Signing Patriots Free Agents Not Named Tom - Thuney, Van Noy, etc.

[primetime]

And that's why going with Stidham or a rookie makes sense with a team that is not going to the Super Bowl with Brady or the likes of Newton/Bridgewater regardless. They just need to bite the bullet and start rebuilding vs. mortgating the future for an expensive holding pattern.

I don't disagree with you, for what it's worth.

 

[mgteich]

The Patriots have a load of free agents to deal with not including Tom Brady. On the list are a number of stalwarts, and they come in virtually every position group, except RB. Big decisions.

I'd like to see the Patriots lock up McCourty, Van Noy, Collins, Thuney, Karras, Butler, and Roberts. There are a couple of big ticket players there (Thuney, Van Noy). What is your preference?

This is what I have, let me know who I missed:

Matthew Slater - ST
Nate Ebner - ST
Devin McCourty - S
Kyle Van Noy - LB
Jamie Collins - LB
Elandon Roberts - LB
Danny Shelton - DL
Adam Butler - DL
Keontae Davis - DL
Joe Thuney - OL
James Ferentz - OL
Phillip Dorsett - WR
Ben Watson TE
Keontae Davis - DL
Ted Karras - OL
Marshall Newhouse - OL
Jermaine Eluemunor - OL

OFFENSE
Obviously the biggest question mark is at QB
Thuney is gone
Karras should be signed as a potential starter at OG or OC, and is worth low-level starter money
Ferentz might be re-signed for short money as insurance at OC
I wouldn't bring back Eluemunor.
Newhouse might be brought back for cheap, especially if Cannon is questionable.
As an aside, I think Sanu will be extended or replaced, freeing up some cap money.
Watson is gone.
Obviously, we have huge holes at TE and WR, perhaps worse if Brady doesn't come back.

 

[mgteich]

The Patriots have a load of free agents to deal with not including Tom Brady. On the list are a number of stalwarts, and they come in virtually every position group, except RB. Big decisions.

I'd like to see the Patriots lock up McCourty, Van Noy, Collins, Thuney, Karras, Butler, and Roberts. There are a couple of big ticket players there (Thuney, Van Noy). What is your preference?

This is what I have, let me know who I missed:

Matthew Slater - ST
Nate Ebner - ST
Devin McCourty - S
Kyle Van Noy - LB
Jamie Collins - LB
Elandon Roberts - LB
Danny Shelton - DL
Adam Butler - DL
Keontae Davis - DL
Joe Thuney - OL
James Ferentz - OL
Phillip Dorsett - WR
Ben Watson TE
Keontae Davis - DL
Ted Karras - OL
Marshall Newhouse - OL
Jermaine Eluemunor - OL

The cap money and needs are such that we aren't likely to sign many (any) top free agents. But, then, this is the norm for the patriots. I do see us bringing several WR's, TE's, LB's and OL's. We might even recognize a few, a perhaps even like a few.

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

OFFENSE
Obviously the biggest question mark is at QB
Thuney is gone
Karras should be signed as a potential starter at OG or OC, and is worth low-level starter money
Ferentz might be re-signed for short money as insurance at OC
I wouldn't bring back Eluemunor.
Newhouse might be brought back for cheap, especially if Cannon is questionable.
As an aside, I think Sanu will be extended or replaced, freeing up some cap money.
Watson is gone.
Obviously, we have huge holes at TE and WR, perhaps worse if Brady doesn't come back.

I’m leaning towards trading the first for Stephan Diggs and getting a third back.
Signing 2 free agent tight ends or trading for Howard.

 

[Hyped]

Assuming Brady resigns, I see Thuney, KVN, and Collins as goners. Thuney is gonna get the biggest offer on the market, IMO....KVN is going to take care of his family...and Collins took a pay cut last year...I think he wants more next year, but possible that he remembers how it sucked in Cleveland...hmmm....

Then DMac? Still at a high level, but I think we have decent depth at safety plus JoeJuan Williams possibly moving back there...it will be a cost vs. future production thing for me.

Those are the biggest dominoes....the rest...I'd over pay a bit for Slater on a short term deal...Bethel too...and maybe Ebner if nobody else goes crazy. Gostkowski? I might pass....if we move on from Gostkowski, we will have 2-3M more annually for a WR/TE. While I want to maintain our ST edge....I still think we could get by with Bailey handling kickoffs and another kicker just place kicking.

Roberts? Shelton? Karras? Newhouse? Butler? I think we would be OK if Roberts/Karras/Butler priced themselves out....if not...re-sign them all. I think we need to ensure that we still have Shelton and Newhouse for depth.

 

[mgteich]

Assuming Brady resigns, I see Thuney, KVN, and Collins as goners. .

Assuming that we have a 2020 season, I see Thuney, KVN and Collins as goners. I don't see Brady's re-signing as being a factor.

