Patriots' 2024 Free Agency Thread
- Thread starter Jake Peavy's Demons
- Start date
A third round pick won’t get any of those two players. That’s fantasy land. Sneed and Higgins will probably fetch late firsts or early 2nds/plus more.
asking price for Sneed has been a 2nd supposedly. Higgins they don't want to trade, but I;ve heard a future 1st or 2 seconds floated
Not to belabor the point, but the angst with the Red Sox is it felt like they had a (relative to MLB) potential dynasty (of position players at least) set up after 2018, and it ended up evaporating very quickly.
The Pats just are ending an unprecedented dynasty so there's some understanding and acceptance of a rebuild.
The Pats just are ending an unprecedented dynasty so there's some understanding and acceptance of a rebuild.
Well, the defense was good last year despite being put in all sorts of bad situations by the terrible offense/QB situation.
We've revamped the offensive coaching staff.
We've upgraded at QB. Brissett is nothing special but - unlike our guys from last year - he rarely turns the ball over.
We didn't really have a third-down receiving back, and one was added.
I don't think the guys we are bringing back - Onwenu, Henry, Bourne (who had 37 catches before missing 9 games) - were the problem with the offense.
It was just day 1 and we still have more money to spend.
And, of course, the draft.
That said, I doubt anyone is expecting title contention next year, so there is some grading on a curve for sure.
The other difference is that the Pats have also actively jettisoned two guys that the fanbase universally hated - Mac and Parker.
Next up: Juju.
Next up: Juju.
If the teams were able to get the players to take pay cuts 2 years later, is it still a "mistake"?
I feel like the theme of this off-season so far is a bridge to somewhere. All of the signings are fine in a vacuum yet I don't expect any of them to contribute in a meaningful way to the next Pats contending team save for perhaps Onwenu but even he will be 30 when his contract is up. I'm a bit disappointed they haven't signed a true anchor who can contribute to the next good Patriots team like the Judon signing from 2021. There is obviously still time but unlike others I'm not feeling the hopium yet.
It's a muted hopium for me. The new brass seems competent and logical. They are giving me faint Brad Stevens vibes. No drama, just make the move and move on. I think they'll identify their priorities and pull the trigger. Still a few big names out there but this year will always be about the draft.
I really like how you put it. Competent and logical. Every move has made sense to me. Yes even the Reagor deal. Not trying to be geniuses. Just completely competent and professional.
Who is this player? It doesn't really feel like we've missed out on anyone yet, which means this player is either still out there or never was.
I'm a little nervous that so many of the moves were predicted/suggested on this board. I'm so used to Belichick doing so much unpredictable stuff with great results, that this just feels really weird.
For me it’s that I look at last year’s team and see a good defense that will be largely intact this year and an offense that was already bad and about to lose arguably its 3 best players. They’ve retained those 3 (who I do think are starters on a good offense) at reasonable money, added a sorely needed receiving back, still have room for a smash signing or two, and should be able to swing at their two biggest holes with stud prospects with their first two draft picks. It all comes down to the QB at 3, so I’m going to be mildly optimistic about any free agency moves that set that player up for potential success and they’ve held up that end of the bargain so far.
Wishlist from here:
Tyron Smith
WR help: cost is a factor but I would gladly take any of Ridley, Hollywood, Curtis Samuel, or a trade for Diontae Johnson on this team
Wishlist from here:
Tyron Smith
WR help: cost is a factor but I would gladly take any of Ridley, Hollywood, Curtis Samuel, or a trade for Diontae Johnson on this team
Yeah, so far, looking at the top free agent signings so far, excluding the QB's (who were not on the Pats radar anyway), you have Christian Wilkins (really good run stopper who has yet to make a Pro Bowl), Saquon Barkley, OG Robert Hunt, Jonathan Greenard (unspectacular edge player), RB Josh Jacobs, linemen Leonard Floyd, and safety Bryce Huff and Xavier McKinney (not a position of need). None of them scream out "cornerstone of next contender". And while these players can be useful pieces, there are still plenty of similar players still on the market as of this morning.
Seems like getting a Judon via free agency, a 2x Pro Bowler before he signed, is just harder than ever, as lots of the best players have simply resigned or extended with their current teams.
Probably, because it suggests that they were overpaid at least one of the two prior years.
I did like McKinney though he got the bag. I'd argue FS is a position of need, they have an abundance of SS types but with more teams running 2 high S looks I think there is a definite need for S that can cover first and stop the run second. There are still some S on the market that can fill that role. Others still out there I'd be interested in include LB Queen from BAL, Edge Young from SF/WAS, CG Johnson DB DET, Kamren Curl S WAS. All are 26 or younger and could be impact players 3-5yrs from now. I hope they are done with the 29+ signings outside of camp bodies because those simply don't move the needle other than as bridge signings. They have built enough of a bridge, time to sign some anchors.
I don't know anything about Takitaki but anecdotally I went to the Pats/Cleveland game 2 seasons ago and it seemed like the announcer was saying " Tackled on the play byTakitaki." Seemed like he made every tackle that day.
I want no part of a Ridley bidding war. Set your price and let Jax overpay him if they want to.
Commentary I've read suggests the FA market for WRs is being hurt by this years draft class which looks to be very deep. Ridley's off the field issues will only hurt him further in this regard.
Takitaki feels like a BB move in the vein of the Van Noy acquisition. (Besides the manner of acquisition)
Mack Wilson was my first thought... go fishing in a good Browns defense for what you think is an undervalued player you can use.
