FOOTBALL NOTES (2/9) — The Boston Globe reported this morning that the team has agreed to the terms of Lawyer Milloy’s agreement, but they’ll now need to sit down with Milloy and his agent Ray Anderson to work out the structure of the deal.
Many deals are usually made or broken over structuring because of the fact that New England will need to sign him to a cap friendly deal. Signing bonuses, incentives, and other such clauses will determine whether or not the deal will get done. Milloy is reportedly seeking a signing bonus of about $10 million, while the Patriots have $8 million in mind.
Fan reactions to Milloy remaining a Patriot have been mixed. Most feel that paying a safety as much as Milloy is said to be getting is a bad idea considering the other needs the team has right now. Signing Troy Brown, who had been a guy that most people including quarterback Drew Bledsoe wanted to make sure stuck around now seems unlikely. The team reportedly will restructure Vincent Brisby’s contract to try and bring their cap number down, and Shawn Jefferson along with Troy Brown may not be able to be retained. The Globe also reported that the Cleveland Browns are showing an interest in Jefferson.
One other factor in the Milloy deal that may make fans uneasy is the fact that free safeties only make an average of $3 million per season. To pay Milloy $5 million now escalates salaries at that position, and the next big name free agent safety would most likely seek a similar deal.
COATES TRADE? — There have also been reports of a possible trade involving Ben Coates. No team or for what player has been mentioned just yet. It’s hard to say whether or not this would happen considering that the team still doesn’t have a solid replacement for him.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
