Good news - Pats working to extend Wilfork with new cap room

[mayoclinic]

Re: Good News -Pats working to extend Wilfork

Atlanta got that YOUNG QB and plays in the WORSE DIVISION in FOOTBALL.. Every year for the past XXX years the team that finished in last place won the division the following year..

I'm sorry, but calling a division with Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Atlanta the "worse" division in football just doesn't add up. It may have been one of the strongest divisions this past year, and certainly the NFC and AFC West are much much weaker.

 

[Jimke]

ESPN's John Clayton reports that the Patriots will make extending NT Vince Wilfork a priority with their new found salary cap space.

Great news for us.

Hope it's not too late after Haynesworth's contract.

 

[upstater1]

I'm of two minds about extending our best players.

Next year will be uncapped. We're much better off signing them to big contracts in an uncapped year then extending them now.

The only hitch to this is that I don't see many good FAs out there to spend money on. If this were a year with really good FAs available I'd be much more interested in spending the cash now than on extending our own players. Why? Because next year is uncapped, and we could load new contracts with huge salaries into that uncapped year, thereby circumventing the salary cap in the future.

This would enable us to land major talent in FA this year AND keep our own guys next year. And since I'm assuming the Patriots will finish in the top 8 of the league next year, we won't be players in the FA market.

However, since there is very little out there in FA this year, we could still extend our players, AND give them huge salaries next year for an uncapped year. That would have the same effect as what I'm suggesting up above. The only hitch then in doing it a year early is the signing bonus question. Since signing bonuses are averaged over the length of the contract, would our players accept taking less up front in the first year so that their bonus effectively comes in the form of a whopping salary payment in the second year.

Whichever owner has the $$$ to take advantage of the uncapped year will be setting his team up in the long-term.

I'm hoping Kraft acknowledges that he's made a billion in the purchase of the Patriots over the last 15 years, and that next year is the year he essentially gives some back to the fans by busting his budget.

Then again, I hoped Ralph Wilson would do the same thing, having made $800 million on a $20,000 investment in Buffalo, so that he would sell the team for less to local interests (Jim Kelly and Paychex's billionaire Tom Golisano can do it for $700 million) so that I can keep watching the Patriots live at Ralph Wilson each year. But Wilson is completely unwilling to do it. He wants to maximize value for that extra $100 million.

This is how rich people think. If it were me, I would really consider giving $100 million back to keep the team in the community.

Come on Kraft, give up $50 million next year so that your team will be set up to win multiple Super Bowls over the next decade.

 

[TOzgood]

Great news. I think BB learned a little bit on his miscalculation about Asante Samuel last year. BTW - Is anyone else frustrated with us bringing in the old corners who nobody else wants? Let's be honest with ourselves - Defense LOST the divisional game in Denver, it LOST us the conference championship in Indy, it played a huge role in our LOSS against the Giants in the SB, and having Asante this year may have been the X factor in getting into the playoffs. For such a defense-minded guy, I still can't quite understand why we're not making a pull for some impact defense players. Bodden stinks. Shawn Springs? Come on. The list goes on, Duane Starks, Deltha O'Neal, etc. BB obviously knows a bit more than I but lets be honest, defense wins, and we've been lacking one ever since our last Super Bowl win..over 4 years ago!