2014 Patriots Offseason Thread

There is also a chance they recoup the Hernandez signing bonus, which would save 7.5 vs the cap.

I don't think Kelly is cut, but I bet he restructures and lowers the number. If Vince gets stubborn, he may be cut.

I'm guessing there's a good chance they can recoup the Hernandez money, which would change everything. What do you guys think it would take for us to grab Fitzgerald? Ariz said they they're willing to deal him, and he seems like the perfect weapon for Brady. Any chance a '14 2nd Rd, '15 2nd Rd and '16 2nd Rd would get it done?

Was playing with that site and overthecap.com a little last week....and yes, Amendola will almost certainly be a Patriot next year based on the numbers.

Talib: this defense desperately needs a shutdown corner. Talib could be that guy but the injuries, I'll be honest, put me off a little bit. The trade/free agent markets being what they are, they may just need to roll the dice with him and re-sign him.

Wendell: obvious re-sign

Edelman: good receiver, but not the true #1 that they really need most likely. Similar to Talib/shutdown corner, having a top WR (Randy Moss) really opens this offense up. He's not that guy, so if he's looking for #1 money, he should be replaced via trade

'F' TE: the old Hernandez spot, which hopefully is easier to fill after a Goodell/Kraft conversation that removes Aaron's money from the cap. It's obvious he's never going to be in the NFL again, time for the league to move forward to remove any/all associations by clearing the money. But the 'F' TE needs to be replaced with a Hernandez/Graham-type, whether that be by clearing space and signing Graham (doubtful he leaves NO), or by signing a Pitta-type. The F tight end is another position that opens up this offense to be special.

They'll need to tweak some deals, cut some dead weight (Sopoaga/Kelly), and probably chase some deals like a Fitzgerald....but with only a few years left of #12, now is the time to step up the roster to take your shots.....

I understand where you're coming from, but assuming they re-sign Talib & Wendell, then return Vollmer, Gronk, Wilfork & May to health.......what needs are greater than #1 receiver though?

It all depends on Hernandez cap situation, cuts/restructures to free up money, and the cost of re-signing Talib/Wendell. But if they can do so and leave enough room, that's a pretty good team that needs to give #12 some weapons more than anything it would seem.

Even if they could add a big-name WR, there's noone available that particularly appeals to me. None of the free agent wide receivers looks really worth $6m+: maybe Boldin, but he's getting up there in age and reportedly only wants to play for the Niners; some team is going to overpay for Decker, who's more of a #2 than a #1 (lacks top-end speed, has issues with drops, can struggle to get separation); Nicks has lost a step due to injuries. Even if Fitzgerald/Jackson/etc. were available, they'd require a high-end draft pick in addition to large cap charges. Re-signing Talib and adding depth at a number of positions alone will get them pretty close to the cap. They can eek out a little more room with cuts and restructures, but likely not enough to absorb Fitzgerald/Jackson and fill in the depth chart (Fitzgerald is at $13m, Jackson is at $10m).

Here are the areas that I think are some combination of more pressing/easier to fill than WR:
DT: need to prepare for the post-Wilfork era, can't assume a 33-year-old coming off a major Achillies injury will still be effective. Even if Wilfork is healthy, need to add top-level talent here-- Siliga is promising but is more of a 1/0-tech NT, Kelly/Armstead are question marks, and Jones/Vellano are JAGs. Could be filled via the draft, but I also like Henry Melton (buy-low coming off a torn ACL) or either of the Miami guys in free agency.

TE: could use at least one pass-catching target, whether a flex/move or an in-line guy. More likely to be addressed via the draft, though I've also always liked Scott Chandler.

G/C: I agree that Wendell isn't an obvious re-sign, as he's plateaued somewhat as a player (undersized technician who struggles with size and strength; struggles to anchor in pass coverage or move true nose tackles). More likely to be addressed through the draft.

If the Pats get a Fitzgerald you can bet it's contingent on a restructure and Fitz taking less money. No chance it's otherwise happening.

LOL Broncos.

They definitely need Talib AND another solid corner, our secondary isn't as good as some people think. This would be my offseason plan assuming we shed some space with cuts, restructures

Cut Sopoaga, Wilson and Amendola
Re-structure or Cut Wilfork, Gregory, Connolly and Kelly
Re-sign Talib for 2yrs 12m
Offer Edelman for 3yrs 7m
Offer Spikes 1yr 1m w 2m in Incentives
Offer Blount 1yr 1m
Offer Fletcher 1yr 450k
Sign Verner for 3yrs 13m or Grimes for 2yrs 8m
Sign E. Sanders or Nicks for 1yr 2 or 3m
Offer Graham 4yrs 30m or Draft a TE (Amaro, Seferian-Jenkins or Fiedorowicz)
Offer J. Allen 1yr 3m
Trade a 1st and future 2nd for Fitzgerald
Draft a DE/LB, DT and OL
Offer Mallet for a Good 2nd Rd

Funnily enough, the only proposals there that aren't completely insane are the trade ones, where it's more usual for people to go ballistic.

Cutting Amendola isn't productive. And I can't imagine the Patriots would try to add another top FA corner if they signed Talib.

So you want to cut Amendola, who was the best player on the field during off-season workouts and Week 1, and have him count against the cap for 2 years only to pay a guy who has only had 1 healthy season himself?

I feel like a move like that will have them chasing their tails. The Pats should have resigned Welker to begin with, but they didn't so we need to move on. Amendola wasn't the player I would have gone after as a replacement, but he is a very good player (not great, but very good) when he is healthy. The Pats need to give a little more opportunity to see some return on that investment.

If they cut him only to pay Edelman, whose to say that we're not looking at the same situation next year because Edelman gets hurt (which history suggests he will)?

My off-season plan would look like this:

1. Cut Wilson ($1.2M), Connolly ($2.5M), Gregory ($2.3M), and Sopoaga ($2M)
2. Extend Wilfork, Mankins, Gostkowski, McCourty, and Slater...this will lower/spread out their cap hits
3. Let Spikes walk
4. Resign Talib- 3yrs/$18M w/playing time/games played incentives that can but it up to $24M with $12M guaranteed
5. Offer Edelman a 3yr contract w/AAV of around $4M, also with games played incentives
6. Sign 1 or 2 of Sanders/Nicks/LaFell/Tate/Britt/Alexander- Nicks/Britt/Alexander would be incentive laden offers due to injuries/off-field issues
7. Let Wendell walk, move Cannon to RG (Connolly cut), sign a true C (Mack?)...add additional depth to the OL
8. resign Hooman and sign one of Pitta/Chandler/Keller to add depth and another weapon next to Gronk
9. Make a run at signing Orakpo/Arthur Jones/Lamarr Houston/Michael Bennett/Lival Joseph
10. Sign a coverage LB
11. Sign CB/S depth- upgrade at S next to McCourty is needed **could be a higher priority and up on this list
12. Draft BPA regardless of position in the draft- would like to target TE/OL/DL/LB/CB-S

Dream Move: Trade Mallet to Houston for #33, trade #33 and future conditional pick to ARZ for Fitz...would eliminate #5 and 6 from the list if this happens.

espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10404094/larry-fitzgerald-restructures-deal-arizona-cardinals

Time to let go of the Larry Fitzgerald dream.