In terms the phase of his career, the release of Harrison in 2003 is similar to Joey Porter, in my opinion. Not a dominant player like he was in his prime, but still very good. In 2003, $6mm was a big bonus especially considering his subsequent bonuses of $1.5mm in 2004 and $2.0mm in 2005. Teams still didn't have the salary cap figured out and didn't have a lot of money to work with. The cap in 2003 was $75mm, this year it is $109mm
They didn't break the bank w/ him, yeah the money has gone up but $6 mil in '03 is not equivalent to $15-20 today. When I said "Let's see if they win after making moves like this, in the past they ahve won and they haven't made moves like this-" it was about breaking the bank and screwing up their cap which they clearly haven't done. Show me where they broke the bank w/ big name players? by the way genbius, Takeo Spikes and Mike peterson were considered bigger signings than Colvin. takeo got a $9 mil SB. The facts are the Pats haven't broken the bank to sign big name FAs, they have signed a few big names but not to huge cap busting deals. Move along...
anyone want to start a page on TGG like this? http://www.patscap.com/ http://www.patscap.com/capfootnotes.html
$6 mil is still not comparable to $15-20 currently and I agree about porter(although i think he's better at this stage and younger than harrison in 2003). i'd sooner expect tos ee Porter in a Pats uni than Adalius Thomas.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1514626.html Colvin leads 2003 free-agent class -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com As is the case every spring with free agency, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and usually parallels an individual team's needs. That's essentially the nature of free agency, spackling holes with real, live bodies, hoping that the investment nets a handsome return. Rosevelt Colvin Linebacker Chicago Bears Profile 2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM GS TOT SK FF INT 16 15 64 10.5 3 0 The subjective nature of free agency makes it difficult at times to identify the top players in the pool. What everyone seems to agree on in this latest edition of free agency, though, is that the 2003 market is a thin one. "It's not quite the old 'Plan B' system that we used to have," said an AFC personnel director at the predraft scouting combine last week, "but it's close to that. Teams are learning to (retain) their own best players more than they did in the early years of free agency. I don't think you'll see many real big deals out there." There will still be some players, particularly at the linebacker position, who will merit solid contracts. Unlike most positions, linebacker is a loaded spot, with Rosevelt Colvin of Chicago winning the honor as ESPN.com's most coveted player, and three other 'backers among the top 15. The free agent list will shrink in some areas, and expand in others, before the signing period commences at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Here is how ESPN.com views the top 30 players either already available, or soon to be, Wednesday, Feb. 26 at noon: ESPN.com's Top 30 Player Team Years Comment OLB Rosevelt Colvin Chi. 4 Better as a pass rusher, with 10 ½ sacks each of last two seasons, than run defender. Good, live body, very good athlete who can chase down plays. Signed with Patriots.
So the "going rate" for a LB in 2003 was $6mm signing in a deal that was worth $25.5mm over 5 years. This year the "going rate" is a $40mm deal with a $15mm signing bonus...the salary and free agency landscape has changed. There were a number of big-time LBs available in 2003. This year, you had Thomas and June before Porter got cut. And this year you many teams with available cap space. And, based on that available space, the Thomas deal wouldn't be "cap busting" for a number of teams, Jets included. Hell, they could guarantee a salary of $10mm the next two years and not have a signing bonus.
Going rate for a LB, not going rate for a premiere FA LB. $6 mil was not busting the Pats cap, $15-20 could potentially do that. it's too much to invest in a player that is not great. He's a very good player but we got similar production out of Bryan Thomas last year for a fraction of the cost. We have other more glaring needs and don't forget we have our own FAs coming up in the next couple of years that we have to save money for including our best player Kerry Rhodes. If thomas is getting $15-20 what do you think Rhodes is going to want? As a S he won't get paid as much but his price will go up significantly if we toss around that type of money for Thomas. Remember edgarton hartwell? he was talked about on this site as a great player the Jets should go after and he's done nothing since leaving baltimore. I am always wary of the flavor of the month type players that play well when surrounded by amazing talent then get their big deals and don't produce.
but the Pats are alot closer to a Super Bowl than we are, and signing one player to a contract that will restrict their ability to sign other players will not affect them as much as it would the Jets, which have alot more issues to address than just a LB. I am not saying the Jets shouldn't sign him for bug bucks, but the dynamics the two teams face when doing so are completely different.
It's not just the cap, I think signing big money players from other teams has a psychological effect on their new team. Then you get guys thinking about their contracts and why is this guy making more than me?, etc... from what I have seen in my life regarding high priced FA's I am wary of it when my teams go crazy and sign them.
I am not saying the Jets should make A.Thomas their number one priority, but they should at least pursue him to see what it would take to sign him. A.Thomas is not the same player as Bryan Thomas. Bryan Thomas is pretty much a pass-rushing LB in the 3-4. A.Thomas played LB & DE in the 3-4, he also covered WRs. He is a versatile defensive player that opposing O-Coordinators have to gameplan for. Yes, he is 30, but being that he hasn't started his whole career, he doesn't have near the mileage of Jerry Porter. I have said that my one concern with A.Thomas is that he played on a defense with many very good to great players, especially on the d-line, something Jets don't necessarily have. However, the Ed Hartwell comparison is not relevant as he has been hurt since joining the Falcons. The Jets will take care of Rhodes and, hopefully, Hobson. Besides them, I am not sure what significant FAs the Jets have coming due besides Robertson. I think the Jets need to address NT and CB before OLB (which is deep in the draft.) Unfortunately, there really aren't any 3-4 NT in FA or the draft that look to be quality starters.
I agree and I am sure they have studied signing him and I would guess they have at least tried to schedule a meeting w/ him. I understand BT is not AT but they had similar production last year while BT was not surrounded by nearly as much talent. By the time they take care of those guys other guys will be getting close- guys like Vilma(if he survives this offseason), brick, Mangold, etc... We just got out of many years of a tight cap, I don't want to blow it all in one or 2 spots when we can spread it around and get more bang for the buck.
By the way, the guy who provids that info used to be a regular poster on here and he used to provide us w/ alot of great cap info. He is a Pats fan but is a level headed Pats fan and was a great poster.
