'Biabreakable said:
Randy Moss did not quit on Tom Brady. Bill quit on Moss because they wouldn't give Moss a contract extension.
Say what now? True, Moss did not get an extension but he wanted a lot of money and overvalued his services. When he did not get his way even before his contract was close to up, he immediately became a distraction and a cancer in the clubhouse. Other players that don't get an extension right away still try, play hard, and don't usually become major embarrassments to their teams. If Moss suited up and gave 100% while keeping his mouth shut, he would have still been a focus in the offense (and probably would have earned the extension he wanted).The Pats generally do not give many extensions before contracts are up. That's just how they roll. BB thinks that too much can happen to a player (injuries, drops in production, etc.), so he wants to make sure the player is the same guy when he gets an extension rather than pony up big money two years early and then having wasted money if the guy gets hurt or tanks before his first contract was even up.
I do not think it is necessary to detail how the Patriots have repeatedly undervalued WR compared to the rest of the market. Did Welker sign yet Btw? So your assessment of the contract expectations on Moss's part being overvalued? That's funny Anarchy. Moss set a new TD record and the Pats slow rolled him. You want to paint this as Moss's fault which is not really the whole story or the truth. That is just your perspective. Moss played nice with the Pats and totally kissed their butt publicly after being traded and you still can't give the guy a break.pfft
I am not suggesting that this is totally Moss' fault and that the Pats' brass is innocent here. But by this point ***EVERY*** NFL player knows how the Pats operate. I believe it was Keyshawn Johnson that said it best. I ain't playing there for five bucks. EVERYONE knows the Pats are cheap when it comes to contracts and that they generally wait until the last minute and then some to try to re-sign players. Look at Asante Samuel with his GET PAID tattoo. I do not personally agree with the way the Pats do business, but as BB would say, it is was it is. I find it interesting that every time the Pats being cheap or wanting to play hard ball with negotiations pops up again, the player in question is shocked and appauled and screams HOW DARE THEY!!!! But that's how they roll.
It became very clear that Moss was not going to get the contract he wanted in terms of dollars or years and the Pats tried to motivate him by not giving him a new deal. Clearly that backfired, and Moss did a couple of things. He went public with his complaints, he acted like a putz, he dissed the owner, and he got all emotional and from all accounts was not pleasant to have around the team and in the locer room.
Yes, the Pats stimulated that. But if Moss stuck it out, kept producing as the record breaking WR from 2007 and gave 110%, he could very well have earned a contract closer to the one he wanted. Instead he got shipped to MIN and his freefall ensued. From what I can tell, discussions with Moss on the Pats side were something like 2 years for $16 million (with some sort of bonus structure for another $1 million or so a year). I believe Moss wanted something like 3 years for $30-32 million. When the two sides were far apart, Moss acted out and the Pats were not going to play things out his way. Unless your name is Brady, the Pats simply won't pay that kind of money to someone in their 30s . . . especially not a receiver. (This means you Wes.)
Welker has since signed his franchise tag, but the two sides are still far apart in negotiating a long term deal. Since the franchise tag is far more beneficial for NE than Welker, the Pats have no incentive to give Welker what he wants. They can pay him a one year deal for lower dollars than a long term deal with a big signing bonus. In this case, they can get the milk but not have to buy the whole cow.
Getting back to Moss, yes, the Pats could have made things easier but they chose not to veer from their negotiating philosophy. I realize everyone is different, but Welker still went out and tried his best even without a new deal in place. Moss didn't do that, and that's why I think that Moss in some ways quit on the team (even if he was not 100% to blame).
As far as Welker goes, I agree that the Pats are messing with him too, but from a business perspective it does not make good financial sense to give Welker what he wants. Given the crazy numbers WR have been signing for, NE can franchise him this year and next year for a combined $20 million . . . and this get two more years out of him. If they gave him a multiyear deal, they would have to pay more than that just in the signing bonus. If they do franchise him in back to back years (as I think they will try to do), by the time he becomes a free agent he will be 33 years old. He won't be able to command the same contract then, and the Pats would have milked two more years out of him. Again, a cold and calculating move (and one I likely wouldn't make), but one that in the short term better helps the team.
I agree Randy and now Welker should know what they are dealing with. Randy dropped in the NFL draft for the reasons we have seen play out. He has always been a problem child. One of the remarkable things in his career having a resurgence with the Patriots. Moss loved playing for the Patriots. He just could not help shooting himself in the foot when money didn't go his way. He is a prideful person.
