McCourty not retiring

Devin can't quit now, because he's faster than Tyreek Hill (still). With a top speed of 22.05 MPH

This Patriots defender in his 30s, not Tyreek Hill, has been the NFL's fastest ball carrier this season

BobDigital said:

McCourty needs to either sign an extension and play for less or they need to cut him sadly. They just can't afford to carry his cap hit into this year IMO.

I think keeping Flowers is too important. Gronk isn't going to take a pay cut IMO and I don't see them cutting him. Brady will extend and cut some cash room i think but it won't be enough. They need to free up some more money.

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Not sure if Gronk will or won't take a pay cut but best case is both return on a cheaper cap hit. But there will have to be cap savings some where between Gronk and/or DMac because I don't think BB wants to get cheap with Ghost/Allen or part ways with key special teamers Ebner/Slater.

I do think something is already worked out though otherwise DMac would be losing leverage by saying he returns.

I will say he has had a career most would dream about. Nine AFC Championship games, 4 superbowls, with three wins, the last with your twin brother. Lucky dude.

mosi said:

I will say he has had a career most would dream about. Nine AFC Championship games, 4 superbowls, with three wins, the last with your twin brother. Lucky dude.

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8 AFCCGs
5 SBs
3 wins

oceansizer said:

Great news however we should adress a safety position via draft or FA. Having 3 safeties on the field most of the snaps we badly need a backup.Someone who will replace DMac in the future would be welcomed.

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I think they have drafted a DB in the second round like every year for the past decade and seem to screw it up every time. But maybe they're bound to hit gold sometime...

tasmlab said:

I think they have drafted a DB in the second round like every year for the past decade and seem to screw it up every time. But maybe they're bound to hit gold sometime...

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Well if they drafted McCourty in the first, maybe draft one in the first...?

Although Chung -was- a second rounder... (even if he left for a year.)

Biffins said:

Everyone says the Patriots don’t pay. Moss said that. Butler said that. Ridley said that. Yet the Patriots spend to cap limit every year. So they are paying a lot of people, a lot of money. They’re just usually not breaking records and setting new highs, especially for skill positions. So unlike other rosters, which are full of stars that are paid massive money, and then have a ton of rookies/nobodies to fill out the 53 man roster, Patriots pay a lot of decent salaries to that fat middle of the roster and are not top heavy on big stars. They are still spending as much as anybody, but have a lot more guys making $3m (Andrews) and $4m (Edelman) etc and content.

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There's a difference between theoretical cap dollars and real dollars spent.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Almost every player on the team is playing below market, which is why this team is such an outlier. There are many players who could have held out who didn’t, or if they did it was kept private. In addition, playing for the Patriots almost always means less guarantees than other teams. This team is full of players who are paid well but definitely left something on the table to play for a winner.

Sorry, but I can only get on board this idea to a certain extent. The Patriots have a $175M payroll. That’s a lot of money and the team makes a lot of profit.

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This is a really bad take. Name five.

And before you start naming, consider that the Pats' roster is full of players who CAME with contracts (Allen, Trent Brown, Dorsett)...signed FA deals with the Pats at their market value - Hogan, Van Noy (so many thought it an overpay), Chung, Patterson, Gilmore, JMac...got GOOD extensions DMac (remember the howling when he got top of the market money?), Mason, Gronk, Cannon, Andrews...tested the free agent market and came back after lackluster interest: Hightower, Edelman...are on rookie deals: Crossen, Thuney, Jackson, Jones, Roberts...

You could make that argument about Brady, whose earnings exceed $200 million, I guess. Brady makes team-friendly extensions, and now JE. But go ahead, name five.

How does McCourty lose leverage by saying that he isn't retiring? He is under contract to receive $9.5M of new money for his 2019 services.

McCourty is willing to return. It is now up to the patriots. McCourty didn't say that he would take a pay cut, or even that he wanted an extension. He merely said that he wouldn't retire.

