Revis, Wilfork and the cap

[stinkypete]

I'm wondering if the story goes like this?

Patriots asked Wilfork to restructure and began negotiations. Negotiations did not go far, but the sides committed to patience while free agency sorted itself out. The plan would be, if they could sign Talib at a reasonable cost, they could revisit Wilfork. Denver swooped in and paid Talib at way above market value (in an out of control CB market). Revis meanwhile became spontaneously available in a period of 72 hours. The Patriots made their move, went to Wilfork and said "we're going to need to do this restructure now."

I assume that Belichick has made the decision that the team is better going forward with Revis than with Wilfork. For once, finally, a heartbreak move for the fans at least comes with some tangible promise.

I hope at this point that Wilkfork gets his release, finds himself one more payday on a team with cap room to spend on a health gamble, and that his presence helps make a young team become good. He deserves it.

 

[BelizePats]

Agreed on all counts. Just please end up in the in the other conference.

 

[hwc]

I think the Pats/Revis thing had been in the works for couple of days. Denver had reportedly offered Revis the Talib deal in a trade with Tampa. Revis nixed it.

 

[mgteich]

Revis cost about what Talib was expected to cost in 2014 cap money, perhaps a bit more.

 

[strngplyr]

I might be of the few, but I feel Revis and Wilfork are not related in the slightest. With or without paying top dollar to a CB, Wilfork wasn't going to count for 11m against the cap.

Wilfork and the Pats, from what I'm reading, sound like the last time they spoke was before any serious Revis discussion could have taken place.

 

[Rossmci90]

I might be of the few, but I feel Revis and Wilfork are not related in the slightest. With or without paying top dollar to a CB, Wilfork wasn't going to count for 11m against the cap.

Wilfork and the Pats, from what I'm reading, sound like the last time they spoke was before any serious Revis discussion could have taken place.

I agree. Regardless of anything else that happened, Wilfork would not be playing on his contract as is.

 

[The Scrizz]

I've expected this all along. A very big man coming off of Achilles is no sure thing.

Interesting that he asked for his release as opposed to the Pats releasing him. Sign of respect IMO.

 

[Claremonster]

I think the Pats/Revis thing had been in the works for couple of days. Denver had reportedly offered Revis the Talib deal in a trade with Tampa. Revis nixed it.

I heard where Denver offered DRC Talib's contract and he said he was thinking about retirement

 

[Rob0729]

The Pats have been trying to give Wilfork an extension for weeks now and Wilfork has said no because it would mostly spread his $7.5 million over multiple years on the cap and give him no security going forward or crap money going forward.

Revis had absolutely nothing to do with Wilfork. The Pats would have asked Wilfork to restructure with or without Revis. The Jets fans are floating this theory to stupid proportions on their boards that signing Revis is a huge backfire because Wilfork asked for his release because Revis is getting so much at his expense.

Just like DeMarcus Ware, Darren Sproles, Julius Peppers, and many other big name players who are declining on the last year or two of their big deal contract; Wilfork has gotten to the point that his value is way below his contract and the Pats could use his cap space. It is a sad fact (at least for the players) of the NFL. It happens all the time.

 

[RI Patriots fan]

Raji just signed a one year deal for $4 million.

Raji will be 28 years old next season....not 33.

Rajo will be healthy next season....not coming off a major achilles injury.

Why, on earth, would you "restructure" Wilfork's $7.5 million when he isn't even close to worth it?

Wilfork was bad last year when he played.....let me repeat that....he...was....bad.

 

[DefenseRules]

Raji just signed a one year deal for $4 million.

Raji will be 28 years old next season....not 33.

Rajo will be healthy next season....not coming off a major achilles injury.

Why, on earth, would you "restructure" Wilfork's $7.5 million when he isn't even close to worth it?

Wilfork was bad last year when he played.....let me repeat that....he...was....bad.

He was bad, but I really thought that he might have been playing through something.

 

[resdubwhite]

Raji just signed a one year deal for $4 million.

Raji will be 28 years old next season....not 33.

Rajo will be healthy next season....not coming off a major achilles injury.

Why, on earth, would you "restructure" Wilfork's $7.5 million when he isn't even close to worth it?

Wilfork was bad last year when he played.....let me repeat that....he...was....bad.

He was probably playing hurt.

 

[RI Patriots fan]

He was bad, but I really thought that he might have been playing through something.

Do you honestly think he's going to be "better" coming off an Achilles rupture for a guy that's north of 350 pounds and going on 33 years old?

And who would u rather have...Raji at 4 million or Wilfork at 8 million?

 

[RI Patriots fan]

He was probably playing hurt.

You don't know that....lol.

The only thing we know for absolutely sure is that he ruptured his Achilles and that next season he will be 33 years old and he is well over 350 pounds. That is an extremely bad combination for a Defensive Lineman.

 

[Gumby]

The Pats have been trying to give Wilfork an extension for weeks now and Wilfork has said no because it would mostly spread his $7.5 million over multiple years on the cap and give him no security going forward or crap money going forward.

Revis had absolutely nothing to do with Wilfork. The Pats would have asked Wilfork to restructure with or without Revis. The Jets fans are floating this theory to stupid proportions on their boards that signing Revis is a huge backfire because Wilfork asked for his release because Revis is getting so much at his expense.

Just like DeMarcus Ware, Darren Sproles, Julius Peppers, and many other big name players who are declining on the last year or two of their big deal contract; Wilfork has gotten to the point that his value is way below his contract and the Pats could use his cap space. It is a sad fact (at least for the players) of the NFL. It happens all the time.

All very true. Agree. Couple other thoughts:

No matter how good VW is / was / could still be....

HE has an achilles injury. If he walks away (demands to be cut) or is released by Pats; NOBODY IS GOING TO OFFER HIM A CONTRACT ANYTIME SOON. He has to know he will be sitting around in limbo for a while.

So that said, could his release actually be still in BOTH HIS and THE PATRIOTS BEST INTEREST???... and NOT EXCLUDE HIS FUTURE as a Patriot? It gives him a clean slate and frees up cap for the patriots to work on other FAs. Then later on (after TC) when he is healthy and Pats have cut down / injured some of those other players; they may have other cap room avail to use to bring him back at a lower long term deal.

Not sure on the FA rules. There may be reasons above can't legally be done. And it probably is better cap-wise long term for pats to renegotiate then cut-wait-re-sign. But cut-wait allows them to use the VW cap space on other guys for an interim period; so that has a value in and of itself.

I have a hard time buying all the media "VW hates how Pats have treated him" crap that is coming out. [remember the mediots love to build up/make up the red vs blue antagonism just to sell papers/get hits.]

Some could be true; but BB CLEARLY broke his rules all the time for VW (traveling while injured etc) and ALWAYS expressed his respect for VW. So VW has to recognize that he got treated different than other big-name (Bledsoe-milloy-law) players even if the nature of nfl contracts is forcing his to go a way neither side emotionally wants.

So I think a VW release is not the end of the world, hope it happens amicably and hope that a HEALTHY-EFFECTIVE VW finds himself back on Patriots in CY 2014.