Patriots & NFL Free Agency Updates 2015

[Rondo2287]

If I'm an NFL free agent right now the message I'm getting out of New England is "If you're Vince Wilfork we'll cut you. If you're a Revis we won't match you. If you're a younger mid tier guy like Vereen you're gone".

Hasn't this always been the Patriots way, though?

No it hasn't. Aaron Hernandez got paid. Back in the day Wilfork got paid and so did Mankins. Gronk got paid. McCourty got paid (although he turned down bigger contracts). Some guys got franchised and it worked out at least a little longer. Yes. Some guys like Brady and Bruschi signed very team friendly deals. Some other guys (Richard Seymore) got paid. Shoulda paid the man.

The Pats have never been afraid to walk away from guys, though.  Law, Milloy, Seymour, Mankins, etc.  They'll pay guys, but only when they think they guys are worth the contract.

Oh yeah. And there were more like Welker. My only contention there is that those guys aren't game changers in the same way. (Maybe Seymour. Maaayybbbee Law). Revis was the closest I've seen to Brady in importance since Brady won his first ring.

Revis is a generational talent.  He made every single person on that defense better.  Its basically as if we lost KG after 2007. 

[Eja117]

If I'm an NFL free agent right now the message I'm getting out of New England is "If you're Vince Wilfork we'll cut you. If you're a Revis we won't match you. If you're a younger mid tier guy like Vereen you're gone".

Hasn't this always been the Patriots way, though?

No it hasn't. Aaron Hernandez got paid. Back in the day Wilfork got paid and so did Mankins. Gronk got paid. McCourty got paid (although he turned down bigger contracts). Some guys got franchised and it worked out at least a little longer. Yes. Some guys like Brady and Bruschi signed very team friendly deals. Some other guys (Richard Seymore) got paid. Shoulda paid the man.

The Pats have never been afraid to walk away from guys, though.  Law, Milloy, Seymour, Mankins, etc.  They'll pay guys, but only when they think they guys are worth the contract.

Oh yeah. And there were more like Welker. My only contention there is that those guys aren't game changers in the same way. (Maybe Seymour. Maaayybbbee Law). Revis was the closest I've seen to Brady in importance since Brady won his first ring.

Revis is a generational talent.  He made every single person on that defense better.  Its basically as if we lost KG after 2007.

TP

[TwinTower14]

If I'm an NFL free agent right now the message I'm getting out of New England is "If you're Vince Wilfork we'll cut you. If you're a Revis we won't match you. If you're a younger mid tier guy like Vereen you're gone".

Hasn't this always been the Patriots way, though?

No it hasn't. Aaron Hernandez got paid. Back in the day Wilfork got paid and so did Mankins. Gronk got paid. McCourty got paid (although he turned down bigger contracts). Some guys got franchised and it worked out at least a little longer. Yes. Some guys like Brady and Bruschi signed very team friendly deals. Some other guys (Richard Seymore) got paid. Shoulda paid the man.

The Pats have never been afraid to walk away from guys, though.  Law, Milloy, Seymour, Mankins, etc.  They'll pay guys, but only when they think they guys are worth the contract.

Oh yeah. And there were more like Welker. My only contention there is that those guys aren't game changers in the same way. (Maybe Seymour. Maaayybbbee Law). Revis was the closest I've seen to Brady in importance since Brady won his first ring.

Revis is a generational talent.  He made every single person on that defense better.  Its basically as if we lost KG after 2007.

TP

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

[Eja117]

If I'm an NFL free agent right now the message I'm getting out of New England is "If you're Vince Wilfork we'll cut you. If you're a Revis we won't match you. If you're a younger mid tier guy like Vereen you're gone".

Hasn't this always been the Patriots way, though?

No it hasn't. Aaron Hernandez got paid. Back in the day Wilfork got paid and so did Mankins. Gronk got paid. McCourty got paid (although he turned down bigger contracts). Some guys got franchised and it worked out at least a little longer. Yes. Some guys like Brady and Bruschi signed very team friendly deals. Some other guys (Richard Seymore) got paid. Shoulda paid the man.

