NE Patriots FA and Draft (ie offseason) thread

[SL__72]

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these poison pills contracts need to stop, I'm amazed they still allow it

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I agree, it's really unfair to the teams with a bunch of RFA's. otoh, teams probably shouldn't get so cute with these guys if they actually want to keep them. as I said above, Miami could have avoided this situation for $500k. Seattle made a similar mistake last year with Hutchinson.

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Its not really fair to say that Seattle made the same mistake with Hutchinson because that was the first time someone used the purple pill (hence the name purple)... In retrospect it was a mistake, but it took Rob Brzezinski's brilliance to make that apparent.

I don't know if I would say it is unfair, it just makes the transition tag worthless and seriously alters the thinking behind what level contract you want to sign RFAs to... I'd hate to think Miami didn't realize that when they signed Welker to a 2nd round level contract...

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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these poison pills contracts need to stop, I'm amazed they still allow it

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I agree, it's really unfair to the teams with a bunch of RFA's. otoh, teams probably shouldn't get so cute with these guys if they actually want to keep them. as I said above, Miami could have avoided this situation for $500k. Seattle made a similar mistake last year with Hutchinson.

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Its not really fair to say that Seattle made the same mistake with Hutchinson because that was the first time someone used the purple pill (hence the name purple)... In retrospect it was a mistake, but it took Rob Brzezinski's brilliance to make that apparent.

I don't know if I would say it is unfair, it just makes the transition tag worthless and seriously alters the thinking behind what level contract you want to sign RFAs to... I'd hate to think Miami didn't realize that when they signed Welker to a 2nd round level contract...

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it appears to be a moot point for now, b/c the Patriots have actually just traded a 2nd round pick and a 7th round pick to Miami for...Wes Welker.

Pats gain exclusive negotiating rights, which apparently will allow them to sign Welker for less than the tender offer of $3m PA. We lose a 7th rounder. Since there aren't many roster spots open, Pats decided that saving cap room was more important than the 7th rounder. I guess. Also, they avoid the hornets nest of the poison pill, and risking that the deal is somehow negated.

edit, from a Pats message board:

It's the 28th pick of the 7th and final round of the draft. Any player available then will be available four picks later to sign as rookie free agent. It's a totally worthless pick.

This trade was done for one reason: The NFL called the Pats and the Dolphins and said to figure out something other an a poison pill offer sheet. I expect the union to file collusion charges.

[TheNoodleMan]

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It's the 28th pick of the 7th and final round of the draft. Any player available then will be available four picks later to sign as rookie free agent. It's a totally worthless pick.

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Actually these picks are often signed cheaper than undrafted FA's because they have no leverage.

[CharlieDontSurf]

KBZ

$300...Yankees > Red Sox last longer.

Deal...or no Deal?

[Toro]

Man, this is like icing on the cake. I've always thought this guy was a huge douche, an obvious Belicheck hater who has no credibilty when it comes to the Pats because of that.

Last Friday, in another publication he writes for he says Adanios Thomas is the top free agent on the market but after the Patriots are successful in plucking this plum he writes in Sundays Globe the only negative article concerning the signing.

But that isn't the reason for his suspension. Apparently he's been copying verbatim, material from a Washington State newspaper so the Globe has suspended him for 2 months.

Good riddence!

[SL__72]

I'd say he got off light...

[benza13]

Stallworth to Pats now official

$30mil for 6 years, $12mil guaranteed. Man, after last offseason, this is fantastic.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Stallworth to Pats now official

$30mil for 6 years, $12mil guaranteed. Man, after last offseason, this is fantastic.

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not really, here are some details on the contract

The deal, negotiated by agent Drew Rosenhaus, who concluded a frenetic week in free agency by constructing a contract that met the needs of all parties, can be as short as one year or as long as six seasons. But for the Patriots to retain Stallworth beyond the 2007 season, a year in which he will make $3.6 million in bonuses and salary, New England will have to make a significant investment.

