2021 NFL Free Agency/Trade News & Discussion: March Edition

[IllegalContact]

Maybe they’re letting him test the market to determine what salary expectations should be?

Malcolm Brown creates some FA competition.....good for cost

 

[long distance]

Im still going thoroughly through positions in GM LOUNGE so i dont have the full depth picture yet.

I feel pretty certain they would like to bring back Andrews and expect/hope for some sort of Hightower scenario. Since they couldn't agree on extension my guess is they are keeping the communication open and Pats will try to match his market price. Projections vary from 6-8M apy and i wonder how far BB will go. If it settles around 3y/18M (c. 4M cap hit) like PFF is suggesting (lowest estimation out there) im confident he stays in NE. Miguel suggested 3y/22.5M with 5.5M salary cap # in 2021 which would take away c. 4.7M cap (TOP 51 rule). This might be on he high side for BB although lesser C have 10M apy existing contracts.

Also feel they would like to bring back Guy and that should be no prob. around 4M apy taking some 2.5M of cap in 2021.

I fully expect they bring back JC Jackson 1st or 2nd* round RFA tender. 1st rd tender = 4.8M = 4M adjusted cap hit in 2021
& Jakob Johnson - ERFA tender (close to 0 cap hit)

For the rest much depends on how market goes and what overall strategy BB takes. At first i didn't think this year BB will go for comp picks but am not so sure anymore. Besides Thuney who i believe will sign elsewhere for top contract there are a few more NE FAs that could qualify for FA lost in comp pick calculation: Wise, Butler, White, Newton, Byrd, maybe some more. So if they get good offers id guess BB will let them go. Newton is a wild card, they might want to bring him back if other options dont work out.

From the players that are unlikely to qualify for FA lost id guess they will bring back at least one of the two ST aces - Bethel and C.Davis - although some top ST players in the league are hitting the market as well. They would take about 1M cap each, maybe even less this yr.

Burkhead and Eluemunor are nice depth pieces to bring back if they get forgotten in first part of FA. Id guess about 1.5M cap hit each, possibly less. Jason McCourty could be a later vet option if he decides to continue for low $. Maybe Moncrief as well. But this is close to vet minimum territory.

They could bring back some guys for TC like Calhoun, DT Davis, Ferentz.. vet min.

If not signed elsewhere Folk might be there in the “shadow“ roster if the two young kickers both fail to satisfy in June/August.

So around 15M in this scenario.
If they bring back some of the mid tier FAs from the potential “FA lost“ group add c. 4M (2021 cap hit w TOP 51 rule) on avg per player (some will take a bit more and some less)


p.s.
2rd tender (3.4M) for JC Jackson is considered as trap option: to get teams tempted to make him an offer and then match that offer to get him on better long term contract..

2 of 2 today - not bad

 

[DaBruinz]

I could be wrong, as usual, but i don't think the Pats are going hard after a LB in FA at all with HT back. Maybe Van Noy. But I think they like the younger players they've brought in.

Could you show me where I said anything about what the Pats were going to do in FA?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I assume “smart move” implies it is planned.

I think you are reading into what is written instead of reading the words. There was no implication something was planned. I have no insight into the Chiefs' negotiations. Possibly I could have written "it might accidentally turn out to be a smart move", but I can not anticipate how everyone on the board will parse a simple message, so it is easier for all involved to read posts in the simplest way with no assumptions.

 

[Ring 6]

I think you are reading into what is written instead of reading the words. There was no implication something was planned. I have no insight into the Chiefs' negotiations. Possibly I could have written "it might accidentally turn out to be a smart move", but I can not anticipate how everyone on the board will parse a simple message, so it is easier for all involved to read posts in the simplest way with no assumptions.

I’d be good with that, or they might get lucky.
I was commenting on letting players you need go hoping you can get lucky and resign them cheaply as “smart”.

I’m not sure how to use different definitions than a word has so as to think you mean something different.

 

[luuked]

Apologies if this has already been notified but Reiss twitter feed has a link to an article as to where they think some of the FA's will go to. Some good players headed our way ....hopefully !

The most surprising choice Reiss had was Ngakoue. He is usually plugged in a bit and the fact that he would put it into the realm of possibility that the Pats would pay market price for an EDGE player raised an eyebrow for me.