Probably true, also feels like a lot of teams and players are waiting on Ridley, he's probably going to get the biggest deal, but isn't a real stud who would not be a comp, so guys like Brown want to wait and see what he gets... if he gets 22, Brown can ask for 18-20, if he gets 18... also, Patriots need a WR, they have money, if they are in on Ridley and miss, you can probably take your best offer to them and say... "beat this please".
Ballpark it is probably about 16-18 for Onwenu, 8 for Brissett, and 6-7 for Bourne. So maybe like $47 million left? I could be high on Onwenu. Has to be at least 10 I think.
And perhaps they go multi-year on Dugger and decrease his hit a bit. Still lots of room.
With having a top 3 pick I assume they’ll have to set aside a decent amount of cap to sign those picks
Maybe we're smarter than we realized.
Or as dumb as we thought?
I dunno. That tweet doesn't really feel like a "bidding war" type of tweet.
For 2 days, we've heard the Jaguars and Pats are the two teams looking for his services. The Jaguars are against the cap and just signed Gabe Davis, giving them a - Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Zay Jones trio. A lot of Ridleys success came on the deep ball, so adding Gabe Davis to the receiving room makes Ridleys skillset fairly redunant. My guess is that the Jaguars are saying theyre interested in bringing him back to save face and not look like they're walking away from the top WR on the market. Potential "mystery team" where the venn diagram for need - #1 or high end #2 - and salary cap intersect:
Carolina - maybe has enough salary? Currently projected to have $26M in cap, but they have a TON of holes and still need $15-20ish million for draft/in season moves.
Houston - $50M in cap. Nico Collins has been good for them, but Robert Woods is washed. They could use some help on the interior line as well as defensive line. Still, they have a real weapon in Stroud, so getting him another weapon opposite Collins who is also a deep threat - Nico gets almost half of his YPC (16.1) through his YAC (7.1) - could make a lot of sense. Since this rebuild, however, I feel like theyre trying to build their roster the right way. I kind of feel like they'd focus on a deep WR draft instead of Ridley.
Colts - They have plenty of cap - $40ish million after Pittman tag - but I'm not sure of the fit. They also have Pierce - drafted in the 2nd round 2 seasons ago - and Downs - drafted in the 3rd last year. If they loved Ridley, I don't think either player would stop them from going in on him, but they definitely have other holes to fill - especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Green Bay - $31M in cap, so starting to get up against it. Not traditionally known to spend in the free agent market. Offense performed perfectly well last year, so could see them using their cap space to upgrade their very mediocre defense.
Arizona - $42M in cap. They certainly have a need for a WR...but they also had arguably the worst defense in football last year. They have bigger fish to fry.
So, with that quick breakdown, my feeling is...Houston? Maybe? I kind of think the "mystery team" is that Scott Boras special and am crossing my fingers it means Ridleys market is lower than anticipated (which also might mean he doesnt sign right away, hoping people miss out on their first options and fall back onto him).
Yeah this. Some of the more emotional among us may feel differently, but this level of calm, rational decision-making is fun to observe for me.
It's clearly not a studs rebuild that they're going for, but we're also not pretending that this is a 12-win team next year. Incremental progress is progress. And from what I can tell, we're spreading the FA deals across the roster in such a way that we're not boxed in at draft time to certain positions (elephant in the room notwithstanding).
I don't think it is actually. I don't think he puts the numbers in unless and until there is a contract.
Cap hits for rookies are going to be a bit higher than we're used to with picking at the top of the first and second round. Probably $9 to $10 million if we keep our current spots.
Not a lot of great fits for where the Patriots are there:
A 33 year old Pass Rusher
A 32 year old WR
A 30 year old always injured WR
Bosa is the exception there.
Looking at guys draft in those spots last year, it was about $14M--half of that to Will Anderson at #3. So last year the hit was $14M, but those guys replace 8 other salaries at around $900K each, the way Miguel does it.
Schefter: Pats pushing for Ridley but he prefers Jags.
View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1767590727620370907?s=46
View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1767590727620370907?s=46
I'd be happy with a Stephon Gilmore return. I think he could be a great mentor for Gonzalez and Marcus Jones. It would also allow Jon Jones to play FS, although I could also imagine a world where SG moves to FS and JJ remains at CB opposite CG (with MJ in the Star).
I’m on team overpay for Ridley. If you don’t, you’re essentially bringing back the same offense and relying on a rookie QB (plus a day 2 tackle or WR) to fix it.
There are no other realistic options out there. Aiyuk or Higgins ain’t walking through that door. Even if #34 alone were enough to get it done, then what’s the tackle situation going to look like?
There are no other realistic options out there. Aiyuk or Higgins ain’t walking through that door. Even if #34 alone were enough to get it done, then what’s the tackle situation going to look like?
Let's see what the Chargers do by 4 PM tomorrow for cap compliance. They are $25M or so over the cap and need to do something with WR Allen and Williams, DL Mack and Bosa.
While Allen is 32, he clearly has something left in the tank for 1-2 years. Williams is 30 and always hurt so I'd stay away.
Mack is the wrong side of 30 but clearly can still play. Bosa is 28 (I think) and clearly is a very good player.
While Allen is 32, he clearly has something left in the tank for 1-2 years. Williams is 30 and always hurt so I'd stay away.
Mack is the wrong side of 30 but clearly can still play. Bosa is 28 (I think) and clearly is a very good player.
I don't want to overpay him either, but....is an extra few million against the cap going to hamstring us elsewhere? I don't see it.