who is folly, as it will be a surprise and cause great consternation on this message board..

Consider the 2017 draft 4 picks.. #83, #85, #131 and #211... yet we made it to the SB with lots of complimentary players, without several players we were all counting on.. only one dressed for the SB.

BB and his support system knows what they saw in their reviews of the SB, and they know who needs to be upgraded and what they need to do.. so I suspect a lot of upheaval and changes..

 

[maineman209]

@mgteich

I'm thinking that neither Harrison nor RJF will need to be formally re-signed until after the draft, perhaps not even until the week before Camp.

 

[maineman209]

Just a gut feeling but I think things might get wild. 9 MIL is not enough BB has a lot of work to do on defense and several guys on offense to re-sign or replace.

But that's before any contract extension re-structurings.

Allen could be easily extended-restructured to reduce his 2018 cap his by $2.5M or more. Bennett could be restructured to save another $3M. McCourty could be extended to save another $4M-$5M. Another Brady extension could save another $7M-$9M.

 

[Snooky97]

I think Allen, Brady, and possibility D-Mac would reconstruct their contracts. Gostkowski might reconstruct his contract as well..

I think we could easily get up to $30 mil in cap space with cuts and reconstructions of contracts. The best person to talk to about Cap issues, working it out is @Miguel. The best place to contact him is twitter. He is Brilliant on there, i think he has his own article on the Boston Hearld as well, but for some reason i can never get a subscription to work. Might be a UK thing.

 

[signbabybrady]

But that's before any contract extension re-structurings.

Allen could be easily extended-restructured to reduce his 2018 cap his by $2.5M or more. Bennett could be restructured to save another $3M. McCourty could be extended to save another $4M-$5M. Another Brady extension could save another $7M-$9M.

All part of the work/decisions BB has to make. Even with those moves once you lock up Solder, Dola, a RB or 2, and anything else we might be need on offense there isn't a lot for defense.

As I said just a gut feeling but I think something big will go down. Maybe BB gets creative and makes a few trades for cheaper impact players kinda like Cooks last year where draft capital was high but salary was good (at least last year it was).
But I think he might do something a little more drastic like let all the offensive guys walk in favor of defense leaving us with rookies in key spots and Cannon at LT.

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

All part of the work/decisions BB has to make. Even with those moves once you lock up Solder, Dola, a RB or 2, and anything else we might be need on offense there isn't a lot for defense.

As I said just a gut feeling but I think something big will go down. Maybe BB gets creative and makes a few trades for cheaper impact players kinda like Cooks last year where draft capital was high but salary was good (at least last year it was).
But I think he might do something a little more drastic like let all the offensive guys walk in favor of defense leaving us with rookies in key spots and Cannon at LT.

I think at the cap he's at we need to let Gilleslie compete for a spot on the roster.
You have to let Lewis walk for anything over 5 Million a season.
You have to let Solder walk for anything over 10.
Restructure Bennett and Allen.
Restructure Mccourty
Restructure Brady
D
Go and get honey badger or Joyner.
Go and get Trent Murphy
Get Richard Sherman
Get Wilkerson
Resjgn Flowers
Resign Harrison
Sign Terrelle Pryor Cheap why not
Sign 2 more linebackers
Make Gronk happy
go into the draft targeting QB of the future
Edge rushers
O line
Runningback

 

[patriot1136]

Do we know anything for sure on M. Bennett? Is he retiring or not? I guess maybe some of that has to do with $$

 

[maineman209]

All part of the work/decisions BB has to make. Even with those moves once you lock up Solder, Dola, a RB or 2, and anything else we might be need on offense there isn't a lot for defense.

As I said just a gut feeling but I think something big will go down. Maybe BB gets creative and makes a few trades for cheaper impact players kinda like Cooks last year where draft capital was high but salary was good (at least last year it was).
But I think he might do something a little more drastic like let all the offensive guys walk in favor of defense leaving us with rookies in key spots and Cannon at LT.

Possible.

Keep Fleming, let Solder and Waddle walk, and count on Croston to make a leap and Garcia to get healthy.

Let Lewis and Burkhead walk. Keep White/Gillislee/Bolden, and backfill with Frank Gore and a couple rookie RBs.

Cut Bennett, extend-restructure Allen, keep Hollister and backfill TE with Will Tye at TE.

Let Amendola walk (or retire) and backfill at WR with the PS guys and a couple new UDFA.

Not pretty, and certainly outrageous to many fans, but could get the job done.

 

[BTTA]

I think we could easily get up to $30 mil in cap space with cuts and reconstructions of contracts. The best person to talk to about Cap issues, working it out is @Miguel. The best place to contact him is twitter. He is Brilliant on there, i think he has his own article on the Boston Hearld as well, but for some reason i can never get a subscription to work. Might be a UK thing.

Patscap mailbag: Can Patriots afford to make a play for a top free agent this offseason?

 

[maineman209]

Do we know anything for sure on M. Bennett? Is he retiring or not? I guess maybe some of that has to do with $$

Most recently, Bennet has said he isn't retiring. Under his current contract, he hits the 2018 cap for $2M fully-guaranteed if he's still on the roster at the end of March 14th.

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Possible.

Keep Fleming, let Solder and Waddle walk, and count on Croston to make a leap and Garcia to get healthy.

Let Lewis and Burkhead walk. Keep White/Gillislee/Bolden, and backfill with Frank Gore and a couple rookie RBs.

Cut Bennett, extend-restructure Allen, keep Hollister and backfill TE with Will Tye at TE.

Let Amendola walk (or retire) and backfill at WR with the PS guys and a couple new UDFA.

Not pretty, and certainly outrageous to many fans, but could get the job done.

To a 5 and 11 season

 

[maineman209]

Patscap mailbag: Can Patriots afford to make a play for a top free agent this offseason?

I'm not subscribed to that site.

 

[Clonamery]

Imagine if Jimmy G had signed an extension here

CAP HELL

You could have traded Brady and used that $...oh wait, would JG have taken $15 million? I guess you wouldn’t need a LT with JG so you could get to $23-25 million.

 

[BTTA]

I'm not subscribed to that site.

Yeah, a lot of folks here aren't. I was just giving Snooky what he seemed to be asking for, which is a subscription that will work to read Miguel's stuff.

 

[Ivan]

Re-sign Solder And Waddle, let Fleming walk.

Release Gillislee, re-sign Burkhead. Let Lewis test the market but try to bring him back. Draft a RB in the first 3 rounds.

Re-sign Amendola

Release Bennett and Allen, draft a TE. Let the Gronk saga play out.

Release Alan Branch

Release Shea McClellin- re-sign M. Flowers

Release Jordan Richards

 

[Snooky97]

I think at the cap he's at we need to let Gilleslie compete for a spot on the roster.
You have to let Lewis walk for anything over 5 Million a season.
You have to let Solder walk for anything over 10.
Restructure Bennett and Allen.
Restructure Mccourty
Restructure Brady
D
Go and get honey badger or Joyner.
Go and get Trent Murphy
Get Richard Sherman
Get Wilkerson
Resjgn Flowers
Resign Harrison
Sign Terrelle Pryor Cheap why not
Sign 2 more linebackers
Make Gronk happy
go into the draft targeting QB of the future
Edge rushers
O line
Runningback

That would be a dream..

Think Brady and co would have to reconstruct their contracts.

Maybe turn a lot of it into signing bonuses.. I don't understand the cap like others do, so not sure how we can make them cheaper