Stallworth will receive an initial signing bonus of $1 million, a roster bonus of $1.6 million and a $300,000 workout bonus, to go along with his 2007 base salary of $700,000. That totals $3.6 million for the coming season.

It's after the 2007 season, however, when the really big money kicks in.

For the Patriots to retain Stallworth for the 2008 season, they must pay him an option bonus of $6 million by Feb. 25, 2008. There is a subsequent roster bonus of $2 million due on March 1, a second roster bonus of $1.6 million based on playing time, a base salary of $1 million and a $400,000 workout bonus. That totals an exorbitant $11 million for 2008, or a two-year total of $14.6 million.

To keep Stallworth for 2009, the Patriots would have to pay another option bonus, this one of $2 million, by Feb. 25 of that year. In terms of bonuses and base salary, the 2009 season would be worth $5 million to Stallworth, for a three-year total of $19.6 million.

The final three seasons of the contract all include workout bonuses of $500,000 each and base salaries of $4 million each. The maximum value of the contract, if the Patriots were to keep Stallworth for all six years, is $33.1 million.

The rationale behind the structure: Stallworth has the opportunity to register a huge season in 2007, playing with quarterback Tom Brady, and on a team that figures to be a Super Bowl contender. And after the 2007 campaign, the Patriots will have to dig deep to retain him, dramatically rework his contract, or allow him to go back into the free agent market. It was a creative concept developed by Rosenhaus, one accepted by several of the teams bidding for Stallworth, to maximize his client's earning potential. At the same time, it provides New England a big-play threat for at least one season, with the capacity to retain Stallworth beyond that, if desired.

web page

[benza13]

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Stallworth to Pats now official

$30mil for 6 years, $12mil guaranteed. Man, after last offseason, this is fantastic.

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not really, here are some details on the contract

The deal, negotiated by agent Drew Rosenhaus, who concluded a frenetic week in free agency by constructing a contract that met the needs of all parties, can be as short as one year or as long as six seasons. But for the Patriots to retain Stallworth beyond the 2007 season, a year in which he will make $3.6 million in bonuses and salary, New England will have to make a significant investment.

Stallworth will receive an initial signing bonus of $1 million, a roster bonus of $1.6 million and a $300,000 workout bonus, to go along with his 2007 base salary of $700,000. That totals $3.6 million for the coming season.

It's after the 2007 season, however, when the really big money kicks in.

For the Patriots to retain Stallworth for the 2008 season, they must pay him an option bonus of $6 million by Feb. 25, 2008. There is a subsequent roster bonus of $2 million due on March 1, a second roster bonus of $1.6 million based on playing time, a base salary of $1 million and a $400,000 workout bonus. That totals an exorbitant $11 million for 2008, or a two-year total of $14.6 million.

To keep Stallworth for 2009, the Patriots would have to pay another option bonus, this one of $2 million, by Feb. 25 of that year. In terms of bonuses and base salary, the 2009 season would be worth $5 million to Stallworth, for a three-year total of $19.6 million.

The final three seasons of the contract all include workout bonuses of $500,000 each and base salaries of $4 million each. The maximum value of the contract, if the Patriots were to keep Stallworth for all six years, is $33.1 million.

The rationale behind the structure: Stallworth has the opportunity to register a huge season in 2007, playing with quarterback Tom Brady, and on a team that figures to be a Super Bowl contender. And after the 2007 campaign, the Patriots will have to dig deep to retain him, dramatically rework his contract, or allow him to go back into the free agent market. It was a creative concept developed by Rosenhaus, one accepted by several of the teams bidding for Stallworth, to maximize his client's earning potential. At the same time, it provides New England a big-play threat for at least one season, with the capacity to retain Stallworth beyond that, if desired.

web page

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Hmmm, seems to be an updated version of the article I linked, since it has replaced it on the front page. He'll have to fit in very well to get that second year from the Pats, I would imagine.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

yep, it's basically a $3.6 million deal for the coming season, and that's probably it. Pats still probably hold out hope that Chad Jackson will emerge as an outside guy by late next year/ 2008 (after he recovers from injury) and they won't need to pay big money for Stallworth