NFL Free Agency 2022 edition

[BTTA]

If it would hurt BB, I would guess it already is or has. How many players have come and gone during BB’s tenure with the Pats? Do you really think this information wouldn’t have been spread among all of the players? Don’t think the agents know this already, if true?

Except all of the actual evidence is to the contrary.

 

[moosekill]

I do think the market value of players does come into the equation of who gets drafted where. Centers are cheap, why draft one high in the draft. QB's are really expensive drafting a good one early can set up a franchise for years. If WR's suddenly are really valuable in free agency, of course smart teams will look at drafting them rather than signing them to huge free agency contracts. The bigger question will be the real value of those receivers. Is having a #1 and then mediocre 2-3-4 better than having 3 #2's and a #4. Will be interesting to find out.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Grogan14]

If it would hurt BB, I would guess it already is or has. How many players have come and gone during BB’s tenure with the Pats? Do you really think this information wouldn’t have been spread among all of the players? Don’t think the agents know this already, if true?

I think it has already hurt the Pats organization, in terms of loosing out on UFA when we are competing with other teams for similar money.
Cronk's recent "joke" is a stereotype that has been frequently communicated among players and agents , whether true or not. I have no idea whether it is true...but stereotype being spread:

1. Pats are cheap and petty with their players
2. They directly try to avoid allowing certain players to reach their bonus incentives
3. Playing for the patriots is not fun or enjoyable

Its probably mostly BS, but when Gronk puts it out there, players hear it and believe it.
We do not know if or how many UFA signings it impacted.
Gronk is so salty toward BB and Pats....it is sad.

 

[BTTA]

I think it has already hurt the Pats organization, in terms of loosing out on UFA when we are competing with other teams for similar money.
Cronk's recent "joke" is a stereotype that has been frequently communicated among players and agents , whether true or not. I have no idea whether it is true...but stereotype being spread:

1. Pats are cheap and petty with their players
2. They directly try to avoid allowing certain players to reach their bonus incentives
3. Playing for the patriots is not fun or enjoyable

Its probably mostly BS, but when Gronk puts it out there, players hear it and believe it.
We do not know if or how many UFA signings it impacted.
Gronk is so salty toward BB and Pats....it is sad.

No, just no. Much of 'Merica may take in their information this way, but players (their agents) get facts before making decisions on contracts. Belichick's approach to this, and that of the Pats, is there in black and white, an actual historical record, rather than social media fantasy echo chamber.
Gronk jokes just don't matter.

 

[Jim Beankie]

PEagles sign Olympic hurdler (and Duck WR) Devon Allen. I thought this was an April fools joke. As a huge track fan, I'm hoping this works out, although he hasn't played in 6 years (when he had a season ending knee injury).

Recent Pro Day: 4.35 / 7.23 3cone / 34.5 VJ

Devon Allen Signs With Philadelphia Eagles

Allen nets an NFL contract after impressing scouts at Oregon's Pro Day just last week

www.si.com

 

[DaBruinz]

I think it has already hurt the Pats organization, in terms of loosing out on UFA when we are competing with other teams for similar money.
Cronk's recent "joke" is a stereotype that has been frequently communicated among players and agents , whether true or not. I have no idea whether it is true...but stereotype being spread:

1. Pats are cheap and petty with their players
2. They directly try to avoid allowing certain players to reach their bonus incentives
3. Playing for the patriots is not fun or enjoyable

Its probably mostly BS, but when Gronk puts it out there, players hear it and believe it.
We do not know if or how many UFA signings it impacted.
Gronk is so salty toward BB and Pats....it is sad.

I really wish Gronk would shut his mouth about BB and the Pats. He's acting like they didn't treat him differently and give him an Extension when he still had more than 2 years left of his rookie deal. That the extension they gave him didn't make him to top paid TE at the time. That they screwed him by trading him to the Jaguars and not to the Bucs to rejoin Brady.

If anyone has a right to *****, it's the Pats since Gronk purposely screwed them with delaying his "retirement" announcement. Because of his actions, the Pats lost out on Jared Cook.

I loved Gronk while he was here, but his true colors are showing him to be a real douche.

