Shouldn't All The Free Agents On Offense Be Up For Sale/Trade?

[grux]

Trent Brown could fetch something for the right team, maybe Bourne.

I would take a bag of footballs for Trent Brown.

 

[Ross12]

Don't touch the defense but everyone on offense can go. I'd honestly see if Denver wants to eat some money and would swap Mac for Russ. Obviously Russ would need to restructure to make it work but even a washed up Russ is probably better as a bridge to the next guy than Mac is.

I talked about this in another thread. In all likelihood, Denver will probably pay another team with a pick plus Wilson just to get out of the Wilson contract. I would guess Denver would do a trade like - Wilson + a 2nd for Mac. However, the problem is Wilson's contract is rough. It's not an issue this season, really, and even his $17M salary next year is not SO bad (even if it is guaranteed) - the problem is that if he is on the roster on the 5th day of the league year in 2024, his $37M salary in 2025 also becomes guaranteed. So in all likelihood, the team will need to cut him after this season and take a $17M dead cap hit in 2024 in order to avoid a $37M hit in 2025. Sucks to lose that money but you did shed Mac and you got a 2nd for your troubles (and that 2024 second would be a borderline first), and you could ink Wilson to a new deal if you wanted to. Unless, of course, they decide they want to commit to him as-is for just two seasons while a rookie develops - in which case they could just decide that they'll pay all of that guaranteed cash, and it's fine. In that case it'd essentially be a two year/$52M deal, which is around what low tier starters make. His huge salaries after 2025 are not guaranteed, and his signing bonus pro-rations are eaten by Denver when he's traded. I suppose he could be your Alex Smith if you could get him to play conservative football... maybe.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Massive personnel changes during the season are highly unlikely

 

[Thunderhead]

In what universe is Parker not cut today? So sick of that bum it's not even funny.

 

[Vindicate]

You’re a day late and a dollar short. The guys to trade were the aging championship core. Very few teams will be interested in their veterans since most are overpaid and not game changers.

I could see the Bengals benefitting from Henry or Gesicki. Dunno how much they'd play fetch, but still.

 

[Chevy]

I would take a bag of footballs for Trent Brown.

But they have to be properly inflated

 

[upstater1]

What good is young if they are all jags. There is no one worth keeping on offense.

NFL teams are not made of superstars and All-Pros across the board.

They're not all JAGs.

They are the bread and butter of having a good team.

Onwenu, when not injured, was very highly rated. Made 2nd team All-Pro last year by the PFW writers.

Trent Brown is still youngish, and what he CAN do, he does very well, if he's not asked to move all the way back with edge rushers. We have 5 interior guys in Andrews, Andrews, Strange, Mafi and Sow who can fill those 2 positions without needing to expend more resources there.

We are weak at WR. Bourne is good, Douglas and Boutte may develop, Thornton if we had a QB who could throw downfield may actually be something other than brittle.

Rham Stevenson is a mediocre to fine RB in this league.

At TE, I see no point in starting over again when we have guys who might produce better with a different QB (even Jonnu someone said is doing better elsewhere this year).

Do we need a QB and more help at tackle and WR. Yes, that's what the draft and free agency are for.

There is absolutely no sense however in getting rid of the 15 guys on offense that I mentioned in order to start again.

 

[upstater1]

OK, so you want to keep players who will be free agents in January. Why? What good are these players going to be to the patriots in 2024. Even if the are re-signed, we should be able to sign an equivalent player. You really want to keep Henry and Gesicki for 10 games so much that you refuse a pick? Please explain why.

First, what players are you talking about other than the TEs?

Second, yes, people like Dugger know the defense and he's a fine player doing some new and different things without McCourty this year. He's the kind of 2nd contract veteran you should NOT give up on.

We need to IMPROVE the OL. We don't improve it by getting rid of the only player there who has been recognized as all league (Onwenu).

Third, who are these equivalent players who are available? I'm going to state the obvious: in the last 3 years, we landed the TOP TEs available in the FA market with sizeable contracts. We brought Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry and Gesicki in here. The top TEs available.

So who are the TEs you are talking about? (I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm just pointing out that we have already signed the top guys in previous year, so I can't say for certain that better players will be available). Is Atlanta trading Kyle Pitts? He hasn't done much this year.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I could see the Bengals benefitting from Henry or Gesicki. Dunno how much they'd play fetch, but still.

