Patriots to Franchise Tag Samuels (1 Viewer)

[nerangers]

From Boston.com

Samuel tagged

The Patriots informed cornerback Asante Samuel today that they are placing the franchise tag on him. Adam Schefter first reported the news on the NFL Network.

The news was confirmed tonight by Samuel's agent, Alonzo Shavers.

Samuel reaction

The agent for Asante Samuel said his client is not upset about the Patriots placing the franchise tag on him.

"We don't look at it as a bad thing," Alonzo Shavers said on Friday night. "This is a step in the process in working toward a long-term deal."

Asked if Samuel would hold out, Shavers said: "That is not our intention at all."

 

[Rovers]

Nate Clements just made a lot more money.

 

[Boston]

No surprise here. There's no way the Pats are letting him walk without compensation unless they decide to use their money elsewhere on a stud like Thomas. It will be interesting to see what happens. It doesn't make sense for Samuel to sit out (and his comments seem pretty encouraging which could mean negotiations are on the positive side). There's too much money on the table. It's much different than Branch who was still under contract and had to play one more year under his rookie deal which is why he was willing to play hardball. On the Pats side they have the ability to get a deal done if that's what they want. Cap space is not an issue and with no other big names hitting free agency for another two years they can structure a deal that makes sense if that's how they want to proceed. If they don't get a deal done they have a year to get ready for his departure. The big question here is do the Pats think that Samuel can maintain the level of play he showed this year. Pre-2006 he had his ups and downs and was somewhat inconsistent from week to week. Yet, this year he really put it all together and was playing at a very high level while showing some excellent playmaking ability which is something the Pats don't have too much of. If the Pats think that's the player he will be for the next four or five years there's a good chance he'll remain in Foxboro as one of their core players.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

It's the right call.

I'm very pleased with this move.

I'm sure they're next order

of business is to let Graham walk.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Good move. Even if you eventually don't sign him long-term, letting him walk away for nothing without using the tag would be stupid.

 

[Bri]

great news

now re-sign Graham

 

[trader jake]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. (edit: Branch had one year left on his deal) Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

What lesson did they learn exactly?

 

[Boston]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

Wrong facts. The Pats did not tag Branch. He was under contract and had a year left on his deal. The two sides were unable to agree on an extension and Branch held out. He did not have too much exposure since he was not due big money. Samuel's deal is done and the franchise tag means he's due around eight mil if he doesn't sign a long term deal. Since that's about seven mil more than Branch had on the line he stands to lose far more money if he sits out.

 

[trader jake]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

Wrong facts. The Pats did not tag Branch. He was under contract and had a year left on his deal. The two sides were unable to agree on an extension and Branch held out. He did not have too much exposure since he was not due big money. Samuel's deal is done and the franchise tag means he's due around eight mil if he doesn't sign a long term deal. Since that's about seven mil more than Branch had on the line he stands to lose far more money if he sits out.

Forgot that Branch had one year left, thanks. Do you think the Pats will reach a long-term deal with Samuel or is this going to end up like it did with Branch last year?

 

[trader jake]

What lesson did they learn exactly?

I don't know if they did or not...we'll find out soon enough. Contract issues with good players isn't healthy for the team.No organization can stop all disagreements involving money but the wideout crew left something to be desired (how many dropped passes were there in the game against the Colts?) last year. Deion Branch certainly would have helped. As a Packer fan I watched the team go through a similar situation with Javon Walker and they let it get ugly before trading him away. Hopefully the Pats don't go that way again with Samuel this offseason.

 

[Boston]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

Wrong facts. The Pats did not tag Branch. He was under contract and had a year left on his deal. The two sides were unable to agree on an extension and Branch held out. He did not have too much exposure since he was not due big money. Samuel's deal is done and the franchise tag means he's due around eight mil if he doesn't sign a long term deal. Since that's about seven mil more than Branch had on the line he stands to lose far more money if he sits out.