 

[gobesmug]

I really wish Gronk would shut his mouth about BB and the Pats. He's acting like they didn't treat him differently and give him an Extension when he still had more than 2 years left of his rookie deal. That the extension they gave him didn't make him to top paid TE at the time. That they screwed him by trading him to the Jaguars and not to the Bucs to rejoin Brady.

If anyone has a right to *****, it's the Pats since Gronk purposely screwed them with delaying his "retirement" announcement. Because of his actions, the Pats lost out on Jared Cook.

I loved Gronk while he was here, but his true colors are showing him to be a real douche.

The pats traded him to the Lions, he threatened to retire so the deal was nixed.

Gronk then made the big play that last season to help the pats win their last superbowl.

Had Gronk allowed that trade to go through its more likely than not that the pats don't win the superbowl due to Gronk's contributions that year as both a blocker and a receiver.

The Pats tried to screw Gronk, so why shouldn't he have the right to do the same in turn?

How would feel if the company you worked for and gave everything of yourself mentally and physically for years, decided they were going to transfer you to their most dysfunctional branch in a terrible part of the country to live in.

Yeah Gronk isn't a douche, the Pats were the douche in that situation trying to trade away the GOAT TE with no replacement on the roster.

Cook wasn't coming to the Pats that year because they weren't going to pay him what he got from the Saints

 

[moosekill]

The pats traded him to the Lions, he threatened to retire so the deal was nixed.

Gronk then made the big play that last season to help the pats win their last superbowl.

Had Gronk allowed that trade to go through its more likely than not that the pats don't win the superbowl due to Gronk's contributions that year as both a blocker and a receiver.

The Pats tried to screw Gronk, so why shouldn't he have the right to do the same in turn?

How would feel if the company you worked for and gave everything of yourself mentally and physically for years, decided they were going to transfer you to their most dysfunctional branch in a terrible part of the country to live in.

Yeah Gronk isn't a douche, the Pats were the douche in that situation trying to trade away the GOAT TE with no replacement on the roster.

Cook wasn't coming to the Pats that year because they weren't going to pay him what he got from the Saints

Trading a player doesn’t make a team a bad guy. Gronk threatening to retire doesn’t make him a bad guy. Grow up. The patriots were getting tired of Gronk’s act and the fact he was injured an awful lot and cost a lot of money. So they went looking for ways to get younger and better. Gronk didn’t want to play in Detroit. So the trade didn’t happen. Gronk was pretty quick to go sign on with Tampa when he could, so it wasn’t out of loyalty to the Patriots he mixed the trade.

 

[gobesmug]

Trading a player doesn’t make a team a bad guy. Gronk threatening to retire doesn’t make him a bad guy. Grow up. The patriots were getting tired of Gronk’s act and the fact he was injured an awful lot and cost a lot of money. So they went looking for ways to get younger and better. Gronk didn’t want to play in Detroit. So the trade didn’t happen. Gronk was pretty quick to go sign on with Tampa when he could, so it wasn’t out of loyalty to the Patriots he mixed the trade.

Agree with everything you said.

The pats wanted to act in their best interest and Gronk acted in his.

Nothing wrong with either one

 

[Rob0729]

The pats traded him to the Lions, he threatened to retire so the deal was nixed.

Gronk then made the big play that last season to help the pats win their last superbowl.

Had Gronk allowed that trade to go through its more likely than not that the pats don't win the superbowl due to Gronk's contributions that year as both a blocker and a receiver.

The Pats tried to screw Gronk, so why shouldn't he have the right to do the same in turn?

How would feel if the company you worked for and gave everything of yourself mentally and physically for years, decided they were going to transfer you to their most dysfunctional branch in a terrible part of the country to live in.

Yeah Gronk isn't a douche, the Pats were the douche in that situation trying to trade away the GOAT TE with no replacement on the roster.