The Pats have never been afraid to walk away from guys, though.  Law, Milloy, Seymour, Mankins, etc.  They'll pay guys, but only when they think they guys are worth the contract.

Oh yeah. And there were more like Welker. My only contention there is that those guys aren't game changers in the same way. (Maybe Seymour. Maaayybbbee Law). Revis was the closest I've seen to Brady in importance since Brady won his first ring.

Revis is a generational talent.  He made every single person on that defense better.  Its basically as if we lost KG after 2007.

TP

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

That's sorta how I feel. Plus it might not have even been 5 because had the money been close....

[littleteapot]

Didn't New England cut Revis because they didn't want to pay him the last year of his contract?  Why on earth would anyone be upset at Revis for leaving a team that had just cut him.  Really seems strange.

Being cut is a non-restrictive formality in football, commonly used to circumnavigate certain cap deadlines. It's not like the NBA where a cut is basically saying "you're useless." In the NFL, you can resign a player right after you cut him. The Patriots needed to be under a set amount of salary (actually cap hit, but it doesn't matter for this) by yesterday at 4pm, and they cut Revis so they could get under and continue negotiating. Unfortunately, Revis had other things in mind.

You don't have to explain the cap to me, I am fully familiar with it, my point is, New England had Revis under contract and cut him.  If they wanted to keep him all they had to do was pick up his option.  No fan should be upset that a player, who was under contract and then cut, decides to leave the team that deemed he wasn't worth his contract and cut him.  All you fans should be upset with the Patriots not Revis.

The original deal was structured in a way that prevented the Pats from having any leverage over Revis this offseason. One way or another, they would have to pay at market rate to keep him. I'd be shocked if they didn't actually discuss this when the signed the first deal, and I'd be shocked if this development was personal for either side.

[kozlodoev]

Revis himself admitted that there was an understanding that this option will not be exercised, and that the second year was so that the Patriots can spread the signing bonus around.

To recap, being signed with an option allowed the team to pay a total of $12 million for 1 year of service, spread as a $7 million last season and $5 million this season.

For Revis, this had the benefit of preventing the team from franchising him.

[kozlodoev]

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

Or, alternatively, Revis chose to leave to a mediocre team over $5 million dollars. If you're not going the blame Revis for choosing money over wins, why would you blame the team for not breaking the bank to keep him?

[Eja117]

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

Or, alternatively, Revis chose to leave to a mediocre team over $5 million dollars. If you're not going the blame Revis for choosing money over wins, why would you blame the team for not breaking the bank to keep him?

Because it's free agency. Players get to choose. The Pats needed the player more than the player needed the Pats. Because people like to be paid what they're worth.

[D.o.s.]

The Pats weren't giving Revis 5 years. Knowing the Jets, the last 3 years are almost fully guaranteed.

For the record:

Guaranteed money: $39 million
Max length: 5 years

And that $39 million is fully guaranteed, which means Revis will collect it no matter what; it's not just guaranteed for injury.


Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the $39 million in fully guaranteed money is all front-loaded to those first three seasons: The full amounts in 2015 and 2016, plus $6 million of that $15 million in 2017. In both 2018 and 2019, Revis is due to make $11 million, but none of that is guaranteed.

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/03/the_numbers_on_darrelle_reviss_contract_are_ridicu.html

[kozlodoev]

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

Or, alternatively, Revis chose to leave to a mediocre team over $5 million dollars. If you're not going the blame Revis for choosing money over wins, why would you blame the team for not breaking the bank to keep him?

Because it's free agency. Players get to choose. The Pats needed the player more than the player needed the Pats. Because people like to be paid what they're worth.

If players get to chose, he could have come back to the Pats. That's, of course, unless you assume he likes to be paid what he's worth, but doesn't necessarily like to win. That's entirely up to him though, he wasn't going to starve either way. If the reported offer with a guarantee in the mid-30 millions fro the Pats is correct, they weren't exactly nickel and diming him.

That discussion is probably moot, though, since my impression is that Revis might have wanted to use this year as a leverage to get the fattest possible offer from the Jets anyhow.

[TwinTower14]

TP - completely agree, you can make the case that Revis and D. Sanders are the two best CB's of the last 30 years and the Pats let him walk for about 5 million dollars.....