Forgot that Branch had one year left, thanks. Do you think the Pats will reach a long-term deal with Samuel or is this going to end up like it did with Branch last year?

It's really not like Branch because Samuel is guaranteed big money with the franchise tag (close to 8 mil). With Branch he was playing under his original rookie deal and was only due somewhere around one million. Due to that he was willing to play hardball that would translate to big money (and it did). He didn't have much exposure. Whether Samuel likes being tagged or not he's still getting a very big chunk of cash this year and I don't see him throwing it away.The bottomline with the Pats is they will do what they feel is right for the franchise and nothing else matters. I maybe reading into this but the quotes from Samuel's camp seem pretty encouraging so hopefully they're close on a long term deal. Even if that's not the cae I don't see him wearing another uni next year unless the Pats get big time compensation or decide to use their money on another free agent like Adaluis Thomas. The one thing to remember about Branch is they got a lot for for him. Getting a #1 for a WR who's never had a 1,000 yards is a great return. The thing that hurt with Branch was the timing. Because the whole thing went down in August it put the Pats in a position where they didn't have too many options to help themselves at WR for 2006. In their defense no one saw Branch digging in his heels to the extent he did. The Pats had actually set aside a nice slice of cap space because they thought they would extend him. That backfired on them because they could have made another move or two but obviously that's a moot point.

 

[PatsWillWin]

What lesson did they learn exactly?

I don't know if they did or not...we'll find out soon enough. Contract issues with good players isn't healthy for the team.No organization can stop all disagreements involving money but the wideout crew left something to be desired (how many dropped passes were there in the game against the Colts?) last year. Deion Branch certainly would have helped. As a Packer fan I watched the team go through a similar situation with Javon Walker and they let it get ugly before trading him away. Hopefully the Pats don't go that way again with Samuel this offseason.

The team is perfectly "healthy". They had problems in the Colts game, dropped passes was way down the list. They were, after all, up by 18 points.Branch left, the Patriots got a 1st round pick, and still had a great season. I don't think they "learned a lesson."

 

[PatsWillWin]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

Wrong facts. The Pats did not tag Branch. He was under contract and had a year left on his deal. The two sides were unable to agree on an extension and Branch held out. He did not have too much exposure since he was not due big money. Samuel's deal is done and the franchise tag means he's due around eight mil if he doesn't sign a long term deal. Since that's about seven mil more than Branch had on the line he stands to lose far more money if he sits out.

Forgot that Branch had one year left, thanks. Do you think the Pats will reach a long-term deal with Samuel or is this going to end up like it did with Branch last year?

It's really not like Branch because Samuel is guaranteed big money with the franchise tag (close to 8 mil). With Branch he was playing under his original rookie deal and was only due somewhere around one million. Due to that he was willing to play hardball that would translate to big money (and it did). He didn't have much exposure. Whether Samuel likes being tagged or not he's still getting a very big chunk of cash this year and I don't see him throwing it away.The bottomline with the Pats is they will do what they feel is right for the franchise and nothing else matters. I maybe reading into this but the quotes from Samuel's camp seem pretty encouraging so hopefully they're close on a long term deal. Even if that's not the cae I don't see him wearing another uni next year unless the Pats get big time compensation or decide to use their money on another free agent like Adaluis Thomas. The one thing to remember about Branch is they got a lot for for him. Getting a #1 for a WR who's never had a 1,000 yards is a great return. The thing that hurt with Branch was the timing. Because the whole thing went down in August it put the Pats in a position where they didn't have too many options to help themselves at WR for 2006. In their defense no one saw Branch digging in his heels to the extent he did. The Pats had actually set aside a nice slice of cap space because they thought they would extend him. That backfired on them because they could have made another move or two but obviously that's a moot point.

Both Samuel and Branch were not making a lot of salary in their last year of the deal. Branch was giving up about $1 million by holding out - Samuel would be giving up about $8 million. Entirely different situations.

