Curran: "In my estimation... [Gonzo would like to] be treated as if he's at the table in 2027." [previous title: "say goodbye to gonzo"]

[mgteich]

Dont leave out all the income tax that Gonzo paid.

8 games in Mass
1 game in NY
1 game in NJ

3 bloodsuckers right there.

So, he should surely want to play for a team like MIA, JAX or TEN?

 

[Triumph]

So, he should surely want to play for a team like MIA, JAX or TEN?

Yep, 0 tax in FLA and TX. Low tax in TN.

 

[Triumph]

Triumph you in the Millionaires club??

Gonzo is

 

[rkarp1]

Witherspoon didn’t reset the market though. He got the biggest contract, but it didn’t blow away the other top recent CB signings. I’m all for making Gonzo the highest paid CB, but I’m not for him resetting the market so he’s still the highest paid after next season when the next batch of CB contracts are done. There’s no need for the Pats to do that.

isn't the definition of resetting the market, getting the highest AAV and guaranteed money?
I would say that Witherspoon did reset the CB market

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Gonzo has made 3,113,000 his first 3 years, and will make 2,259,000 this year. The 2,259,000 is more than any of us will see in a lifetime.

I side with Kraft on this one. At the time of the offer, it was higher than any CB in history, and the biggest Patriot’s contract ever. Obviously over 32 mill a year. When is it ever enough ? At this point, it’s all about ego and greed on Gonzo’s side.

Make him play under his contract agreement he’s under.

Fans' collective jealousy that Gonzo is talented enough in a higher paying field isn't relevant to the discussion The fact he's made more than you or I ever will already is irrelevant.

Gonzo is blessed with the work ethic and God given talent to where he has a chance to set himself and his kids and their kids and so on up for life. He's seemingly just using all the leverage he has to do that as well as he can, as he should. Fans would be better off taking their own emotion and envy of how much these guys make out of it and just accept that they do the best they can for themselves at the negotiating table like all of us try to do in our lives. No need to vilify them for it.

The team can't "make him" play under his contract because he has free will on whether to play or not. The team has the leverage over him because he isn't free to go get a new contract elsewhere. His leverage over the team is that he can withhold his services as he chooses and that leaves the team without a player on the field who makes their product/business better. That's the starting contest they get into and each side tries to use that leverage to get the best deal they can.

Fans getting emotionally invested in contract negotiations is one of the more ridiculous aspects of sports fandom.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

isn't the definition of resetting the market, getting the highest AAV and guaranteed money?
I would say that Witherspoon did reset the CB market

It's kind of semantics but when fans/analysts/pundits talk about "resetting the market" they oftentimes refer to more seismically moving the needle. The natural flow of NFL contracts is that the next guy up for a contract who's reasonably close to the top of the rankings at his position gets slightly more than the last guy got. Even if he's not as good, just has to be close enough to the top of the position. But those jumps aren't in line with the cap. Beating the last guy by one million/year doesn't align the position up with cap growth. But then every few years a guy who truly is top of the top, in that top tier (even if not the absolute #1) comes along and is good enough to justify beating the last guy by enough that it realigns the money with the ever-growing salary cap. That's the deal that people usually refer to as "resetting the market" even if the textbook definition would just be beating it by a penny.

If Gonzo views himself as the caliber of player who should truly 'reset the market" then that's reasonable. He's on that level.

 

[XLIX]

Fans getting emotionally invested in contract negotiations is one of the more ridiculous aspects of sports fandom.

Why do you say that?

To be clear, the entire nature of sports fandom is ridiculous but, once we accept that we all care tremendously about the performance of the arbitrary collection of athletes who play roughly half their games geographically local to where most of us are from, it makes logical sense to get emotional over contract negotiations because those negotiations will directly impact the quality of the team.

 

[XLIX]

If Gonzo views himself as the caliber of player who should truly 'reset the market" then that's reasonable. He's on that level.

I agree but, as I have pointed out several times, one single player can't "reset the market" every year. To "reset the market" you are going to have to sign a long term deal - and then watch helplessly as other players move above you in subsequent seasons.

Philly has 2 first team all pro CBs up for new deals next year. I guarantee you they will be resetting the CB market in 2027 above and beyond whatever it gets reset to in 2026.

 

[scott99]

Fans' collective jealousy that Gonzo is talented enough in a higher paying field isn't relevant to the discussion The fact he's made more than you or I ever will already is irrelevant.

Gonzo is blessed with the work ethic and God given talent to where he has a chance to set himself and his kids and their kids and so on up for life. He's seemingly just using all the leverage he has to do that as well as he can, as he should. Fans would be better off taking their own emotion and envy of how much these guys make out of it and just accept that they do the best they can for themselves at the negotiating table like all of us try to do in our lives. No need to vilify them for it.

