Would you have kept Vrabel for $4.3M?

[BSR]

They got $4.3 million to spend on someone else, you should know by now this is not done without a lot of thought.. it is similar to Willie to Cleveland.. they were both worth more to the new team then they are to the old team.

This is part of a bigger plan, and I suspect the team that we field in Sept. will not be near the bottom in Red Zone Defense...

Again, he was still better then the other players they currently have on the roster. If they are banking on picking up someone else shouldn't they at least wait until that person is in the fold before scrapping Vrabel. Picking up a player you want in free agency is hardly ever a certainty. The cap space is all well and good but they had just dumped $14m of cap space from trading Cassel. Why did they immediately have to free up so much cap space?

 

[Boston Jay]

In short, no.

 

[juny]

I figured he would have been the most likely cap casualty if the trade did not happen. Saying that, it would have been nice to get a 4th or 5th in addition to the 2nd pick, seems like Vrabel was thrown in for free in the trade.

 

[Miguel]

The correct question

is would you have paid Vrabel
his $1 million roster bonus
his $2.2 million salary
have $150,000 of LTBE incentives count against the cap
have to leave $200,000 in cap space available just in Vrabel made the Pro Bowl this year

No matter what, Vrabel was going to cost at least $1,036,000 in prorated signing bonus amortization on the Patriots 2009 cap.

Please note that the net cap savings for the Pats was $3,047,280 as a player with a $310,000 took Vrabel's spot among the Top 51 list.

 

[mgteich]

Because a $1M roster bonus was due today.

Why did they immediately have to free up so much cap space?

 

[mgteich]

Re: The correct question

I stand corrected. We would have been paying Vrabel $3.3M of new money.

is would you have paid Vrabel
his $1 million roster bonus
his $2.2 million salary
have $150,000 of LTBE incentives count against the cap
have to leave $200,000 in cap space available just in Vrabel made the Pro Bowl this year

No matter what, Vrabel was going to cost at least $1,036,000 in prorated signing bonus amortization on the Patriots 2009 cap.

Please note that the net cap savings for the Pats was $3,047,280 as a player with a $310,000 took Vrabel's spot among the Top 51 list.

 

[mgteich]

The alternative was to cut Vrabel to save the $1M roster bonus. Belichick did Vrabel and favor. There was no other way that he was getting the $1M due today.

Again, he was still better then the other players they currently have on the roster. If they are banking on picking up someone else shouldn't they at least wait until that person is in the fold before scrapping Vrabel. Picking up a player you want in free agency is hardly ever a certainty. The cap space is all well and good but they had just dumped $14m of cap space from trading Cassel. Why did they immediately have to free up so much cap space?

 

[mgteich]

The alternative was to cut Vrabel to save the $1M roster bonus. Belichick did Vrabel and favor. There was no other way that he was getting the $1M due today. Vrable also doesn't need to go look for a job for some unknown. He has a contract with Pioli for $2.3M for his services, with an expectation that he will not be cut.

As far as what we could do with the money, Fred Taylor says hi.

Again, he was still better then the other players they currently have on the roster. If they are banking on picking up someone else shouldn't they at least wait until that person is in the fold before scrapping Vrabel. Picking up a player you want in free agency is hardly ever a certainty. The cap space is all well and good but they had just dumped $14m of cap space from trading Cassel. Why did they immediately have to free up so much cap space?