 

[Exile]

Good move by the Pats. Much rather keep him than Graham (although I think we'll definitely miss Graham's blocking if he leaves). Even better, I'm glad to hear Samuel's agent saying the right things about this being "a step towards a long term contract" rather than the "we'll be very upset if he is franchised" stuff we were hearing last month from him.

That positive stuff aside...I do wonder if the two sides will be able to come to an agreement. Even if the Pats have "learned their lesson" from last year (which I think had more to do with the shifting market caused by the CBA than anything else), this is still a team that managed to pay less than market value for their two best players (Brady and Seymour)...and Samuel still has that tattoo that says "Get Paid".

 

[brednbuddah]

Good move. Even if you eventually don't sign him long-term, letting him walk away for nothing without using the tag would be stupid.

exactly. however it works out, the move makes it a win-win situation for the Pats.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. (edit: Branch had one year left on his deal) Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

What kind of "Chirping" is Samuels' agent doing ?Today I heard there was zero chance of him holding out,

and that he was not upset at all with being slapped with the F-Tag.

 

[trader jake]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. (edit: Branch had one year left on his deal) Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

What kind of "Chirping" is Samuels' agent doing ?Today I heard there was zero chance of him holding out,

and that he was not upset at all with being slapped with the F-Tag.

What he supposed to say? I'm pissed and I'm not going to take this? That would go over well. Maybe he is fine with being tagged and making a high salary for this season...or maybe Samuel believes his long-term deal will get worked out so he's pleased.His agent was chirping here

A big deal for Asante -- Agent says CB wants ‘affection’

By Karen Guregian

...

Shavers said that while talks had been tabled so both parties could focus on football, the “warm and fuzzy” part of the negotiations had ended. He expected discussions to resume once the Pats figured out which direction they were headed.

“Right now, it’s not up to us,” Shavers said. “At this point, we’re catching the pitches that are being thrown. They’re evaluating, and I’m sure we’ll be in conversations in the near future as soon as this loss gets out of the way.”

Did he have a gut feeling how this would ultimately turn out?

“I couldn’t lean one way or the other,” Shavers answered. “I don’t feel like it’s not going to happen. But I don’t have a lot of overwhelming confidence that it will happen with their track record on situations like this. But who knows? Change is in the air.”

These quotes sound like an agent who is VERY aware of what happened between the Pats and Deion Branch last season. The situations are different but both involved the signing of a long-term deal with the club. Last year it got ugly. I'd guess this situation doesn't get ugly but the Pats don't make long-term commitments to many players. Maybe Samuel is young enough, talented enough, and plays a difficult enough position to fill that Pioli and company will get a deal done with him.Anyone suggesting that this is a great situation isn't taking everything into consideration though. Slapping the franchise tag on Samuel is the correct GM decision but reaching a long-term contract with Samuel is what needs to get done now.

 

[Bri]

These quotes sound like an agent who is VERY aware of what happened between the Pats and Deion Branch last season. The situations are different but both involved the signing of a long-term deal with the club. Last year it got ugly. I'd guess this situation doesn't get ugly but the Pats don't make long-term commitments to many players. Maybe Samuel is young enough, talented enough, and plays a difficult enough position to fill that Pioli and company will get a deal done with him.Anyone suggesting that this is a great situation isn't taking everything into consideration though. Slapping the franchise tag on Samuel is the correct GM decision but reaching a long-term contract with Samuel is what needs to get done now.

The Pats never pay top dollar or anywhere near for WRs. It's a sorta cap management system they've gone with for a long while now. That was the real "heart of the matter" with Branch.I believe they paid Law a real large amount until they just felt he wasn't necessarily worth that much anymore. He's bounced from team to team since so...Anyhow it seems the Pats do plan to pay a sizable amount to the CB spot.The positive here is that the Pats keep Samuel and have a whole year to work out a long term deal, in the meantime he gets paid an average of the top 5 players at his position. Both sides win. Samuel also doesn't have to relocate his family etc that's involved with joining a new team.Players often times don't like this because they may feel this is the time to "break the bank" as NFL players seem to have only a short window to do that. They feel they're getting 1 highly paid year and should get a contract that gives them a few at least. Well, I'm sure the Pats want him for a few years too.(I think so at least)Another fear for Samuel or his agent is simply he gets burned alot next year and isn't a top CB. Then he can't command so much money anymore in the FA market. Again though, negotiate a longer deal and this prob is solved.Remember he's getting paid like a top 5 DB.