Cook wasn't coming to the Pats that year because they weren't going to pay him what he got from the Saints

Players are traded all the time. That isn't screwing the player. The Lions were willing to give up a first round pick for Gronk where he looked to be towards the end of his career. The Pats were given an attractive offer for a player who they felt was on a decline. You can't blame them for that. The Patriots were not punishing Gronk by sending him to Detroit. It was Detroit who were dumb enough to offer a first round pick for a HOF TE who was down side of his career, 29 years old, and the injuries were mounting up.

I don't get where people think teams are obligated to keep HOF players on the team until they want to leave. Most HOF players don't finish their careers on the teams they earned their HOF status on. That is life in the NFL. The Pats had no obligation to keep Gronk on the roster.

And this life in the NFL. This isn't the real world. Players know the deal. They are treated like gods and have tens of millions of dollars thrown at them until they outlive their need for the team or become too expensive for their production and then they are likely to be thrown out like yesterday's garbage. That is the system Gronk signed up for when he entered the NFL. If he cannot handle that, then it is on him and not the Patriots.

The fact is. For most of Gronk's career with the Patriots, he was given unprecedented special treatment. You could argue they bent over backwards to appease Gronk and his family more than they even did for Brady. They allowed Gronk and his father to dictate when he was ready to play even after when he was probably medically cleared to play. Heck, the fact they let Gronk's father even involved in the process at all was unprecedented special treatment.

I am not going to pile on Gronk for his statements because I really don't care, but let's not recreate history to make the Pats look evil and Gronk a victim. He may feel that way, but that isn't the truth.

 

[gobesmug]

Players are traded all the time. That isn't screwing the player. The Lions were willing to give up a first round pick for Gronk where he looked to be towards the end of his career. The Pats were given an attractive offer for a player who they felt was on a decline. You can't blame them for that. The Patriots were not punishing Gronk by sending him to Detroit. It was Detroit who were dumb enough to offer a first round pick for a HOF TE who was down side of his career, 29 years old, and the injuries were mounting up.

I don't get where people think teams are obligated to keep HOF players on the team until they want to leave. Most HOF players don't finish their careers on the teams they earned their HOF status on. That is life in the NFL. The Pats had no obligation to keep Gronk on the roster.

And this life in the NFL. This isn't the real world. Players know the deal. They are treated like gods and have tens of millions of dollars thrown at them until they outlive their need for the team or become too expensive for their production and then they are likely to be thrown out like yesterday's garbage. That is the system Gronk signed up for when he entered the NFL. If he cannot handle that, then it is on him and not the Patriots.

The fact is. For most of Gronk's career with the Patriots, he was given unprecedented special treatment. You could argue they bent over backwards to appease Gronk and his family more than they even did for Brady. They allowed Gronk and his father to dictate when he was ready to play even after when he was probably medically cleared to play. Heck, the fact they let Gronk's father even involved in the process at all was unprecedented special treatment.

I am not going to pile on Gronk for his statements because I really don't care, but let's not recreate history to make the Pats look evil and Gronk a victim. He may feel that way, but that isn't the truth.

I was countering a point where someone called a player a douche for acting in their best interest.

I don't think teams need or should be loyal to players but in turn I think players should absolutely act in their best interest as well.

I can't stand fans who crap over a player because they wanted to act in their best interest.

I only brought up the pats and what they did, to flip the script.

Both teams and players have separate interests and at times those interest align and at others they don't.

I find it appalling and hypocritical to find no issues with the way the pats treat players, then complain about players wanting to leave.

I personally find zero fault with how the pats handled Gronk and zero fault for Gronk in turn

 

[Rob0729]

I was countering a point where someone called a player a douche for acting in their best interest.

I don't think teams need or should be loyal to players but in turn I think players should absolutely act in their best interest as well.

I can't stand fans who crap over a player because they wanted to act in their best interest.

I only brought up the pats and what they did, to flip the script.

Both teams and players have separate interests and at times those interest align and at others they don't.

I find it appalling and hypocritical to find no issues with the way the pats treat players, then complain about players wanting to leave.

I personally find zero fault with how the pats handled Gronk and zero fault for Gronk in turn

Ok. I get what you were doing. I agree with your last sentence.

 

[slash83]

If 3-4 qb Hungry teams pull the trigger for one in the 1st round will have some legit talent fall to 21.

