This is essentially a Cooks situation. A team gets a top player with 2 reasonable years left on his contract. A low first or early second seems right.
The big open question is whether Gronk really wants to play for 2 years. If so, WE should keep him. If he is likely to play for only 0 or 1 year, the situation is different.
Cousin,
What to do with Gronk? Best TE ever, but do you want him to poison the locker room? We all know he is a kid at heart and could care less about stuff like that. So do you cow-tow to him and let him work out as he sees fits and the Pats structured training methods be damned? Do I want to lose him? No. Will he hurt the Team with his no fun playing posture and silent darts at BB? Is it money?
You know I enjoy the intrigue of the Trade. What makes the Pats better? Knowing your chosen roster players and if they are NFL ready, or taking a shot at a 17% -20% success rate of Draft picks (harder for us as first rounders have the highest success rate and we do not always walk that street. That 1st percentage is higher)
Seems BB is starting a new trend, and is looking hard at former Ist Round pics who have not fit elsewhere.
So......We are still shaky at LT, our CB situation has one solid CB, a 32 year old retread (I like J McCourty don't get me wrong, and good trade for sure), two kids without a long resume that were hurt last season as in the Jones boys, and an enigma who we all thought played a bad SB52 but turns out Rowe was maybe our best DB in that game grade wise. He's also only 26.
If I had my trading hat on, I am going to call two GMs that I have dealt with. See if a blockbuster can be made and I will explain why.
Steve Keim of Cardinals is in a tough spot. They just overpaid for QB Bradford who is a walking MASH participant, at $20mm. He had to get rid of the Honey Badger this year and lost Campbell the year before. His best and really only WR is the 33 year old Fitzgerald. They have a new coach and need to make a splash.
Blockbuster (non Madden Trade):
WR Brandin Cooks (salary $8.5mm) Will cost twice that next year. The Cards are desperate at WR.
CB Eric Rowe (salary $1.1mm) UFA in 2019. Will cost at least 4 times that in 2019 ( Peterson for three years at $11.5mm or Rowe for 2019 and 2010 for $8-$10mm per?) The Cards are looking for CAP relief.
RB Mike Gillislee (salary $2.2mm) UFA in 2019. He has been better as a relief pitcher like with Buffalo. The Cards let RB A. Peterson go so they have no real RB back up to David Johnson.
FOR
CB Patrick Peterson (salary $11.5mm) Only 27. 3 years left on his contract we control Returns punts which is major plus. Put him across from Gilmore the next couple years and we have two elite corners I have heard, "well they will never trade Peterson". Honey Badger says hello. You have to give to get. Do they need a WR for Bradford ASAP and can they survive at CB with Rowe?
OT Jared Valdheer (salary $6.9mm) Played real well in 2016. Broken ankle in 2017. Thought of retiring. Too good to not start LT for the Pats. Not that much talent loss form Solder at half the price. Only a few moths older than Solder. AZ goes with his younger replacement Humphries.
DE/DT Robert Nkemdiche (salary $2.3mm). 6'4" and 296lbs. Only 23 years old and has Chubb type talent if he gets his head out of his ass. 1st Rounder that the Cards would trade. The kind of first round talent BB is looking for like Shelton and Patterson. Flores has a new toy. Can he mold em?
This saves the Cards about $8mm in CAP. We get an elite CB they get an elite WR for their new QB.
Then I call Rick Speilman of the Vikes. They have no real TE after Kyle Rudolph. With RB Delvin Cook, the Vikes could seek an upgrade at TE.
Trade:
TE Dwayne Allen (salary $4.5mm) Good but not worth that money for less than 15 catches
FOR
ILB Kentreel Brothers (salary minimal) 6'1" and 242. Great SEC player now buries behind very good Vikes LB core. Plus a 6th pick. The Vikes have 2.
We make up some CAP. CAP kind of evens out in the "just-for-the-hell-of-it example". Just for fun.
Now I extend Gronk (if it is money) and Brady and resign Bennett who is not a major downside blocking.
WR? Who knows on Patterson but he did have over 30 catches with inconsistent QB play. I think a great pick up would be Eric Decker. An after thought with Titans but he always played well against us and BB sees that. More red zone ability than Cooks. I think he could match Cooks catch numbers with Brady (not yards though). We have two other WR that can take the top off the Defense as needed, but how often did Cooks do that per game?
Just a thought Cousins.
DW Toys