 

[Boston]

Last year the Pats tagged Deion Branch and it got ugly. (edit: Branch had one year left on his deal) Samuels agent is already chirping in the media. Of course agents all do their song and dance but hopefully the Pats learned from last offseason and get a long-term deal done with Samuel.

What kind of "Chirping" is Samuels' agent doing ?Today I heard there was zero chance of him holding out,

and that he was not upset at all with being slapped with the F-Tag.

What he supposed to say? I'm pissed and I'm not going to take this? That would go over well. Maybe he is fine with being tagged and making a high salary for this season...or maybe Samuel believes his long-term deal will get worked out so he's pleased.His agent was chirping here

A big deal for Asante -- Agent says CB wants ‘affection’

By Karen Guregian

...

Shavers said that while talks had been tabled so both parties could focus on football, the “warm and fuzzy” part of the negotiations had ended. He expected discussions to resume once the Pats figured out which direction they were headed.

“Right now, it’s not up to us,” Shavers said. “At this point, we’re catching the pitches that are being thrown. They’re evaluating, and I’m sure we’ll be in conversations in the near future as soon as this loss gets out of the way.”

Did he have a gut feeling how this would ultimately turn out?

“I couldn’t lean one way or the other,” Shavers answered. “I don’t feel like it’s not going to happen. But I don’t have a lot of overwhelming confidence that it will happen with their track record on situations like this. But who knows? Change is in the air.”

These quotes sound like an agent who is VERY aware of what happened between the Pats and Deion Branch last season. The situations are different but both involved the signing of a long-term deal with the club. Last year it got ugly. I'd guess this situation doesn't get ugly but the Pats don't make long-term commitments to many players. Maybe Samuel is young enough, talented enough, and plays a difficult enough position to fill that Pioli and company will get a deal done with him.Anyone suggesting that this is a great situation isn't taking everything into consideration though. Slapping the franchise tag on Samuel is the correct GM decision but reaching a long-term contract with Samuel is what needs to get done now.

Not trying to bust nads but I don't think you fully grasp how the Pats operate. The Pats do make long term committments to players other than Tom Brady. Light, Neal, Koppen, Hochstein, Green and Seymour have all either been extended or resigned in the past few years. The common thread? They're all young and play in the trenches which is an area the Pats put premium value on. The Pats also don't have a problem letting players walk either. Law, Willie, AV, Fauria, Andruzzi, Givens and Branch all left the past few years. The common thread? They're either aging or play a position (i.e. WR) that the Pats don't put a premium value on. It's a pretty simple formula and it involves making some tough (and at times unpopular with the fans) decisions. It's also a formula that has put the Pats in a position where they are coming off of a 12-4 season with an AFC championship appearance with between 25-30 mil in cap space and two #1's (as well as between 3-4 compensatory picks) in the upcoming draft. The bottomline is if you want to sustain the level of success that the Pats have had you have to play the hard guy at times but at the end of the day that will prevent you from bottoming out/hitting mediocrity like some other recent franchises have.

 

[massraider]

Forget about Deion Branch. This has nothing to do with him.

The Pats have franchised Samuel, which means they intend to pay him top dollar. He plays cornerback, a much more crucial position on the field. Samuel was fortunate enough to have his contract expire the same season he really came into his own, so there was no stickiness about him being underpaid after having 10 INTs, or whatever he had.

I do think this is mild surprise however. I thought a lot of Pats fans thought he was a goner.