Or, alternatively, Revis chose to leave to a mediocre team over $5 million dollars. If you're not going the blame Revis for choosing money over wins, why would you blame the team for not breaking the bank to keep him?

Clearly Revis wanted to go back to the Jets, It's free agency and guys get to decide.  He has a love for that team.  However, the Pats should take some heat for this.  They had 12 months to hammer out an extension with this guy and they blew it.  This is not the same as Law, Milloy, Mankins, Seymour and McGinest walking away.  Revis is still at the top of his game, a first ballot hall of famer player and one of the handful of greatest CB's to play the game.  Also, lets not forget  now more than ever a secondary is important to a team's success. 

Just chew on this for a bit - 5 games last year including the super bowl Revis held his receiver to less than 5 yards....

[kozlodoev]

However, the Pats should take some heat for this.  They had 12 months to hammer out an extension with this guy and they blew it.

There was this...
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2014/08/report_patriots_already_working_to_extend_darrelle.html

Note the date.

... and then there's this:

At this stage in his career, Revis’ primary desire is to win a Super Bowl, and he will turn down larger offers from teams that can’t contend for postseason glory. After all, he turned down millions of dollars in the first year of a deal to join another team that vied for his services in March when he linked up with the Patriots, and that philosophy is expected to hold true again.

Apparently, not so much.

[Cman]

It definitely seems like the Pats were caught napping here and just weren't very aggressive. I think they may have failed to properly value the player and, more importantly, the player's impact.

It sends a pretty horrid message to free agents. It's going to make it harder to get and keep them now.

If I'm an NFL free agent right now the message I'm getting out of New England is "If you're Vince Wilfork we'll cut you. If you're a Revis we won't match you. If you're a younger mid tier guy like Vereen you're gone".

It makes me wonder if agents of draftees want to try to steer their guys away from New England, but I suppose if you represent a DB this year you want to steer him to NE all of a sudden.

No. Quite the opposite.
Look at players that come to New England, then opt to go play elsewhere. They all command BIG bucks because they have the "New England premium". Two notable examples in recent history are Jonathan Casillas and Mark Anderson, but you could lump many other players in that bucket.

[Cman]

What's the problem?  He's getting more money, and he's playing in a city that he loves. 

Some players value things other than winning, and I respect that.  Similarly, I respect when a player chooses winning over money (i.e., Ray Allen).  These guys are motivated by the sames things that all employees are:  money, security, respect, recognition, etc.

Yup, I disagree with his motivation here but it is what it is, that's his choice. 

I always thought whoever paid him the most would get him, I was just hopeful that this time the pats would pony up the money. 

Finally, at this point with no Browner and Revis, and only 13 mill in cap space, i'm hopeful the pats will trade Brady and start the rebuild.

Seriously? Until Brady's arm falls off Im totally sticking with the NE system. 11-14 wins, playoffs, and a shot at the title if you get a break or two. Thats great.

I don't see a scenario where the Pats can win a title as currently constituted.  Unless they make a move for somebody that I currently don't think is available I don't see it over the course of the rest of Brady's career. 

Brady still has value and the pats are a young team.  IF the pats can get a player and a first in a deal similar to the Jimmy Graham deal I would go for it in a heartbeat

Who in the AFC is better than them?

The Broncos seem like they will decline.  The Colts should improve, but there's a big gap between them and the Pats.  Nobody else seems to be a legit challenger at this point.

The Patriots are going to be the AFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl.  In the NFC, only Seattle and Green Bay seem like they can challenge them.

If you're projected as a top-3 team in the league, why would you rebuild?

I think these are all good points.
To this I'll add:
(1) The offseason has only just begun, there are many signings, draftings, trades, etc to happen.
(2) Looking at some of the Pats biggest competitors - Baltimore and Denver - it is pretty clear that the salary cap imposes a fair degree of parity. Those two teams just lost a bunch of key players, like the Pats. Yet, year in and year out, they are contenders, like New England.

[Cman]

On a totally separate note, is anyone surprised by the large amount of retiring players?
Jason Worilds, Jake Locker, Patrick Willis...