The team can't "make him" play under his contract because he has free will on whether to play or not. The team has the leverage over him because he isn't free to go get a new contract elsewhere. His leverage over the team is that he can withhold his services as he chooses and that leaves the team without a player on the field who makes their product/business better. That's the starting contest they get into and each side tries to use that leverage to get the best deal they can.

Fans getting emotionally invested in contract negotiations is one of the more ridiculous aspects of sports fandom.

I’m fine with him holding out, and trading him at the deadline. As I said, when is it ever enough.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Why do you say that?

To be clear, the entire nature of sports fandom is ridiculous but, once we accept that we all care tremendously about the performance of the arbitrary collection of athletes who play roughly half their games geographically local to where most of us are from, it makes logical sense to get emotional over contract negotiations because those negotiations will directly impact the quality of the team.

I think there's a difference between caring about who the team signs and wanting them to add/keep good players vs. taking personal shots at guys for negotiations. Like people in the thread calling Gonzo delusional. selfish, greedy, etc. for wanting more money... really? That's just ridiculous to me that someone would be criticizing him for trying to maximize his earnings. That's the aspect of being "emotionally invested" that I'm saying is ridiculous.

 

[XLIX]

I think there's a difference between caring about who the team signs and wanting them to add/keep good players vs. taking personal shots at guys for negotiations. Like people in the thread calling Gonzo delusional. selfish, greedy, etc. for wanting more money... really? That's just ridiculous to me that someone would be criticizing him for trying to maximize his earnings. That's the aspect of being "emotionally invested" that I'm saying is ridiculous.

Valid point.

For myself, I don't begrudge him one bit getting the most he can't BUT that doesn't necessarily mean I think he is making the wisest moves to that end.

 

[rkarp1]

It's kind of semantics but when fans/analysts/pundits talk about "resetting the market" they oftentimes refer to more seismically moving the needle. The natural flow of NFL contracts is that the next guy up for a contract who's reasonably close to the top of the rankings at his position gets slightly more than the last guy got. Even if he's not as good, just has to be close enough to the top of the position. But those jumps aren't in line with the cap. Beating the last guy by one million/year doesn't align the position up with cap growth. But then every few years a guy who truly is top of the top, in that top tier (even if not the absolute #1) comes along and is good enough to justify beating the last guy by enough that it realigns the money with the ever-growing salary cap. That's the deal that people usually refer to as "resetting the market" even if the textbook definition would just be beating it by a penny.

If Gonzo views himself as the caliber of player who should truly 'reset the market" then that's reasonable. He's on that level.

AAV-$2m higher than any other CB
Guarantee-$9m higher than any other CB
Total value-$8m higher than any other CB

 

[Hugepatsfan]

AAV-$2m higher than any other CB
Guarantee-$9m higher than any other CB
Total value-$8m higher than any other CB

He got $33M/year compared to $31M on a deal signed the year before. That's a 6.45% increase. The cap went up 7.88% this year. That's close, but still outpaced by cap growth. And the guy who got $31M/year was probably a bit behind cap growth. And so was the guy before him. Every few years at each position the players need a guy to beat the last contract by enough to "catch up" the market and make up that small gap that compounds from the guys before him.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

Why do i feel like if the Seahawks had Gonzalez and we had Witherspoon right now that Gonzalez would be signed and we'd be hearing about how Witherspoon wants a percentage of the cap and unreasonable demands and all this BS.

The Krafts always want people to give them a deal when "coming to the table early" but it's not early if you're Gonzalez because all your peers who have produced like you have been signed.

They always have Curran and the likes say "he's under contract, they don't have to do it speech", well unfortunately you either sign him or you aren't going to get the same player and effort we all know what's coming.

 

[upstater1]

Fans' collective jealousy that Gonzo is talented enough in a higher paying field isn't relevant to the discussion The fact he's made more than you or I ever will already is irrelevant.

Gonzo is blessed with the work ethic and God given talent to where he has a chance to set himself and his kids and their kids and so on up for life. He's seemingly just using all the leverage he has to do that as well as he can, as he should. Fans would be better off taking their own emotion and envy of how much these guys make out of it and just accept that they do the best they can for themselves at the negotiating table like all of us try to do in our lives. No need to vilify them for it.

The team can't "make him" play under his contract because he has free will on whether to play or not. The team has the leverage over him because he isn't free to go get a new contract elsewhere. His leverage over the team is that he can withhold his services as he chooses and that leaves the team without a player on the field who makes their product/business better. That's the starting contest they get into and each side tries to use that leverage to get the best deal they can.

Fans getting emotionally invested in contract negotiations is one of the more ridiculous aspects of sports fandom.

At this point, if the Krafts aren't willing to pay him a little more than Witherspoon, they need to trade him.

As fans, we'll judge their decision in the next 2 or 3 years.

But chances are, it will not work out well for the team or the Krafts if they trade him ( assuming of course he doesn't want $40m per). 2 #1 draft choices, a #2, plus $25m extra in cap space isn't enough to make up for what he does, unless you hit on all 3 choices.