[Old 2020 thread] NFL Free Agency/Trade Rumors:

[ViperGTS]

I feel like Matt Patricia is raiding the Patriots defense year after year, Trey Flowers, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton.

Enough is enough.

See above.

 

[Bill Lee]

How in the world did BB screw up the cap so fv^king bad that team has no $$, no QB, and a bunch of empty slots with FA leaving!

I guess we do have 7 picks in rounds 6 and 7 to find GOLD, lmao.

How soon we forget winning the SB two years ago, two wins in the last four years, three appearances in four years, etc.

Most teams get one or two bites of the apple then have a deep rebuild cycle.

We got three bites out of the apple with two wins, and a playoff appearance in year four to boot.

If anything the rebuild should have started last season.

Most teams ascend on a core of a young QB with a dirt cheap salary.

It's taken a lot of things to have the kind of success we've had, including TB taking less than full value.

Well, now that's over, and BB will rebuild the BB way by using lots of middle class talent.

I think we will end up seeing a big vet purge and a lot of gambles on middle class guys.

In essence we are with Sheldon, Collins and Van Noy being allowed to walk.

Note we didn't hear of ANY counter offers.

 

[Bill Lee]

Hmm, Harmon to DET, just as I was typing the above...

 

[DaBruinz]

Patriots Trade Harmon to Detroit. Frees up 4.5M in Salary Cap.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

Let the tanking commence.

They aren't tanking. Can we please stop with this idea?

 

[ViperGTS]

Hmm, Harmon to DET, just as I was typing the above...

Yep a reset may be happening with Lawrence as the target. Could be an agreement between BB and Kraft. Tank and if Stidham is okay, then maybe draft another position.

 

[ViperGTS]

They aren't tanking. Can we please stop with this idea?

Then why ditch Harmon?

 

[upstater1]

He was better in 2019 than in 2018, but at 8m per year? Wow.....

It's 4 million per.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

Then why ditch Harmon?

They have no money under the cap and he was kind of a luxury. I don't support the move but once they franchised Thuney it almost seemed inevitable.

 

[Bill Lee]

They aren't tanking. Can we please stop with this idea?

I don't think it's a tank, I think it's a controlled rebuild.

It is interesting that BB resigned the McCourtys and Slater and continues to pay Gilmore.

It looks like he thinks finding good CBs is harder than finding good DL.

 

[Delicate Genius]

 

[Bill Lee]

They have no money under the cap and he was kind of a luxury. I don't support the move but once they franchised Thuney it almost seemed inevitable.

They don't have money below the cap precisely because they really didn't know if TB would come back for cheap and they were going to try to keep things together for one more year, or if they were going to do a controlled rebuild.

I think we're on to the controlled rebuild.

 

[DaBruinz]

Then why ditch Harmon?

Free up cap space so they can sign players. They could be looking to put JMac at the other safety position. They also have Malik Gant who they were really high on before he was injured.

 

[203Pat]

Karras to the Phins for peanuts according to Howe.

 

[DaBruinz]

Looks like multiple picks. Will be interesting to see.

 

[upstater1]

And lets stop pretending like the Patriots NEVER brought in players for Brady because they did. Moss. Welker. Amendola. Gronk. Hernandez. White. Michel. Etc.

They also went and got Gordon and Brown. Both of whom shot their way out of here.

I looked back on the Patriots drafts over a decade and they expended 4 draft picks total on WRs and TEs in the first 3 rounds over the last 10 drafts.

Harry, Dobson, Taylor Price, Gronk.

If you go back 15 years, it's Brandon Tate, David Thomas, Chad Jackson.

Compare this to a team like the Steelers. They expended 6 first 3 round picks on WRs in the last 7 years. 13 premium picks in the last 15 years, only 2 of them TEs.

The Patriots just don't invest in WRs in the draft. 11 Pitt receivers drafted versus 5 Patriots over that time.

& in the last 7 years, the difference is striking. 6 for Pitt, 2 for the Patriots.

The Steelers by the way strike out almost as often as the Patriots. Sammie Coates, Dri Archer, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Limas Sweed, Willie Reid, Fred Gibson.

They just keep at it though. They'll take 2 busts for every Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington.

Antonio Brown, of course, was a 6th rounder.

I don't think the Patriots expend enough draft capital on offensive weapons. If anything, I'd encourage them to draft more WRs in the 1st and to lay off the Maroney's and Michel's.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

Karras to the Phins for peanuts according to Howe.

4 million isn't exactly peanuts for a player of his ilk. He's replaceable

 

[upstater1]

Let the tanking commence.

I really think we need to trade Gilmore for a 1st and 2nd at this point.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I know but its not like Pats were loaded with big name players or a bunch of >$10M/yr salaries. The answer has to be that he is over paying for the lower end no name guys. Look at difference between these 2 rosters cap hits:

A ton in the middle class

 

[DaBruinz]

Eric Reid has been cut by Carolina.