Reiss: Patriots and RFA history

[SeanBruschi54]

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2008/03/patriots_and_rf.html#comments

• 2003 -- Willing to surrender a sixth-round draft choice, they signed Seahawks defensive tackle Cedric Woodard to an offer sheet. The Seahawks matched, and Woodard was a starter the next two seasons before injuries derailed his career.
  
  
• 2004 -- The Patriots signed DE Rodney Bailey from the Steelers, giving up a sixth-round draft choice. Bailey was injured in training camp (Achilles), and never played a regular-season game for the team.
  
  
• 2007 -- The Patriots met with WR Wes Welker (Dolphins) and considered signing him to an offer sheet, which would have cost them a second-round pick. But instead of going through that process -- which could have included a poison pill in the contract -- the teams agreed to a trade instead. The Patriots sent their 2007 second-round pick, plus a 2007 seventh-rounder, to acquire Welker.

Other than Rodney Bailey (who never really got a chance because of injury and Mike Wright) the Patriots really seem to know what they are doing with RFA players and signing them.

 

[xmarkd400x]

The Patriots do their research on players leaguewide. I'd imagine RFA's are a good source of young talent.

 

[mojocaster.com]

I think that the Pats understand value better than any other team in this league, and are able to match players to the value they represent *in their system* better than anyone else. Great case in point: Vrable.