It will be interesting to see how the negotiations for a long term deal go. by franchising him, they've given his agents parameters of a deal. in terms of long term financial commitment, Samuel has joined a club with only two other members: Tom Brady and Richard Seymour.

 

[Domination]

Forget about Deion Branch. This has nothing to do with him.The Pats have franchised Samuel, which means they intend to pay him top dollar. He plays cornerback, a much more crucial position on the field. Samuel was fortunate enough to have his contract expire the same season he really came into his own, so there was no stickiness about him being underpaid after having 10 INTs, or whatever he had.I do think this is mild surprise however. I thought a lot of Pats fans thought he was a goner.It will be interesting to see how the negotiations for a long term deal go. by franchising him, they've given his agents parameters of a deal. in terms of long term financial commitment, Samuel has joined a club with only two other members: Tom Brady and Richard Seymour.

I still am not sure that I think that they will sign him long term. They have let many CBs go over the years, and always replaced them. I think that this just gives them a little breathing room, both on timeline to replace him and/or resigning him if he gives the "Patriots" discount.

 

[Boston]

Forget about Deion Branch. This has nothing to do with him.The Pats have franchised Samuel, which means they intend to pay him top dollar. He plays cornerback, a much more crucial position on the field. Samuel was fortunate enough to have his contract expire the same season he really came into his own, so there was no stickiness about him being underpaid after having 10 INTs, or whatever he had.I do think this is mild surprise however. I thought a lot of Pats fans thought he was a goner.It will be interesting to see how the negotiations for a long term deal go. by franchising him, they've given his agents parameters of a deal. in terms of long term financial commitment, Samuel has joined a club with only two other members: Tom Brady and Richard Seymour.

I still am not sure that I think that they will sign him long term. They have let many CBs go over the years, and always replaced them. I think that this just gives them a little breathing room, both on timeline to replace him and/or resigning him if he gives the "Patriots" discount.

*He's the first CB to be in his prime in this type of situation so you really can't use past history as an indicator.*I don't think Samuel will give a discount. He recently got a tatoo that says "Get Paid."

 

[Bri]

*I don't think Samuel will give a discount. He recently got a tatoo that says "Get Paid."

And amidst the contract negotiations he rolls up his sleeve to display his "thoughts"

 

[Domination]

*I don't think Samuel will give a discount. He recently got a tatoo that says "Get Paid."

And amidst the contract negotiations he rolls up his sleeve to display his "thoughts"

The Patriots have gotten the "discount" on the players that they have signed long term. If you look at Brady's contract compared to the other Top QBs in the league, and consider his resume compared to thier, he should definitely be making more money. That said, he did what was best for the team, and proved why he leader by setting an example.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Slapping the franchise tag on Samuel is the correct GM decision but reaching a long-term contract with Samuel is what needs to get done now.

I agree with this.

 

[PatsWillWin]

I don't really want them to sign him long-term. He would get silly money right now and quite frankly, I think he's overrated. He had a great 9-10 weeks I think. Paying him like he's a top 3-5 cornerback is a mistake, IMO, and not a mistake I think the Patriots will make.

 

[massraider]

I don't really want them to sign him long-term. He would get silly money right now and quite frankly, I think he's overrated. He had a great 9-10 weeks I think. Paying him like he's a top 3-5 cornerback is a mistake, IMO, and not a mistake I think the Patriots will make.

I don't know where he ranks myself, I don't think CB evaluation is possibel from televised games, but I do think it's possible he may be overvalued. Especially in the current market.Personally, I think the best case scenario for the Pats (aside from a home town discount that no one sees happening), is for Samuel to play under the one-year tender this next season. The Pats can afford it, they get an extra year of his prime as a player, and can always attempt to sign him loong term next year. It would cost more next year than this year, but not so much as to make a huge difference.There is the chance that he would be unhappy, but the Pats can franchise him again next year, and trade him then.

 

[nerangers]

Belichick statement

The Patriots just sent out the following statement from coach Bill Belichick after the team placed the franchise tag on Asante Samuel:

"Asante Samuel is an outstanding player who has been a consistent contributor for us for several years. We hope Asante remains a Patriot for many seasons to come."