 

[mgteich]

If these players price themselves out, that means that we are likely to have to pay MORE for the same quality.

.
Roberts? Shelton? Karras? Newhouse? Butler? I think we would be OK if Roberts/Karras/Butler priced themselves out....if not...re-sign them all. I think we need to ensure that we still have Shelton and Newhouse for depth.

 

[rochrist]

Assuming $30m after the QB issue is solved one way or the other, Thuney and Van Noy are probably gone. Guard is the most replaceable position in football; the difference between a good one and an average one just doesn't make that much of a difference. For the latter, there are too many deep-pocketed former Patriots assistants out there that he'll probably get $15m or more annually, and the Patriots just can't afford that. Collins faded late last season and may or may not price himself out.

The special teamers (Slater, Ebner, Bethel), Butler, and Roberts seem almost certain to return. McCourty is the "big ticket" guy I expect to come back. Shelton may or may not return. Karras is probably going to be overpaid. Most of the others are sub-replacement-level so whatever.

Their needs in free agency (beyond QB) are likely LB, WR, IOL, TE, DT.

I'm still not getting where people are getting the salary cap numbers. Miguel has it at $29 mil currently. When Brady will incur a 13 mil cap charge on March 18th (assuming he isn't resigned). So it doesn't seem like a lot of room to me.

 

[primetime]

I'm still not getting where people are getting the salary cap numbers. Miguel has it at $29 mil currently. When Brady will incur a 13 mil cap charge on March 18th (assuming he isn't resigned). So it doesn't seem like a lot of room to me.

Miguel's numbers assume the higher accelerated Brady dead money hit already.

The rest of the money comes from cuts, restructures, etc.

 

[mgteich]

I'm still not getting where people are getting the salary cap numbers. Miguel has it at $29 mil currently. When Brady will incur a 13 mil cap charge on March 18th (assuming he isn't resigned). So it doesn't seem like a lot of room to me.

I just looked. Miguel shows $21M for 44 players. He shows Brady at $36.75M with a cap savings of $22M if he goes. That $43M. I would subtract $3M to use for the future contracts to bring us to 53 players, giving us a total of $40M if Brady goes.

Let's say a new QB uses $16M (for a total of 29.5M including Brady's dead money). That leaves $24M to start (before restructures and cuts).

If we extend Brady, we might use the same $29.5M of cap room, for the same $24M to start.
===========
Is $24M a lot? I don't know. For me, it seems pretty normal for our free agents and those of others. A Hightower restructure gives us an "easy" $5.3M. A Gilmore restructure will be available for needs at the end of camp and during the season. There are a couple of people who could go and be replaced using their cap savings (Sanu? Cannon?).

That leaves the following high priorities ( I presume that Thuney, KVN and Collins are gone)

PRIORITIES
----------------
D. McCourty (his brother might be cut to save money)
G/C - Karras seems an obvious choice
OT - This would be a backup. If Cannon goes, his cap room would pay for a replacement.
NT - Shelton is the obvious choice PLUS a draftee (to compete with Cowart).
DL - Butler should stay, and hopefully Calhoun also.
#3 WR - Sanu or a replacement (in any case his cap hit needs to be reduced)
#1 or #2 WR
#1 TE
another TE (LeCosse will stay, but we need competition and a 3rd TE)

 

[farn]

Assuming that we have a 2020 season, I see Thuney, KVN and Collins as goners. I don't see Brady's re-signing as being a factor.

I agree. Collins, I always saw as a one-year rental. The one that irks me is KVN. I need to think NE tried to re up him and he just didn’t want to comply & bet on himself (which ended up being the right call, for him, financially). Really wish he would have been signed a year ago for decent $.

Having said that : they all contributed to the success of this team in their career and I wish them the best.

 

[captain stone]

This is what I have, let me know who I missed:

Matthew Slater - ST
Nate Ebner - ST
Devin McCourty - S
Kyle Van Noy - LB
Jamie Collins - LB
Elandon Roberts - ILB
Danny Shelton - DT
Adam Butler - DL
Shilique Calhoun - DE
Joe Thuney - OL
James Ferentz - C
Phillip Dorsett - WR
Ben Watson TE
Keontae Davis - DL
Ted Karras - OL
Marshall Newhouse - OL
Jermaine Eluemunor - OL

The bolded names above I would offer only 1-year contracts for the vet minimum with Zero guaranteed money...at most...

Elmanure I would offer maybe two years with some minimal guarantees...I want to see what he can do here with a full training camp under his belt; maybe he can become a serviceable right-side backup. Bill did surrender an asset for him, so maybe he sees something there too.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Assuming that we have a 2020 season, I see Thuney, KVN and Collins as goners. I don't see Brady's re-signing as being a factor.

No strikes or lockouts are allowed until the 2021 league year.