 

[Ring 6]

The pats traded him to the Lions, he threatened to retire so the deal was nixed.

Gronk then made the big play that last season to help the pats win their last superbowl.

Had Gronk allowed that trade to go through its more likely than not that the pats don't win the superbowl due to Gronk's contributions that year as both a blocker and a receiver.

The Pats tried to screw Gronk, so why shouldn't he have the right to do the same in turn?

How would feel if the company you worked for and gave everything of yourself mentally and physically for years, decided they were going to transfer you to their most dysfunctional branch in a terrible part of the country to live in.

Yeah Gronk isn't a douche, the Pats were the douche in that situation trying to trade away the GOAT TE with no replacement on the roster.

Cook wasn't coming to the Pats that year because they weren't going to pay him what he got from the Saints

You are supposed to give everything you have to your employer in return for your paycheck. That’s how it works.
The Patriots didn’t try to screw Gronk. Gronk was refusing to give them a decision about whether he would retire or come back. He had become a clown about it. They used what they had at their disposal to get him to commit one way or the other. The trade was never real. If he was going to come back he wasn’t being traded and if he retired there would be no trade either. It was a ploy to get him to stop making his retirement decision a social media drama.

 

[ralmat55]

Despite the best efforts of his apologists on this board, Bill is not going to look good in the rear view mirror. The media that Bill has so held in contempt will have their say, and the words of Gronkowski, Asante Samuels and Ted Johnson will carry far more weight than Bill’s loyal supporters. I suspect there will be more long knives to come in the future from former players once Bill retires or his reputation starts to decline. You’re going to see a lot of piling on.

You neglect Gronk’s elbow injury. You neglect to mention that after a great career here the most Gronk was paid was $4.5 million less than Jonnu Smith was paid, didn’t earn and never will last season and for 3 more.

The future is bleak for you Bill first, Patriots second fans. Maybe, a sub forum can be set up for you to commiserate.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

If 3-4 qb Hungry teams pull the trigger for one in the 1st round will have some legit talent fall to 21.

Like what legit talent? The mocks I see already have 2 QBs taken before 21 (Pickett and Willis), so 3 or 4 QBs taken only means one or two more guys fall. I do not see more 10 or 12 "can't miss guys".

 

[Steve102]

Do you think Gronk ever gets into the Pats HOF?

100% yes, but he will do something asinine and mock it. He can't help himself.

 

[ralmat55]

This is undoubtedly a depth draft. There’s very little in the way of elite, generational prospects at the top. Not sure that there are really any.

Have a $20 bet with a friend that 3 QBs will be already off the board before his Steelers are scheduled to pick at 20. I’m feeling pretty good about that bet at this point. That might be the best chance for the Pats to trade down. Maybe, Detroit trading up from 32 for Corral or the Cincinnati QB.

 

[Rob0729]

Despite the best efforts of his apologists on this board, Bill is not going to look good in the rear view mirror. The media that Bill has so held in contempt will have their say, and the words of Gronkowski, Asante Samuels and Ted Johnson will carry far more weight than Bill’s loyal supporters. I suspect there will be more long knives to come in the future from former players once Bill retires or his reputation starts to decline. You’re going to see a lot of piling on.

You neglect Gronk’s elbow injury. You neglect to mention that after a great career here the most Gronk was paid was $4.5 million less than Jonnu Smith was paid, didn’t earn and never will last season and for 3 more.

The future is bleak for you Bill first, Patriots second fans. Maybe, a sub forum can be set up for you to commiserate.

When Gronk signed his contract in 2012, it was a historic contract making him the highest paid TE in league history at the time. They redid his deal for the 2017 season making him the highest paid TE in the league that year. Stop revising history. You cannot compare salaries from 2018 to 2021. It is a stupid argument. Salaries go up every year.

And for every Asante Samuel or Ted Johnson, there are Tedy Bruschis, Troy Browns, etc. who would run through a wall for Belichick.

I am not a Belichick first guy. I am and will always be a Patriots first guy. But you Brady first guys might want to look in the mirror before you cast stones at other people because your recollection of Patriots history is tarnished with bias against Belichick.