Official Free Agency 2018

[Ivan]

I have to admit that Richardson is the one who interests me the most, Ivan. He's capable of being a disruptive force, has had a bad year+, and needs a change of scenery.

If the Pats could rehabilitate his career, he would solve a lot of problems. Don't see it happening, but wouldn't be sad if it did.

Except that he’s a locker room problem and he only plays hard when he feels like it. I just don’t think he’s a fit here.

 

[sambam94]

$12m??

Free agent LT Nate Solder says he wants to continue playing.

Solder is considering retirement but the early signs suggest he'll return. The Patriots want him back but may have trouble signing him after he settled for a team-friendly deal in 2015. The Boston Herald expects Solder to command $12 million annually.

 

[DaBruinz]

I listed the wide receivers currently under contract and two viable unrestricted free agents to re-sign.

Actually, you forgot Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister. Both of whom the Pats signed.

 

[DaBruinz]

In the two games Rob Gronkowski was inactive during the 2017 NFL Season, Dwayne Allen produced the following:

2 receptions, 5 targets, 10 receiving yards

Simply pathetic!

SMH.. What's simply pathetic is that you ignore that the Patriots game plan for who they have and who they don't have. You ignore that they felt that Allen's BEST USE was to help the RT in those games because Gronk wasn't playing. Why you're ignoring those nuances in your hatred/bias of Allen is truly perplexing.

Doesn't it speak more about the lack of Gronk and Fleming's ability that they felt that having Allen in to help block was more important?

Dwayne Allen 2017 Fantasy Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Think about it. Against Miami, Allen saw his HIGHEST snap count of the year.

 

[ATippett56]

I’d like to get a future starting TE at 95 just not sure that’s realistic. We have 3 glaring holes on defense imo that should be addressed with our first 3 picks (LB, DT and CB). But I have a feeling QB will be one of those picks. At 95, maybe fumaghali at Wisconsin becomes an option?

We need to see how many of the holes on the roster are plugged via free agency.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

We need to see how many of the holes on the roster are plugged via free agency.

Wouldn’t be opposed to bradham at one of our LB spots

 

[ATippett56]

Wouldn’t be opposed to bradham at one of our LB spots

From the past two NFL Drafts, four players landed on the reserve/injured list and one player landed on the reserve/non-football illness list during the 2017 NFL Season.

Draft Finder Query Results | Pro-Football-Reference.com

 

[maineman209]

$12m??

Free agent LT Nate Solder says he wants to continue playing.

Solder is considering retirement but the early signs suggest he'll return. The Patriots want him back but may have trouble signing him after he settled for a team-friendly deal in 2015. The Boston Herald expects Solder to command $12 million annually.

Solder's 2015 extension was 2 years for $20.1M with $19.4M guaranteed, with a "no-tag clause". Not really what I'd call "team-friendly".

His $11.17M cap hit for 2017 made him the 5th highest paid LT in the league.

A new contract at $12M APY would make Solder only the 10th-highest paid LT in the league for 2018, 2019 & 2020.

A significant factor in re-signing Solder is whether or not he'd be willing to uproot his family and his son from his current cancer treatment program in Boston just to chase another million or so per year in another city.

 

[Ivan]

$12m??

Free agent LT Nate Solder says he wants to continue playing.

Solder is considering retirement but the early signs suggest he'll return. The Patriots want him back but may have trouble signing him after he settled for a team-friendly deal in 2015. The Boston Herald expects Solder to command $12 million annually.

Solder is a player who really wants to be here, like Amendola I think they will reach a deal with little trouble.

 

[Ivan]

From the past two NFL Drafts, four players landed on the reserve/injured list and one player landed on the reserve/non-football illness list during the 2017 NFL Season.

Draft Finder Query Results | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Belichick has to pick at the end of every round every draft so taking chances on prospects with an injury history has been a part of the strategy, it can pay off, like getting the GOAT TE, or it can fail, like Easley and I-Dowling. As far as last year goes I can’t blame him for Rivers or Garcia, no one could see that happening. Hopefully Garcia will recover as strong as Cannon did and turn into a good player for them.

 

[Ivan]

We need to see how many of the holes on the roster are plugged via free agency.

Given the youth of Lee, M.Flowers, and Rivers I think they will address the edge in free agency. McClellin, Harris, and Harrison should all be gone and I expect them to try and find younger more athletic LB’s in free agency. It won’t be the big names but I trust Caserio’s ability to find young veteran LB’s who can fill important roles for them.

 

[maineman209]

We’ve really had a tough time with #2 TE’s..

We’ve had one that could block but not catch, one that could catch but not block, one that killed a guy, and one that did none of those things and just kinda sucked.

It seems to me that BB sorta sees three spots/roles in the TE corps:
A) at least one guy who can both block and catch pretty well
.... a younger/healthier version of Bennett probably would've been acceptable, if there had never been a "Gronk"
B) another guy who can catch pretty well (an alternate red-zone threat), and can block okay under certain circumstances (IOW, at least as well as a WR)
C) another guy who blocks really well and can catch for a first-down or TD on occasion (maybe 1-1.5 receptions per game, on average)

It really wouldn't require a whole lot of improvement in Allen's receiving to make him ideal for this last role. He doesn't really have that "B" guy at the moment.