CB work toward long-term deal (full article)

 

[Rovers]

After mulling this over a bot... I am left to wonder..... the Jets REALLY need a CB. Samuel HAD to be on their radar, and they have the cap space, plus the Mangini connection. If the Pats let Samuel walk, and in September, Samuel took a Brady pass to the house wearing Jets green.... BB's head would explode. Honestly, I think this tagging decision was influenced as much by that as the Pats wanting to keep him.

Of course, I don't claim to be Ms Cleo as some who can diagnose the severity and recovery time Bush will need from his ankle roll do, but I do have to guess that the risk of Samuel to the Jets had something to do with it.

 

[Z-Dog]

Rovers, I always appreciate a Jets-centric take, but honestly, this move is all about the Patriots guaranteeing that they get value out of Samuel, whether via trade or by keeping him. This is a standard move made by many franchises.

As for the Jets, I would not be surprised to see them make a run at Nate Clements, but I don't think that the team identifies CB as the high-priority need that many in the media or among the fans make it out to be. The Jets need help at DE more than at CB, but more than anything, the Jets will gain a lot out of another year of training camp and of living in the 3-4, and may not make significant personnel upgrades on defense in FA.

 

[Boston]

After mulling this over a bot... I am left to wonder..... the Jets REALLY need a CB. Samuel HAD to be on their radar, and they have the cap space, plus the Mangini connection. If the Pats let Samuel walk, and in September, Samuel took a Brady pass to the house wearing Jets green.... BB's head would explode. Honestly, I think this tagging decision was influenced as much by that as the Pats wanting to keep him. Of course, I don't claim to be Ms Cleo as some who can diagnose the severity and recovery time Bush will need from his ankle roll do, but I do have to guess that the risk of Samuel to the Jets had something to do with it.

I could not disagree with this more. The Pats do what they do based on their own team and no one else's. They are not going to make a major move like this because of the Jets. That would be going against a philosophy they have been using for the past seven years. There is no way BB/Pioli sat in their offices in Foxboro and said we really don't want to franchise Samuel but we're going to change our entire business model because we're afraid he'll sign with the Jets.

 

[Rovers]

Rovers, I always appreciate a Jets-centric take, but honestly, this move is all about the Patriots guaranteeing that they get value out of Samuel, whether via trade or by keeping him. This is a standard move made by many franchises.

As for the Jets, I would not be surprised to see them make a run at Nate Clements, but I don't think that the team identifies CB as the high-priority need that many in the media or among the fans make it out to be. The Jets need help at DE more than at CB, but more than anything, the Jets will gain a lot out of another year of training camp and of living in the 3-4, and may not make significant personnel upgrades on defense in FA.

Wel... regarding Barrett, it was disclosed in the past day or so, had a sports hernia that he played through, and just had surgery for it. He was being listed with a hip injury, but that apparently was bogus, it was a hernia. He's due to make over 3 mil this year. Miller has shown he's just not able to work in Mangini's scheme. The Jets may well have cut Barrett if they has signed Samuel, in fact, that's an almost sure thing. I think you downplay the whole "same division" issue here. Making it worse, it's the Jets. There is no denying that there is more than just a border war going on between these two franchises, with Mangini just raiding the Pats for their WR coach. Yes, I think the Pats want to keep Samuel, but this is breaking with what they have done in the past with DB's in FA... Law, and before that Lawyer Milloy. No, I think the Pats know the team in the AFC east that they most have to worry about is the Jets. The border war could very well be a factor here.

I don't think the Jets go after Clements, if they can renegitoate Barrett and draft another CB in the first two rounds. Samuel.... yeah, I think Mangini wanted him, and I think Belichick knew that. This tagging makes renegotiating Barrett a real necessity, and I think the Pats know it.

