I realize that not many first round RFA have been signed by other teams.
But if you're a team with cap room and the need at corner, why not sign Butler to a high end of the market kind of deal? You either get one of the better corners in the NFL and hurt the Patriots in the process or force them to use perhaps more cap room than they would have liked to retain him. To a team like the Dolphins, that seems like a no lose situation.
I remain surprised that Bill has let Donta and Malcolm go this far. It's REALLY hard for me to question BB given his track record. But I'll admit to doing a little questioning now.
There was no expectation that these situations would play out any differently.
Hightower is going for what is likely to be his first, last, and only chance at a big contract with guaranteed coin. And, as much as the Pats would love to have him back, and as much as Donta apparently wants to return, money talks. And as good as Hightower is, he's not exactly the generational LB that you back up the Brinks truck for a-la Von Miller. If some other team wants to do that, then Bill is right to let them do that.
As for Butler, he's definitely in a unique position. As an RFA, his leverage is limited. At the same time, he could play for the $4M this year, and play for the franchise tag equivalent in 2018. So he has little incentive to accept a big discount from the Pats or anyone else. From the Pats perspective, it's best to wait until the rest of the free agent market shakes out, both in terms of other team's UFA's and their own, before working on a long term contract for Butler. That approach would be typical of how they've operated in the past. There is certainly the risk that the Pats hand could be forced. But, as noted, you would need a team with a draft pick outside the top 10 to offer Butler enough guaranteed money for him the sign the offer sheet. And if it's enough money that it makes the Pats cap situation uncomfortable, it means the signing team is also dedicating a big chunk of cap resources to one player, and losing a first round pick to boot. Which is why the probability of this happening is not huge. The Dolphins defense is also aging a bit; bringing in a 27 y/o on a 5 year deal while sacrificing a first round pick is not the best way to get younger.