News Report: Patriots DT Wilfork receives franchise tag Posted: February 22nd, 2010 | NFL.com Staff | Tags: franchise tag, New England Patriots, Vince Wilfork The Patriots have used their franchise tag on veteran DT Vince Wilfork, Comcast Sports New England reported Monday. Wilfork wanted a long-term contract, but he instead will make $7.003 million next season on the one-year tag. Wilfork made his second Pro Bowl this past season and has 303 tackles and 7.5 sacks in his six-year NFL career.
god it must absolutely suck to have to make a measly 7 million next year... I can't even imagine what that lack of job security would do to me. Oh woe is the franchised player with only mere peanuts to be made for a season instead of quadruple that over the next 6 years... in case you didnt catch the sarcasm... I still don't get why guys hate getting franchised, yeah you aren't locked in for the next 5 years, but you really arent when you sign the contract either... This is 7 mil no matter what happens for 1 years worth of work. I would venture a guess that most people don't make 7 million dollars in their entire life time combined, and thats total pay, not what you actually take home... so yeah woe is the franchise player
They hate it because if they get injured they don't get anything else for the rest of their life. If he signed a long term deal he is guaranteed the bonuses. For example in haynesworth's deal he was guaranteed more than $40 mil. Getting franchised usually means you play 1 year at less money than you could get yearly on the open market with the added disadvantage of not getting any guaranteed bonus money. I hate the argument that most people will never earn $7 million in their career, he's one of the best players in the NFL an operation that makes billions of dollars a year, High level executives in companies that make that much money make much more than that and with guaranteed contracts, NFL players are for the most part not overpaid for the money they bring the league.
Is there anything limiting Oakland from trading away more future first round picks, aside from New England's willingness to accept them?
i read an article recently that he was not happy about it and he may end up sitting the first 6 games due to the franchise tag. its a huge deal when you are only in the league for so many years. this is a guy who is almost 400 pounds and will have to change his ENTIRE life when he is done with football. it doesnt matter how much money you make you will always want more. remember when you were a kid and thought about if i could only make xxx i would be happy. ill bet if your boss came in and said you werent getting a raise this year you would be a little annoyed too. like they say if you dont like it dont go to the games, dont buy the merchandise... etc. to the point of dont watch on tv because they make tons of money off the deals with the broadcast companies.
I love how people assume that there is no way these guys can get a job after football. 'Yeah, but he only has so many years to earn..." Is bullshit. True, he only has so many years to earn MILLIONS, but who's to say he cant get a 40k a year job like most of america after that... AND have Millions in the bank? It's NOT football or nothing.
I guess the flaw in that logic is that he loses half a season's salary, which is not good for someone who is "worried" about his family's financial future. The Pats aren't gonna give this guy a long extension with a bunch of guaranteed money. He is very large and becoming injury prone. If there is no football in 2011, he may eat himself out of the league. Besides, he has become strictly a 2 down player.
My best guess here, and it's just a guess, is that Belichik and the defensive staff have "encouraged" Wilfork to bulk up in the middle of the Pat's defense over the years. I'm also pretty sure that he's going to have a hell of a lousy life after he leaves the NFL, probably in 5 or 6 years, and then has to deal with the wear and tear issues that plague all people who play in the trenches. Yes, 7 million dollars for 9 months work (effectively) is a lot of money. That said, dying at 52 before your grandkids are in grade school is a really heavy price to pay for all that money. Recent studies suggest that NFL defensive linemen have a life expectancy of 52 years, compared to 77 for the average American.