Gronk has been and A+++ guy for several years and, if he retires, there won't be another one like him for years, at least not on the Pats. Expecting the next man up to even come close to what Gronk has accomplished will lead only to crushing disappointment and unduly harsh criticism. His "replacement" is likely to be a guy who ultimately contributes ~50-60 receptions, 600-750 yards and 5-8 TDs per season.

Right now, such a guy would be the "B" guy behind Gronk (as Bennett was in 2016).

But BB is likely to want a "C" guy as his base TE (in addition to an FB), for the sake of the ground game, more than for the passing game.

 

[Ivan]

If Lewis wants around 3/18/ 10 then I think they should be able to come close to that. He’s their best back and he’s shown himself to be worth that. Cut Gillislee and sign Burkhead and Lewis to extensions imo.

 

[luuked]

If Lewis wants around 3/18/ 10 then I think they should be able to come close to that. He’s their best back and he’s shown himself to be worth that. Cut Gillislee and sign Burkhead and Lewis to extensions imo.

Gillislee's cap number is 2.1m so cutting him will not open up much space if you sign someone else in FA to replace him. Or roll the dice on a late round back.

Unless your suggestion is to go with White/Lewis/Burkhead/Bolden full time. Not sure how I would feel about going without a proper big back into a season.

 

[Ivan]

Gillislee's cap number is 2.1m so cutting him will not open up much space if you sign someone else in FA to replace him. Or roll the dice on a late round back.

Unless your suggestion is to go with White/Lewis/Burkhead/Bolden full time. Not sure how I would feel about going without a proper big back into a season.

I think they can draft one late or go UDFA, Gillislee was inactive most of the second half of the season, whatever they can save and use for Burkhead and Lewis is fine with me.

 

[sambam94]

If Lewis wants around 3/18/ 10 then I think they should be able to come close to that. He’s their best back and he’s shown himself to be worth that. Cut Gillislee and sign Burkhead and Lewis to extensions imo.

I like lewis, but I think they would be fine with Gillislee/White/Burkhead. Gillislee runs hard and can be effective, I saw it in Buff.

 

[Ivan]

I like lewis, but I think they would be fine with Gillislee/White/Burkhead. Gillislee runs hard and can be effective, I saw it in Buff.

Lewis is by far their best RB, losing him would be a big loss. Gillislee sucks, I have no interest in him coming back.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

Gillislee's cap number is 2.1m so cutting him will not open up much space if you sign someone else in FA to replace him. Or roll the dice on a late round back.

Unless your suggestion is to go with White/Lewis/Burkhead/Bolden full time. Not sure how I would feel about going without a proper big back into a season.

I’d cut gilleslee just to let the guy find another team that will use him.

 

[maineman209]

Gillislee was a serviceable contributor during the first half of the 2017 season (before Lewis got hot and Burkhead returned from injury - temporarily), during which time he played more snaps than he had in his entire 2016 season with the Bills.

He has four seasons of NFL experience, and a full season of experience in the Pats offense. Since being IR'd in 2014 with a hamstring (Miami), he hadn't missed a game to injury until wk-17 this season.

He's 27 - the same age as Lewis and Burkhead.

He's under contract for 2018 at $2.18M, which makes him the 25th highest-paid RB for 2018 ($1.1M cheaper than Danny Woodhead, and $5.7M cheaper than Chris Ivory).

Cutting him nets about $1.7M in cap savings, whether he's cut now, after rookie Camp, or at the end of August.

If he's cut now, and the Pats aren't able to re-sign either Lewis or Burkhead, the Pats would have only one RB under contract for 2018 - James White.

There's absolutely zero guarantee that a late-round (or even mid-round) draft pick or UDFA would be able to contribute, in 2018, even as much as Gillislee did in 2017 (22% of RB rushing yards; 5 of 16 rushing TDs) in 9 games.

There's also no guarantee than an NFL-experienced RB free agent would contribute more than Gillislee did in 2017 or would be any cheaper.

 

[Ivan]

Gillislee was a serviceable contributor during the first half of the 2017 season (before Lewis got hot and Burkhead returned from injury - temporarily), during which time he played more snaps than he had in his entire 2016 season with the Bills.

He has four seasons of NFL experience, and a full season of experience in the Pats offense. Since being IR'd in 2014 with a hamstring (Miami), he hadn't missed a game to injury until wk-17 this season.

He's 27 - the same age as Lewis and Burkhead.

He's under contract for 2018 at $2.18M, which makes him the 25th highest-paid RB for 2018 ($1.1M cheaper than Danny Woodhead, and $5.7M cheaper than Chris Ivory).

Cutting him nets about $1.7M in cap savings, whether he's cut now, after rookie Camp, or at the end of August.

If he's cut now, and the Pats aren't able to re-sign either Lewis or Burkhead, the Pats would have only one RB under contract for 2018 - James White.

There's absolutely zero guarantee that a late-round (or even mid-round) draft pick or UDFA would be able to contribute, in 2018, even as much as Gillislee did in 2017 (22% of RB rushing yards; 5 of 16 rushing TDs) in 9 games.

There's also no guarantee than an NFL-experienced RB free agent would contribute more than Gillislee did in 2017 or would be any cheaper.

There’s no guarantees about anything, but finding a power back for a fractional role in their offense is about the easiest thing to find in football.