If the patriots want to reduce the cap and create dead money in 2020 0r 2021, I'm sure there is a deal to be made. Basically, a 2 yr contract converting his $9.5M salary to a $1.5M salary plus bonus saves $4M of cap money, with the 2020 salary TBD (and irrelevant) and with a likely 2020 roster bonus. The team could save more with a longer contract, moving more into 2020. One would think that McCourty would be given some incentive to sign such a deal. although signing his brother would help a lot.

SBLIII said:

.

I do think something is already worked out though otherwise DMac would be losing leverage by saying he returns.

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50-yard-line said:

This is a really bad take. Name five.

And before you start naming, consider that the Pats' roster is full of players who CAME with contracts (Allen, Trent Brown, Dorsett)...signed FA deals with the Pats at their market value - Hogan, Van Noy (so many thought it an overpay), Chung, Patterson, Gilmore, JMac...got GOOD extensions DMac (remember the howling when he got top of the market money?), Mason, Gronk, Cannon, Andrews...tested the free agent market and came back after lackluster interest: Hightower, Edelman...are on rookie deals: Crossen, Thuney, Jackson, Jones, Roberts...

You could make that argument about Brady, whose earnings exceed $200 million, I guess. Brady makes team-friendly extensions, and now JE. But go ahead, name five.

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Brady
Edelman
Harmon
Hightower (offered more by Jets)
Slater

Others could leverage their below market contract if they chose to.

You don’t think J. McCourty and Chung took team friendly deals to play for a winner? Lol.

Okay, now what? Some absurd take on how these are incorrect, even thought they obviously are.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Almost every player on the team is playing below market, which is why this team is such an outlier. There are many players who could have held out who didn’t, or if they did it was kept private. In addition, playing for the Patriots almost always means less guarantees than other teams. This team is full of players who are paid well but definitely left something on the table to play for a winner.

Sorry, but I can only get on board this idea to a certain extent. The Patriots have a $175M payroll. That’s a lot of money and the team makes a lot of profit.

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There is a salary cap...

SammyBlueCat said:

There is a salary cap...

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I’m fully aware. My post was in response to the notion that these players should no longer care about money and just play for legacy. Most of them are already being much less mercenary than the average NFL player. I don’t think they should be volunteering to take a pay cut.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

I’m fully aware. My post was in response to the notion that these players should no longer care about money and just play for legacy. Most of them are already being much less mercenary than the average NFL player. I don’t think they should be volunteering to take a pay cut.

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Not sure about that. All 32 teams need to manage their Cap for a large roster.
Playing football is not a lucrative as baseball or basketball.

Tom Brady has never demanded top dollar and I guess Gronk is a bargain when healthy.

Who is a mercenary?

Soliel said:

When players leave and say “ne does not pay up”
This is code for I think I’m worth elite money which they won’t get. The goat plays for like the 16th highest paid. So, no. You won’t get paid at a lopsided rate and weakens another area. Gilmore and his contract did not surprise me after revis got 970 million per game from the jete

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Gilmore signing was about identifying an actual elite player, not a player who is paid like an elite player due to the supply and demand of a given free agent class. First Team All-Pro and SB clinching INT say it all.

SammyBlueCat said:

Not sure about that. All 32 teams need to manage their Cap for a large roster.
Playing football is not a lucrative as baseball or basketball.

Tom Brady has never demanded top dollar and I guess Gronk is a bargain when healthy.

Who is a mercenary?

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I’m saying the Patriots players are in general much less money-motivated than most NFL players. Typically they’ll re-sign if the Patriots are in the same ballpark, not necessarily the best offer, and they’re willing to accept less guarantees to play for NE. Patriots have lots of void/offset language that other contracts do not.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Brady
Edelman
Harmon
Hightower (offered more by Jets)
Slater

Others could leverage their below market contract if they chose to.

You don’t think J. McCourty and Chung took team friendly deals to play for a winner? Lol.

Okay, now what? Some absurd take on how these are incorrect, even thought they obviously are.

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Edelman tested Free Agency and got humiliated - did he even get an offer? He came back here and signed a long-term deal, then did a new extension with a substantial raise for 2/11 and lots of guarantees, which almost certainly wasn't much below what he would have found out there, as he had learned the hard way.

