The Patriots were toast before the season began- a casualty of the salary cap.

[n1997y]

I would like to see Mac get be worthy of a contract worth 25 mil per season.

The Pats have enough cap to get this done.

FIFY

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Agree but adding talent throughout the roster is the tide that lifts all boats. That was kinda us in 2021.

Teams like the 2019 Titans make the AFCCG w/ Tanny at QB are examples.

Agreed. But it is the QB first and injuries second in the majority of cases. I am a 80/20 guy, and I don't worry about the 20.

 

[Pape]

No reason to limit flexibility if all teams have the same option. Being fair and equal is what matters. All teams play by the same rules and have the same spending total.

not arguing for or against it...

just a thought if the idea is to get teams to fiscally act like there is a hard cap is in play instead of the way it is now - a soft cap disguised as a hard cap...

 

[Brotherblues]

not arguing for or against it...

just a thought if the idea is to get teams to fiscally act like there is a hard cap is in play instead of the way it is now - a soft cap disguised as a hard cap...

Interesting. Almost like void years are a luxury tax, making the NFL cap actually a soft cap instead of a hard one.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

The Patriots made DHop an offer - just not one that was good enough to get him. We essentially have more cap space next few years than any other team, so it made zero sense not to get a decent WR. This team would have looked very different if he was here.

The key decision a team has to make is how much to mortgage the future vs building a good team right now. The Pats are at one extreme end of this spectrum - they refuse to use the handy credit card the League offers.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The Patriots made DHop an offer - just not one that was good enough to get him. We essentially have more cap space next few years than any other team, so it made zero sense not to get a decent WR. This team would have looked very different if he was here.

The key decision a team has to make is how much to mortgage the future vs building a good team right now. The Pats are at one extreme end of this spectrum - they refuse to use the handy credit card the League offers.

They aren't completely unwilling to do it (see Devin McCourty, for example), but they don't want to do it so much they end up in a position like the Saints, either.

 

[Froob]

Great post and absolutely the best evidence based data as why Bill must be let go on black Monday.

Fixed it for you

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

not arguing for or against it...

just a thought if the idea is to get teams to fiscally act like there is a hard cap is in play instead of the way it is now - a soft cap disguised as a hard cap...

I think the owners and players both like the flexibility so I don't know who wants a hard cap. I am not interested in discussing some made up hypothetical. You are free to discuss whatever you want.

 

[mgteich]

Good post. Terminology suggestion: they weren't "a casualty" because it was all of there own doing.

Yes, the patriots decided to defer less money than other teams. The patriots could have restucture contracts, and used various methods to move cap money to the future. We certainly could have chosen to overpay for a player of two amd have sy $30M less of 2024 cap money available.
============
I suppose that it pure incompetence to use 2023 to see if Jones is our QB of the future, with Plan B or Plan C involve using lots of cap money for a QB, or lots of cap money to secure players if our first and another are used for a QB.

Th reality is that we should have overpaid SOMEONE for a RT. More to the pint, we should have absolutely INSISTED that all OL's stay healthy so the current lineup could be in their 9th week together.
==============
BOTTOM LINE
We were competitive to compete for a playoff spot. What was required was a healthy OL and average QB play, with 2024 being the year of a QB decision and spending to support the QB of the future. For me, this was NOT a terrible plan.

 

[Schmo]

Good question.
When I tracked the top 25% of player contracts by position- a interesting fact.
-- the team with the most top 25% player contracts - Carolina Panthers (1-6) at 20.
-- the average is 14- the Patriots have 15.

So it comes down to Player evaluation in the end.

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's worth it to use draft picks to pry away top players before they reach free agency (can choose between 32 teams) or when they're RFAs. There are a lot of examples, like Tyreek Hill.... or when we got Welker and Moss (who was a no-brainer for the asking price) at the same time.

It seems like it's way more common to waste big money on free agents that bust, because those are the only players available, which might be where you get the "big contracts on ****ty teams" stat.

We complain about all the 1st and 2nd round draft busts (which happens to almost every team). Would it be worth it to trade N'Keal Harry and Cole Strange (before they're drafted) for a player the caliber of Hill, and then spend big money on him? Just seems like draft picks could be overvalued in cases like that.

 

[Love The Drake]

But look at our offense. We were the second oldest last season. Not sure about this year.

That’s why Mapu in the third round was so bat **** crazy. After the first two picks on defense, offense should have been next.

BTW Mapu has been disappointing.

Daniel Jeremiah’s favorite player in the draft you know who else he loved KNeal Harry lol.

 

[Pape]

I think the owners and players both like the flexibility so I don't know who wants a hard cap. I am not interested in discussing some made up hypothetical. You are free to discuss whatever you want.

if you don't want to discuss it, then don't bother to reply to my posts.

 

[Patjew]

@CPA_MM from the clouds becoming an MVP poster!

Great information in this thread.

 

[captain stone]

If the Pats were winning right now like the Eagles, BB would be a genius for his cap management and GM work.

And if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

 

[captain stone]

Daniel Jeremiah’s favorite player in the draft you know who else he loved KNeal Harry lol.

I remember hearing him say that while at the same time noticing that he had a couple of other, still available, LBs ranked ahead of him too...

 

[rkarp1]

They aren't completely unwilling to do it (see Devin McCourty, for example), but they don't want to do it so much they end up in a position like the Saints, either.

they also did it for Brady's last deal

 

[Jim Beankie]

This seems to parallel reality in that talent is expensive, and that expense often leads to a superior product on the field... So one could say you need both in these days of parity... I think you nailed it in saying it comes down to player evaluation...

But when we take a look at super team assemblage all too often they fail to win the Lombardi...

It comes down to one key position on the field... QB... Get that piece, no matter the cost, then manipulate the cap to add pieces to the roster to maximize that one piece...

The failings of BB in the recent years has been failures at both player eval and depth building to protect / maximize what talent we do have (edit in key roster spots)... The talent level of this team, as currently constituted, should be producing better results than it is...

An oldie but goodie from some braniacs:



The Patty and Judge show. What a debilitatingly big whiff.

 

[Pape]

An oldie but goodie from some braniacs:



The Patty and Judge show. What a debilitatingly big whiff.

thank you Jim.

 

[HSanders]

An oldie but goodie from some braniacs:



The Patty and Judge show. What a debilitatingly big whiff.

how do you get a good qb who is coached well without the other things?

 

[Wozzy]

The Pats suck because their QB sucks, the money is irrelevant.

Spending on AJ Brown is what you do once you know you have a franchise QB, great lines on both sides of the ball and a shot at winning it all.

Mac Jones was in his development/job application stage, you don’t make big ticket purchases if you’re not convinced you have the point guard to run the offense.

The Raiders spent their wad on Devante Adams without all the other elements in place… didn’t work nearly as well.