Ok, here is what I am hoping for in free agency. I am trying to be realistic and not predicting things that will never happen like the Pats signing Aso, Holmes, or any other big name free agent:
1.) Sign Mathias Kiwanuka (although I think the Pats are more likely signing Matt Roth)
2.) Resign Brandon McGowan, Jarrad Page, and Matt Light - All would be short term deals. I think Light will take a hometown discount, but the Pats will have to be somewhat competitive. He is the least likely to return of the three.
3.) Sign James Jones - versatile WR who can run any route and won't be commanding top dollar since I don't think Belichick will spend the money to get one of the top guys like Holmes, Rice, or Floyd. This guy has the chance to really breakout.
4.) Sign Marcus Spears - The guy was better under Parcells' system than Wade Phillips'. Has been a solid player, but really fell short of his first round status. Will come at a bargain. The Pats may be all set at DE though.
I don't think any of these are realistic. They're great signings in Madden, but in real life, they're just a bunch of big names who don't offer anything we don't already have.
1) Won't happen. Kiwanuka has never played in a 3-4, he was hurt almost all of last year, and he'll still command a big price from 4-3 teams. It makes no sense to take a big financial risk on a guy like Kiwanuka.
2) Matt Light won't take a hometown discount. The only guys who do that are Tom Brady and Bruschi, and even Brady's "discount" wasn't really a discount.
We just drafted a left tackle with a first round pick. Light's days here are numbered and he knows it. He can go out in free agency and not only be a starter, but get paid like it. Why would he take a short term "discount" here when he knows he'll be cut next year? That would put him in the same situation he's in now, except he'd be even older.
On top of that, we don't really need him for more than 8-10 games. It makes no sense to sign a guy to 2-3 year contract when you only need him for half a season, if that.
3) Jones is a nice player, no doubt, but he isn't a #1, or a #2, and signing him just makes it harder for own young, talented receivers to get reps and develop. Again, he's just a name.
4) This is the most mind-boggling of them all. We are stocked with young talent at DE. It may not be first round talent, but it's just as good as Marcus Spears, who is a very average one-gap 3-4 DE.
Again, it makes no sense to sign an older, subpar d-lineman who will have to learn a new technique when we have guys like Ron Brace, Deaderick, and Pryor who all have more potential than Spears, who are already learning 2-gap technique, and who already know the playbook.
In fact, I'd argue that Ron Brace is already the on the same level as Marcus Spears. But he's younger and improved significantly throughout the season last year. Why would we give Brace's spot to a veteran who's much older and offers nothing more than he does? It makes no sense.