The Jets pulled their offer to Hightower after the physical. So yeah, you're wrong.

Chung limped back here after being released from the Eagles - and the outcry was loud against signing him. he signed a deal very similar to the one he had in Philly (where he had been benched nad released), but then had his salary MORE THAN DOUBLED by the Patriots in an extension. So yeah, you're wrong.

Harmon is New England's #3 safety and he's got the 28th ranked safety contract in the NFL. So yeah, you're wrong. THat's 28th out of 64 1's and 2's, let alone 3's. So yeah, you're wrong.

Is there anyone in the NFL to compare Matthew Slater against? Since most special teamers are on their rookie deals, I don't think Slater would be looking at big bucks elsewhere. I doubt he'd leave for a couple hundred thousand more, since this has been his home for a long time now.

And JMac was traded here - his contract was with Cleveland, not New England. So yeah, you're wrong.

Come on now. Gost is the highest AAV kicker in the league.

The Patriots don't underpay - they just don't go and break the bank on the elite players, which is why those who leave often complain that the Patriots don't pay. Yup, they won't pay 15m for a DE when they can get similar production from two 5m guys.

I agree, and said so earlier, that Brady restructures to win. He''s still very well paid (earned more than 200 million in salary alone, not counting endorsements), but in his life, there's no difference between 22m and 25m. None. He's smart. He got very rich and built the greatest legacy in NFL history, while other QBs let their egos push them to be the highest paid, injuring their surrounding quality.

There may be other guys on the Pats who won't leave if the money is close, but that's true for every team.

So to recap, yeah, you're absolutely wrong. Your take is worthy of Felger and Mazz. Do better.

So glad to hear he's coming back!!! Now we need to hear the same thing from Gronk!!!

One thing to add: Brady has never given back a dollar he's agreed to. In fact, many of his "team-friendly" deals have resulted in him either getting more money or getting his money faster.

I am very excited about this. Love all the things I am seeing and hearing from the players. This offseason could shape up to be a great one !

50-yard-line said:

Edelman tested Free Agency and got humiliated - did he even get an offer? He came back here and signed a long-term deal, then did a new extension with a substantial raise for 2/11 and lots of guarantees, which almost certainly wasn't much below what he would have found out there, as he had learned the hard way.

The Jets pulled their offer to Hightower after the physical. So yeah, you're wrong.

Chung limped back here after being released from the Eagles - and the outcry was loud against signing him. he signed a deal very similar to the one he had in Philly (where he had been benched nad released), but then had his salary MORE THAN DOUBLED by the Patriots in an extension. So yeah, you're wrong.

Harmon is New England's #3 safety and he's got the 28th ranked safety contract in the NFL. So yeah, you're wrong. THat's 28th out of 64 1's and 2's, let alone 3's. So yeah, you're wrong.

Is there anyone in the NFL to compare Matthew Slater against? Since most special teamers are on their rookie deals, I don't think Slater would be looking at big bucks elsewhere. I doubt he'd leave for a couple hundred thousand more, since this has been his home for a long time now.

And JMac was traded here - his contract was with Cleveland, not New England. So yeah, you're wrong.

Come on now. Gost is the highest AAV kicker in the league.

The Patriots don't underpay - they just don't go and break the bank on the elite players, which is why those who leave often complain that the Patriots don't pay. Yup, they won't pay 15m for a DE when they can get similar production from two 5m guys.

I agree, and said so earlier, that Brady restructures to win. He''s still very well paid (earned more than 200 million in salary alone, not counting endorsements), but in his life, there's no difference between 22m and 25m. None. He's smart. He got very rich and built the greatest legacy in NFL history, while other QBs let their egos push them to be the highest paid, injuring their surrounding quality.

There may be other guys on the Pats who won't leave if the money is close, but that's true for every team.

So to recap, yeah, you're absolutely wrong. Your take is worthy of Felger and Mazz. Do better.

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You’re an annoying ****. Just avoid commenting on my posts. Ignore button for me. You’re just an argumentative, hostile jackass looking to pick a fight...the points you make are all stretches, but since you’re so arrogant, you must be right?