Patriots Trade Chandler Jones to AZ for Jonathan Cooper & 2nd Rounder

[Donoghus]

So there was no way they were going to be able to re-sign all four defensive studs? If that's the case, why not trade Hightower, who's the most injury-prone? Why trade your best pass rusher? Especially when the Patriots hardly ever have a decent pass rush?

Because while Hightower is, theoretically, the easiest to replace, the defense was absolutely brutal when he had to sit.

Also, there were all sort of question marks re: Jones (does he have a drug issue, does he really want to be here, does he have a tendency to play small in big games, etc.)

Also, resigning Hightower will take up a significantly less percentage of your cap than resigning Jones. 

 

[i believe in brad]

So there was no way they were going to be able to re-sign all four defensive studs? If that's the case, why not trade Hightower, who's the most injury-prone? Why trade your best pass rusher? Especially when the Patriots hardly ever have a decent pass rush?

Sometimes I feel like the Patriots are like the Bruins—always letting go of "pricey" players, always watching other teams get and keep stud players. The Bruins are always (it seems) getting rid of players for "cap reasons," yet despite all those "cost-saving" moves, they never have money to sign a big-time player. I'm sure I don't understand everything about the cap system of the NHL or NFL, but the Patriots aren't going to win another title with Tom Brady and "positional depth" that crumbles when half the starters go down with injury.

Edit: I guess the Pats' biggest area of need is offensive line, but this Cooper guy doesn't seem durable. Am I wrong?

3 comments about what I bolded:

-No they were never going to keep all 4 studs

-It's funny you consider Butler one of those studs, because he's the guy we replaced Revis with.  Revis is an example of someone who we decided it was not worth the money to keep, I guess that worked out?

-Chandler Jones would completely disappear from games.  He was a fan favorite because his sacks would come in bunches so he looked way better than he really is.  The guy cannot consistently get pressure = not worth the insane $ he will make.  Most pats fans would much rather have Hightower + Collins running the defense than a guy who only makes an impact in half our games.  I trust the Pats to evaluate the injury risk of Hightower and make that call.

[Eja117]

Love it. Tons more cap space. Extra pick. Extra depth for OL.

Now with two picks in the 2nd and two in the third we have the fire power to get stuff we need. 2 backup OTs. An RB. An ILB. A decent DB. A decent TE.

With some growth from young guys....looking at you Grissom, Flowers, AJ Derby

[i believe in brad]

Because the FA market for defensive linemen is crazy town.  Teams flush with cap room are overpaying the heck for these guys and it almost always proves to be a mistake.   That's what happens when you deal with a hard cap; tough decisions on who to extend & who not to.

I understand this, and yet the toughest opponents the Pats face in any given season are typically tough because their defensive line is absolutely brutal, a matchup nightmare.  The story remains the same ... the Pats get beaten because Brady ends up on his butt, the Pats can't lay a finger on the opposing QB, or some mixture of the two.

I'd just like to see the Pats be a team with a pass rush that opponents fear, for once.

I mean it's just 2 different philosophies on building/managing a team.  Belichick wants sustained success, and building through FA is NOT the way to do that.

You think the Broncos D is going to be the same dominant force that it was last year?  I doubt it.

[Donoghus]

Because the FA market for defensive linemen is crazy town.  Teams flush with cap room are overpaying the heck for these guys and it almost always proves to be a mistake.   That's what happens when you deal with a hard cap; tough decisions on who to extend & who not to.

I understand this, and yet the toughest opponents the Pats face in any given season are typically tough because their defensive line is absolutely brutal, a matchup nightmare.  The story remains the same ... the Pats get beaten because Brady ends up on his butt, the Pats can't lay a finger on the opposing QB, or some mixture of the two.

I'd just like to see the Pats be a team with a pass rush that opponents fear, for once.

I mean it's just 2 different philosophies on building/managing a team.  Belichick wants sustained success, and building through FA is NOT the way to do that.

You think the Broncos D is going to be the same dominant force that it was last year?  I doubt it.

It's not like the Pats defense is bad either.  They're actually very good.   Heck, they kept them in the AFC Championship game when the offense was imploding and couldn't get anything going.   

Played extremely well all throughout 2015 & young too.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think you guys are right about the Jones move. I had one of those heat-of-the-moment reactions (not the best time to post). 