The counter I can see the Jets making now is to keep Barrett, even at 3 mil, drafting a CB on day one, and spending the FA money on ....ready?.... Leonard Davis. Davis would be moved to RG or RT,and as of now, the Jets don't have a RT. Sure, the Pats want to keep Samuel, but less importantly, don't want the Jets to get him.

 

[David Yudkin]

After mulling this over a bot... I am left to wonder..... the Jets REALLY need a CB. Samuel HAD to be on their radar, and they have the cap space, plus the Mangini connection. If the Pats let Samuel walk, and in September, Samuel took a Brady pass to the house wearing Jets green.... BB's head would explode. Honestly, I think this tagging decision was influenced as much by that as the Pats wanting to keep him. Of course, I don't claim to be Ms Cleo as some who can diagnose the severity and recovery time Bush will need from his ankle roll do, but I do have to guess that the risk of Samuel to the Jets had something to do with it.

I could not disagree with this more. The Pats do what they do based on their own team and no one else's. They are not going to make a major move like this because of the Jets. That would be going against a philosophy they have been using for the past seven years. There is no way BB/Pioli sat in their offices in Foxboro and said we really don't want to franchise Samuel but we're going to change our entire business model because we're afraid he'll sign with the Jets.

IMO, the Pats are already hurting for defensive backs and there are not many good ones available as free agents. They needed to keep Samuel around, plain and simple.

 

[Boston]

Rovers, I always appreciate a Jets-centric take, but honestly, this move is all about the Patriots guaranteeing that they get value out of Samuel, whether via trade or by keeping him. This is a standard move made by many franchises.

As for the Jets, I would not be surprised to see them make a run at Nate Clements, but I don't think that the team identifies CB as the high-priority need that many in the media or among the fans make it out to be. The Jets need help at DE more than at CB, but more than anything, the Jets will gain a lot out of another year of training camp and of living in the 3-4, and may not make significant personnel upgrades on defense in FA.

Wel... regarding Barrett, it was disclosed in the past day or so, had a sports hernia that he played through, and just had surgery for it. He was being listed with a hip injury, but that apparently was bogus, it was a hernia. He's due to make over 3 mil this year. Miller has shown he's just not able to work in Mangini's scheme. The Jets may well have cut Barrett if they has signed Samuel, in fact, that's an almost sure thing. I think you downplay the whole "same division" issue here. Making it worse, it's the Jets. There is no denying that there is more than just a border war going on between these two franchises, with Mangini just raiding the Pats for their WR coach. Yes, I think the Pats want to keep Samuel, but this is breaking with what they have done in the past with DB's in FA... Law, and before that Lawyer Milloy. No, I think the Pats know the team in the AFC east that they most have to worry about is the Jets. The border war could very well be a factor here.

I don't think the Jets go after Clements, if they can renegitoate Barrett and draft another CB in the first two rounds. Samuel.... yeah, I think Mangini wanted him, and I think Belichick knew that. This tagging makes renegotiating Barrett a real necessity, and I think the Pats know it.

The counter I can see the Jets making now is to keep Barrett, even at 3 mil, drafting a CB on day one, and spending the FA money on ....ready?.... Leonard Davis. Davis would be moved to RG or RT,and as of now, the Jets don't have a RT. Sure, the Pats want to keep Samuel, but less importantly, don't want the Jets to get him.

This absolutely does not break with what the Pats have done in the past. The reason being is they haven't had a DBack of Samuel's quality in his prime. Milloy was very unproductive in 2002 and the Pats tried to redo his deal prior to his departure. As for Law he was due a silly amount of money, was over 30 years old and was coming off of a major injury. The Pats offered him a very fair deal and he turned them down (they also tried to resign this offseason). As far as other DBacks go they signed both Poole and Harrison to decent deals. Therefore there is absolutely nothing to compare Samuel's situation as far as Pats DBacks go.

