A Return Of The 'Final Eight Rule' Could Dash away Pats Fans FA Hopes

[patsfan-1982]

the pats just dont sign big name over priced FA's what the pats do is pick up a JAG or two thats ends up helping them like woodhead, Final Eight Rule or not i think the pats will still find a way to do that

 

[Miguel]

From the CBA:

ARTICLE XXI
FINAL EIGHT PLAN
Section 1. Application: The provisions of this Article shall apply only in any League Year during the term of this Agreement in which no Salary Cap is in effect.
Section 3. Next Four Teams: Each of the four playoff Clubs that lost in the immediately preceding playoff games to the four Clubs that participated in the NFC and AFC Championship games the Prior League Year shall not be permitted to negotiate and sign any Unrestricted Free Agent to a Player contract, except: (a) any Unrestricted Free Agent who acquired that status as a result of the NFL waiver system; (b) any Unrestricted Free Agent who was under contract to such Club on the last date of the last League Year of the player’s most recent Player contract; (c) any Unrestricted Free Agent signed pursuant to Section 4 below; and (d) any Unrestricted Free Agent as follows:
(i) One such player for a Player Contract that has a first year Salary of $4,925,000 or more;
and (ii) Any number of such players for a Player Contract that has a first year Salary of no more than $3,275,000 and an annual increase in any future contract years of no more than 30% of the first contract year Salary, not including any amount attributed to any signing bonus. In addition, each such Club and each such player entering into a Player Contract pursuant to this Subsection may not renegotiate to increase the amount of Salary to be paid during the term of the Player Contract for a period of one year after the signing date of such contract.
Section 4. Replacement of Free Agents Signed by Other Club: Each of the eight Clubs subject to the provisions of this Article shall be permitted to negotiate and sign one Unrestricted Free Agent to a Player Contract (“New Player”) for each Unrestricted Free Agent who was under contract to such Club on the last date of the prior League Year, who has signed with another Club (“Previous Player”), so long as the Player Contract for the New Player shall have a first year Salary of no more than the first year Salary of the Player Contract signed by the Previous Player with the New Club, and an annual increase in any future contract years of no more than 30% of the first contract year Salary, excluding any amounts attributable to any signing bonus. In addition, each such Club and each such player entering into a Player Contract pursuant to this Subsection may not renegotiate to increase the amount of Salary to be paid during the term of the Player Contract for a period of one year after the signing date of such contract.
Section 5. Increases: The amounts specified in this Article ($4,925,000 and $3,275,000) shall increase each League Year following the 2006 League Year by the same percentage as the increase in Projected TR over the prior League Year’s TR (as defined in Article XXIV (Guaranteed League-wide Salary, Salary Cap & Minimum Team Salary)). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the amounts specified in this Article increase if the Projected TR for the League Year in question is not greater than the highest TR of any previous League Year.
Section 6. Salary Definition: For purposes of this Article, “Salary” means Paragraph 5 Salary, roster and reporting bonuses, pro-rata portions of signing bonuses, likely to be earned incentive bonuses, and other payments in compensation for the playing of professional football, as defined in Article XXIV (Guaranteed League-wide Salary, Salary Cap & Minimum Team Salary) below.
Section 7. Trade Limitation: No Club subject to the provisions of this Article may, for one League Year, trade for a player it otherwise would not be permitted to sign as an Unrestricted Free Agent as a result of the provisions in this Article.
Section 8. Transition and Franchise Players: Clubs subject to the Final Eight Plan are permitted to negotiate with and sign Transition Players and Franchise Players who otherwise are permitted to negotiate and sign with other Clubs.
Section 9. Player Tenders: Each of the eight teams subject to the Final Eight Plan may, after the later of July 15 or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, in any League Year in which the Final Eight Plan is in effect, sign any Unrestricted Free Agent whose team did not make the June 1 Tender or whose team subsequently withdrew that Tender.

 

[Tucker]

Rosie in 2003
AD in 2007
I'd say we're due, it's been 4 years

 

[TriplecHamp]

Some fans want top caliber players in FA so in that case....yes it will cripple your chances.

