I think DT's chances of signing here will be all about the contract. Remember this is a guy who's been making over $10MM/yr for several years now. It will be interesting, given his injury situation, to see what he is expecting from a new team. I can't see the Pats giving him anything CLOSE to $10MM coming off a mediocre season in Houston AND an achilles injury.
I think a deal the Pats could live with would be a $5MM contract with incentives that could increase that number by about $3MM. Of course if the Pats have their druthers, very little of that deal would be guaranteed.
Early in the FA process, I wasn't at all interested in DT mostly because of what I expected his salary demands to be and his particular injury situation. But now a couple of months into FA, I'm thinking his salary demands have become more realistic and it looks like he'll be ready be ready to play prior to TC.
I know WE belittle him for being "soft". BELIEVE me, no one who plays in the NFL is "soft". But the fact remains he has been a productive receiver for many years on a team we all hate (which COULD account for at least some of the rancor.
). Josh clearly liked him then, and probably still does.
So at this point, I'd be OK with an incentive laden deal with very little guaranteed. Like ASJ, his signing would take some of the urgency to spend a lot on a WR in the draft, and rather let the draft come to them as far as a WR goes.
Yeldon would be a decent signing IF Hill is really out of the picture. He's been a solid contributor for the Jags over the years. His signing would pretty much eliminate us drafting a RB until very late, if at all.