 

[Boston]

After mulling this over a bot... I am left to wonder..... the Jets REALLY need a CB. Samuel HAD to be on their radar, and they have the cap space, plus the Mangini connection. If the Pats let Samuel walk, and in September, Samuel took a Brady pass to the house wearing Jets green.... BB's head would explode. Honestly, I think this tagging decision was influenced as much by that as the Pats wanting to keep him. Of course, I don't claim to be Ms Cleo as some who can diagnose the severity and recovery time Bush will need from his ankle roll do, but I do have to guess that the risk of Samuel to the Jets had something to do with it.

I could not disagree with this more. The Pats do what they do based on their own team and no one else's. They are not going to make a major move like this because of the Jets. That would be going against a philosophy they have been using for the past seven years. There is no way BB/Pioli sat in their offices in Foxboro and said we really don't want to franchise Samuel but we're going to change our entire business model because we're afraid he'll sign with the Jets.

IMO, the Pats are already hurting for defensive backs and there are not many good ones available as free agents. They needed to keep Samuel around, plain and simple.

Absolutely. With him they still need to add to this unit. Hobbs is solid but he's not a stud and never will be. Harrison's still a big time player but how much can you rely on him? Wilson is an enigma. He looked real good his first two years and has not played that well the last two (i.e. when Rodney's not with him). Hawkins is a quality backup and Sanders is still a work in progress and it's hard to tell what his upside is. With Samuel and some solid additions this offseason this can be a quality unit. Without Samuel this unit would need a major overhaul and with limited options in free agency that would be a major task.

 

[Rovers]

After mulling this over a bot... I am left to wonder..... the Jets REALLY need a CB. Samuel HAD to be on their radar, and they have the cap space, plus the Mangini connection. If the Pats let Samuel walk, and in September, Samuel took a Brady pass to the house wearing Jets green.... BB's head would explode. Honestly, I think this tagging decision was influenced as much by that as the Pats wanting to keep him. Of course, I don't claim to be Ms Cleo as some who can diagnose the severity and recovery time Bush will need from his ankle roll do, but I do have to guess that the risk of Samuel to the Jets had something to do with it.

I could not disagree with this more. The Pats do what they do based on their own team and no one else's. They are not going to make a major move like this because of the Jets. That would be going against a philosophy they have been using for the past seven years. There is no way BB/Pioli sat in their offices in Foxboro and said we really don't want to franchise Samuel but we're going to change our entire business model because we're afraid he'll sign with the Jets.

IMO, the Pats are already hurting for defensive backs and there are not many good ones available as free agents. They needed to keep Samuel around, plain and simple.

Absolutely. With him they still need to add to this unit. Hobbs is solid but he's not a stud and never will be. Harrison's still a big time player but how much can you rely on him? Wilson is an enigma. He looked real good his first two years and has not played that well the last two (i.e. when Rodney's not with him). Hawkins is a quality backup and Sanders is still a work in progress and it's hard to tell what his upside is. With Samuel and some solid additions this offseason this can be a quality unit. Without Samuel this unit would need a major overhaul and with limited options in free agency that would be a major task.

Folks, folks.... I never said that the Pats would change what they did just because oif the Jets. I did say it may have been a contributong factor, and I happen to think that it made the decision that much easier. At first I did think it might have been a more important factor, but after reading some responses, backed off of that somewhat.... I am not one who thinks I know all. Some solid points were made here, and I agree that my first take needed a revisit. Having said that, I do think the threat of the Jets signing Samuel rally could have made the tag decision easier. Maybe , no, not as important as I'd first thought, but still, I think it helped the Pats pull the trigger on this.

 

[Boston]

One thing I was just reminded of is that the Pats have used the franchise tag before on a DBack. It was Tebucky Jones (surprisingly because I think most wouldn't guess him) in 2003 who the Pats eventually traded to New Orleans.

 

[HellToupee]

One thing I was just reminded of is that the Pats have used the franchise tag before on a DBack. It was Tebucky Jones (surprisingly because I think most wouldn't guess him) in 2003 who the Pats eventually traded to New Orleans.

The Pats franchised him & traded him in the same offseason