[bballdog384]

So there was no way they were going to be able to re-sign all four defensive studs? If that's the case, why not trade Hightower, who's the most injury-prone? Why trade your best pass rusher? Especially when the Patriots hardly ever have a decent pass rush?

Sometimes I feel like the Patriots are like the Bruins—always letting go of "pricey" players, always watching other teams get and keep stud players. The Bruins are always (it seems) getting rid of players for "cap reasons," yet despite all those "cost-saving" moves, they never have money to sign a big-time player. I'm sure I don't understand everything about the cap system of the NHL or NFL, but the Patriots aren't going to win another title with Tom Brady and "positional depth" that crumbles when half the starters go down with injury.

Edit: I guess the Pats' biggest area of need is offensive line, but this Cooper guy doesn't seem durable. Am I wrong?

3 comments about what I bolded:

-No they were never going to keep all 4 studs

-It's funny you consider Butler one of those studs, because he's the guy we replaced Revis with.  Revis is an example of someone who we decided it was not worth the money to keep, I guess that worked out?

-Chandler Jones would completely disappear from games.  He was a fan favorite because his sacks would come in bunches so he looked way better than he really is.  The guy cannot consistently get pressure = not worth the insane $ he will make.  Most pats fans would much rather have Hightower + Collins running the defense than a guy who only makes an impact in half our games.  I trust the Pats to evaluate the injury risk of Hightower and make that call.

Agree with everything here. Especially the last point, TP.

[Neurotic Guy]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

Will Easley play more than a couple games? The Pats' pass rush wasn't great, even with Jones. Could be more of the same old same old—no pressure on opposing QBs.

[Donoghus]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

Will Easley play more than a couple games? The Pats' pass rush wasn't great, even with Jones. Could be more of the same old same old—no pressure on opposing QBs.

They were 2nd in the league in sacks last season.

[Ilikesports17]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

Will Easley play more than a couple games? The Pats' pass rush wasn't great, even with Jones. Could be more of the same old same old—no pressure on opposing QBs.

They were 2nd in the league in sacks last season.

Pass rush was not the issue. Jones was also not the key supplier of pass rush late in the season. Jamie Collins provided a lot of that in the playoffs. At the end of the year sheard and Brown brought a lot.

The only way I really seeing it be an issue if the attention Jones had drawn hurts other guys efficiency.

[Neurotic Guy]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

Will Easley play more than a couple games? The Pats' pass rush wasn't great, even with Jones. Could be more of the same old same old—no pressure on opposing QBs.

They were 2nd in the league in sacks last season.

Pass rush was not the issue. Jones was also not the key supplier of pass rush late in the season. Jamie Collins provided a lot of that in the playoffs. At the end of the year sheard and Brown brought a lot.

The only way I really seeing it be an issue if the attention Jones had drawn hurts other guys efficiency.

I think Jones did draw attention, and the combo loss of Jones and Hicks is definitely a loss.  Maybe a can be replaced with a more experienced Brown. Maybe Flowers returns and makes an impact. Maybe Easley stays healthy.  But no question that the Jones/Hicks loss matters.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

My only worry is that we lost both Jones and Hicks, who i thought played very well. Getting Easley back will be nice
Still need a pass rushwr

Will Easley play more than a couple games? The Pats' pass rush wasn't great, even with Jones. Could be more of the same old same old—no pressure on opposing QBs.

They were 2nd in the league in sacks last season.

Wow. I did not realize that.

[Csfan1984]

Disappointed but it's clear he was too expensive to resign. Loved Jones. Pats going to miss him like when Seymour left.

[mef730]

So this trade makes me feel different than the typical Patriots move, and that makes me nervous (and I'm only half-joking). Normally, they move somebody who I think is essential to the team and people go nuts. I bite my nails and think, "but how are we going to win without that person and why did we get such poor value in return," and then it turns out that "in Bill we trust" is the right attitude.

This time, I'm thinking, wow, even though the guy was a borderline star, we still got pretty good value for a guy that we couldn't re-sign and that most people knew we couldn't re-sign. So what's wrong with this scenario?

Mike

ETA: Wow, I just got my first star. I was kind of hoping that my 1,000th post would be something smart and insightful, but then I thought, why should this post be any different from any of my other ones?