Henry, yes, value in a solid pass catching TE. I don’t see Gesicki having any value on the trade market. Teams would rather value optimism in their own developing players than a JAG like him.

 

[Ross12]

Comp picks of any real value are based on the guys that leave signing big deals elsewhere. I don't know how many of these guys will do that.

I think a lot of people have a severe misunderstanding of comp picks. It seems like many people think that if you lose a player in free agency, you automatically receive a comp pick. This is not the case. Comp picks work on a formula based upon the overall net value of players lost in free agency vs. players signed in free agency in a given year.

Let's say the Pats lose Onwenu, Dugger, Henry and Bourne next year. Onwenu and Dugger sign "large" deals, and Henry and Bourne sign "medium" deals. However, the Patriots have a lot of cap space and they sign two "large" deals at WR and OT and several "medium" or "small" deals to fill out their roster. This represents a net gain in free agents for the team so they will not get any comp picks.

If the Pats trade these guys now before the become free agents, they guarantee the pick - and the pick is likely to come a year earlier (2024 draft pick instead of a 2025 comp pick) - which is also an increase in value in a sense. Teams trading FOR the players may also be willing to make the deal if they think they're likely to get a comp pick themselves - i.e. if a contender trades for Uche for half a season, then they lose him in free agency to a big contract in 2024 and they don't make any other big signings, they'll get a comp pick for him back.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Onwenu leaves after the season.

Dugger and Uche are likely as well.

 

[203Pat]

I think a lot of people have a severe misunderstanding of comp picks. It seems like many people think that if you lose a player in free agency, you automatically receive a comp pick. This is not the case. Comp picks work on a formula based upon the overall net value of players lost in free agency vs. players signed in free agency in a given year.

Let's say the Pats lose Onwenu, Dugger, Henry and Bourne next year. Onwenu and Dugger sign "large" deals, and Henry and Bourne sign "medium" deals. However, the Patriots have a lot of cap space and they sign two "large" deals at WR and OT and several "medium" or "small" deals to fill out their roster. This represents a net gain in free agents for the team so they will not get any comp picks.

If the Pats trade these guys now before the become free agents, they guarantee the pick - and the pick is likely to come a year earlier (2024 draft pick instead of a 2025 comp pick) - which is also an increase in value in a sense. Teams trading FOR the players may also be willing to make the deal if they think they're likely to get a comp pick themselves - i.e. if a contender trades for Uche for half a season, then they lose him in free agency to a big contract in 2024 and they don't make any other big signings, they'll get a comp pick for him back.

Which is why franchising Thuney in 2020 was even dumber when Bill was going to have to spend the next year in free agency.

 

[203Pat]

Onwenu leaves after the season.

I think Bill drafting 14 interior linemen in this year's draft solidified that.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I think Bill drafting 14 interior linemen in this year's draft solidified that.

Yes, but they aren't any good. I said that because I think Owenu and others will want to get away from this situation.

 

[203Pat]

Yes, but they aren't any good. I said that because I think Owenu and others will want to get away from this situation.

I agree. They have done him no favors shifting him all over the place and putting him next to a guy (Lowe) who isn't even an NFL player.

 

[Fatmancryin]

You keep Onwenu and Henry.

You trade Bourne, get a third or whatever.

The rest are just flotsam.

And screw that fat ass Trent Brown. And when you send him packing, send Adrian klemm with him. God awful tackle, even worse OL coach.

You think Henry @15.5m is worth it?

 

[TheRainMaker]

You think Henry @15.5m is worth it?

He's a FA, let him go.

 

[mgteich]

You keep Onwenu and Henry.

You trade Bourne, get a third or whatever.

The rest are just flotsam.

And screw that fat ass Trent Brown. And when you send him packing, send Adrian klemm with him. God awful tackle, even worse OL coach.

So, we are keeping Onwenu and Henry for the rest of season. Of course, there is no reason to believe that they will re-sign with the patriots.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Which is why franchising Thuney in 2020 was even dumber when Bill was going to have to spend the next year in free agency.

Then he lets him go to FA, only trying to sign him at the 11th hour. He did it again with JC Jackson. He doesn't seem like he's had a plan for many years.

 

[203Pat]

So, we are keeping Onwenu and Henry for the rest of season. Of course, there is no reason to believe that they will re-sign with the patriots.

Henry was seen with his palms up in the air last week after another awful Mac pick. Unless we pay him top of the market I don't know why he would want to come back to this.