 

[long distance]

The most surprising choice Reiss had was Ngakoue. He is usually plugged in a bit and the fact that he would put it into the realm of possibility that the Pats would pay market price for an EDGE player raised an eyebrow for me.

Sorry @luuked but Reiss is neither plugged nor very bright. What he is is doing good job as pats beat reporter which is more than you can say about others.. Whenever he starts projecting he is off just like the rest..

 

[jah]

2021 NFL Free Agency: Updated landing spots for PFF's top 50 free agents | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF

PFF's Anthony Treash predicts a landing spot for each of PFF's top 50 free agents.

www.pff.com

Regarding Jadeveon Clowney: "He ranked 19th at the position in PFF grade at 74.9, and there were no “dominant” pass-rush outings to really speak of. That’s really been the story of Clowney’s whole career."

It's about time some someone notices it. One of the most overrated players in the NFL. He is the undisputed King of "almost sacking the QB".

And I can totally see the Bengals shoring up the O-line and landing Thuney.

It's been clear for quite some time that Clowney's value is as a run stopper and would have a place on most teams if his market adjusted accordingly.

I bet someone will just pay him a ton of money though.

 

[luuked]

Sorry @luuked but Reiss is neither plugged nor very bright. What he is is doing great job as pats beat reporter which is more than you can say about anyone else..

He has a surprisingly fair track record when it comes to predicting FA moves. Also you can't be a beat guy for over 10 years without having build a rapport with inside sources on things. So he is definitely plugged in. In other words.. if people like Lazar have sources inside then veterans like Reiss will have at least twice as many.

His track record on understanding football and X&Os is a different story.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

Maybe they’re letting him test the market to determine what salary expectations should be?

Good point

 

[long distance]

He has a surprisingly fair track record when it comes to predicting FA moves. Also you can't be a beat guy for over 10 years without having build a rapport with inside sources on things. So he is definitely plugged in. In other words.. if people like Lazar have sources inside then veterans like Reiss will have at least twice as many.

His track record on understanding football and X&Os is a different story.

Everybody around NE is unplugged .. thats the track record
You don't have to worry about those silly FA biddings.. he just wanted to be loved and accepted

 

[luuked]

Everybody around NE is unplugged .. thats the track record
You don't have to worry about those silly FA biddings.. he just wanted to be loved and accepted

I don't know what issue with Reiss you have and honestly don't really care. My only point was that a long time Patriots beat guy thinking it is possible we spent market value on an EDGE player is just something that raised an eyebrow for me. I am not saying it will happen or that I want it to happen. Just that this is weird.

 

[DaBruinz]

For me, there is a red flag on Ngakoue. He's been on 3 teams in 2 years. Despite being traded for by the Vikings, they were willing to part with him after just 6 games..

 

[Froob]

Anybody want Malcom Brown back? He was kinda meh for us but, I guess he's been good for the Saints.

 

[50-yard-line]

Could you show me where I said anything about what the Pats were going to do in FA?

Sure, right after you show me where I said that you said anything about what the Pats were going to do in FA.

Seriously, bad day? I was just making a comment that I didn't think the Pats were hunting LBs.

 

[Uptown]

.

 

[long distance]

I don't know what issue with Reiss you have and honestly don't really care. My only point was that a long time Patriots beat guy thinking it is possible we spent market value on an EDGE player is just something that raised an eyebrow for me. I am not saying it will happen or that I want it to happen. Just that this is weird.

No issues with Reiss . that was just a silly game for clicks that means zilch.

I forgot who it was, maybe Weis or someone like that, who said again recently that BB just doesn't want to talk to anybody about his FA thinking until he needs to - so nobody in the building knows much if anything until necessary - if i find it ill post it - it was kind of funny how he immediately excused this for not coming across as autocratic “because that really is not what Bill is about“

 

[Uptown]

 

[DaBruinz]

It might just be me, but I don't see the signing of Newton as something WRs / TEs will look at and say "I want to catch passes from Cam". Especially if they've watched any tape of Cam from the 2nd half of the season.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

It might just be me, but I don't see the signing of Newton as something WRs / TEs will look at and say "I want to catch passes from Cam". Especially if they've watched any tape of Cam from the 2nd half of the season.

maybe that kid he got into a b****fest with last month will sign with us