Now if you want a JAG,then no big deal

Who are the "top caliber" players this year?

 

[Triumph]

There is only ONE really big name player at OLB I would love to have and think that as an addition that would improve this defense immediately and that is Tamba Hali
.... that will never happen

KC would never let him go.

Vrabel and Hali are their starting OLBs and Vrabel is on his last legs. Letting Hali go would just about doom the KC defense for 2011.

I dont think that BB would go after Piolis players anyway. And if he did, NE would be stuck trying to sign Hali to a contract.

 

[Miguel]

NFLLabor.com Frequently Asked Questions

Updating this for the Patriots realizing that the dollar amounts below have yet to be announced for 2011.

1 unrestricted free agent for $5,807,475 or more in Year One of contract + the same number of Patriots free agents who sign with other clubs + any unrestricted free agent for less than $3,861,823 in Year One of contract with limitations on per season increases.

Let's say that the Pats wanted to sign an UFA to a 5 year deal worth $40 million.

They could easily do so by giving a $18 million signing bonus.

and having the following salaries

2011 2,500,000
2012 3,250,000
2013 4,225,000
2014 5,300,000
2015 6,725,000

while also following the 30% rule.

That contract is for elite players, not JAGs.

 

[DW Toys]

NFLLabor.com Frequently Asked Questions

Updating this for the Patriots realizing that the dollar amounts below have yet to be announced for 2011.

1 unrestricted free agent for $5,807,475 or more in Year One of contract + the same number of Patriots free agents who sign with other clubs + any unrestricted free agent for less than $3,861,823 in Year One of contract with limitations on per season increases.

Let's say that the Pats wanted to sign an UFA to a 5 year deal worth $40 million.

They could easily do so by giving a $18 million signing bonus.

and having the following salaries

2011 2,500,000
2012 3,250,000
2013 4,225,000
2014 5,300,000
2015 6,725,000

while also following the 30% rule.

That contract is for elite players, not JAGs.

Thanks for your effort as usual.
DW Toys

 

[Miguel]

Which means if the Patriots somehow pulled that off (which is 99% unlikely), it would likely be done through a trade, which isn't part of the final eight rules I believe.

Actually, the final eight rules prohibit trading for a player that a Final Team could not sign under the Final Eight rules.

 

[HomerSchooled]

The final 8 plan was put in place to mitigate the possible disaster of an uncapped season coming around and a big market team that was already good (ie not Chicago) totally dominating the market. Any agreement the NFLPA and the owners come to likely wouldn't have it in place. It existed solely because there WASN'T a deal in place.

I know this defeats the purpose of skipping the conversion process, but how about Charles Johnson from Carolina? 24 years old, probably won't even be an RFA under a new deal, and had 11.5 sacks last year playing for a terrible team. Good size, strength and speed. Obviously limited in drops, but he's got far more proven NFL potential than any draft prospect could.

 

[Off The Grid]

I wouldn't aspire to spending Mad Bucks on Colvin/Thomas III.

Those two moves played out pretty poorly.

However, I would LOVE to see us import Manny Lawson or Mathias Kiwanuka.

And I would be ECSTATIC if we imported both...provided the Price was Right.

Rob Ninkovich, I really like as our #2 Flanker.

But I would LOVE him as our #3 or #4.

Personally, I'm hoping that the next CBA will include a robust expansion of the Base Roster to 60 players or so. Seems to me that offering that would be one of the Owners' best means of weakening the allegedly defunct Union's resolve, at a minimum of Cost.

If that does transpire, expanding our Depth Chart to include 5 or 6 Flankers would become very viable.

 

[upstater1]

The Final 8 rule makes no sense when you realize that many of the teams in the Final 8 are some of the smarter franchises with depth, the ones that dole out money with some common sense. The Patriots, Steelers, Packers, Ravens certainly fall under that category. The Bears obviously were aggressive in FA, and the Jets are one of those free-spending teams, but otherwise, this rule simply benefits teams such as Dallas and Washington, the free-spenders, by allowing them to dominate the market, while the smart-spenders are punished.