This February: "Here's your Lombardi. Now you're SOL."

[ctpatsfan77]

As of right now, it seems very unlikely that there will be a new CBA between now and the end of the current league year, which means that 2010 will probably be uncapped.

If that happens, the absolute worst case for any team—not just the Patriots—is to be a Cinderella that reaches the Conference Championships (let alone the Super Bowl), because of the Final Eight Plan.

The Final Eight Plan basically says:

• If you make the Divisional Round in the playoffs, you are limited to one big-ticket outside free agent, but can sign all the low- to mid-level free agents you want (first-year salary <$4M). You can also sign one free agent for each free agent you lose, provided the new free agent has a lower salary than the new contract signed by the player you lost (e.g., if Player X signs a contract for $7M/yr next offseason, then the team that lost him could sign player Y for up to $7M/yr, in addition to the one big-ticket player named above).
• If you make the Conference Championships, you can ONLY sign one free agent for each one you lose.
• Teams in the Final Eight can NOT trade for players they would not be able to sign as free agents.
• Players who reach unrestricted free agency via waivers are exempt from the above restrictions.

I guess this raises a question: what do you do when you have two goals—try to compete for a Super Bowl every year and try to field as competitive a team as possible every year—that are apparently in direct conflict with one another?

 

[HarkDawg]

damn it...... what crap this 8 BS is.

 

[maverick4]

You make it sound like it makes more sense to just sacrifice a year and load up on free agents in an uncapped year.

 

[patsfan-1982]

the pats are not the redsox they are not going to go out and just spend a lot of money if they dont get a ring this year

the pats will do the same thing they have been doing for the last 10 year's


they will get it done in the draft

and sign a few jag cast off's like Leigh Bodden and Brandon McGowan and hope they have a good year for them like dose guy's are

and sign a few over the hill leader's like seau


thet's the pats


only the redsonks will go nut's like they do ever year and over pay for every one they can get

 

[Patspsycho]

As of right now, it seems very unlikely that there will be a new CBA between now and the end of the current league year, which means that 2010 will probably be uncapped.

Not true. Both PFT and Schefter report leaks that negotiations taking place behind doors are in fact ahead of schedule.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Not true. Both PFT and Schefter report leaks that negotiations taking place behind doors are in fact ahead of schedule.

If a new CBA comes in place before 2010 FA, you can count on Peppers walking. The Panthers won't be able to afford to franchise him at 20 million for one season.

 

[mcmurtry86]

the pats are not the redsox they are not going to go out and just spend a lot of money if they dont get a ring this year

the pats will do the same thing they have been doing for the last 10 year's


they will get it done in the draft

and sign a few jag cast off's like Leigh Bodden and Brandon McGowan and hope they have a good year for them like dose guy's are

and sign a few over the hill leader's like seau


thet's the pats


only the redsonks will go nut's like they do ever year and over pay for every one they can get

That's a pretty big misunderstanding of how both franchises have approached the off-season. I won't get into your laughable statements about the Sox, but the Pats have certainly shown they will go out and spend big bucks on FA (Colvin, Thomas) or pick up established players via trade (Welker, Moss).

Also, I wouldn't go as far as to say Bodden was a JAG. He was one of the better CB's in the league when he was in Cleveland. He had one down year on an 0-16 team in a totally different scheme than he had ever played in.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

You make it sound like it makes more sense to just sacrifice a year and load up on free agents in an uncapped year.

Not quite. More that if a team really isn't a SB-caliber team, getting "hot" this year may be counterproductive in the long run.

But think about it this way: in the past, BB has been willing to pay players their money and "settle" for a compensatory pick (see Asante Samuel). So why did he decide to trade away Seymour, a move which he could not possibly have seen at the time as making this a better team in 2009?

 

[Rob0729]

First, I don't care about playing to avoid the top 8. You play to try to win the Super Bowl.

Second, it seems more and more LIKELY that there will be a new CBA before the beginning of the potential uncapped year. In the last month or so, the NFLPA have been rolling over quite a bit even proposing if there is no new CBA by the end of the Super Bowl having emergency negotiations. They also have been rumored to be willing to keep the provision of a six year RFA for 2010 just to get the deal done. The NFL PA knows that if there is no cap, there will be far more teams willing to spend as little as possible on their payroll than spend like crazy.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

First, I don't care about playing to avoid the top 8. You play to try to win the Super Bowl.

How do you reconcile that statement with the Patriots making a move that in the short term (i.e., this year) could only exacerbate what clearly was one of their biggest issues?

Second, it seems more and more LIKELY that there will be a new CBA before the beginning of the potential uncapped year. In the last month or so, the NFLPA have been rolling over quite a bit even proposing if there is no new CBA by the end of the Super Bowl having emergency negotiations. They also have been rumored to be willing to keep the provision of a six year RFA for 2010 just to get the deal done. The NFL PA knows that if there is no cap, there will be far more teams willing to spend as little as possible on their payroll than spend like crazy.

There are two sets of negotiations that have to happen.

(1) The NFL and NFLPA have to come to terms about their respective issues (contracts, rookie wage scales, etc.).

There's only 90 days or so left before the 2010 season starts, and according to National Football Post, the NFL just made their first actual proposal to the NFLPA last week.

(2) The owners have to come to terms on their issues (e.g., revenue sharing).

This may be even more fractious than the negotiations with the NFLPA; it took quite some time for the Krafts to broker a deal among the owners.

It's certainly possible, but I wouldn't characterize it as "likely"; after all, as far as the owners are concerned, as long as a new deal is in place by the start of the 2011 league year, they're fine.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Whatever the rule here's hoping the Pats find a way to get Julius Peppers next year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Whatever the rule here's hoping the Pats find a way to get Julius Peppers next year.

The only plausible way for that to happen is (A) 2010 is uncapped, (B) the Pats aren't among the final four teams this year.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

The only plausible way for that to happen is (A) 2010 is uncapped, (B) the Pats aren't among the final four teams this year.

Though I stuck my tongue out in jest I do think your two listed scenarios are distinct possibilities to happen.