Quote:Is anyone not surprised Devin McCourty wasn't tagged? It seemed like everybody was expecting a defensive back to get it, not the kicker.
This was shocking to me for he was the QB of NE defense.I still think they sign him before 3/10.
I still think McCourty ends up back in NE somehow. The Pats have a way of keeping guys they like around. If he does make it to UFA, he instantly hits the top of my wish list.
There's only a handful of guys league-wide that can play center field like McCourty can. Then add in the fact that he has cover skills like a corner, and he's one of a kind.
Quote:Is anyone not surprised Devin McCourty wasn't tagged? It seemed like everybody was expecting a defensive back to get it, not the kicker.
I'm not surprised. The difference in 2015 between using a Franchise Tag on a Safety, compared to on a Kicker, is around $ 5.5 million. That's a sizeable difference for a team like the Patriots that has major salary cap issues.
Quote:Adam Scheftner bought up this same question.
<a class="bbc_url" href='http://nesn.com/2015/03/adam-schefter-darrelle-revis-will-hit-free-agency-if-patriots-dont-pick-up-option/'>http://nesn.com/2015/03/adam-schefter-darrelle-revis-will-hit-free-agency-if-patriots-dont-pick-up-option/</a>
Revis currently is technically under contract with a 20 mil option assuming the Pats don't do any type of restructure. With that said and their current cap predicament I fully expect either:
They re-sign Revis to a new extension with a lower cap number to get them out of the red.
Or
They cut Revis outright and get out of the red.
Either option is available and in order to be in compliance with cap rules WILL be executed before March 10th. The first option will leave them with little margin for error in re-signing McCourty and other FAs they may covet.
The second option could end up being the most likely scenario but would leave you potentially losing both Revis and McCourty to the highest bidder on the open market...assuming McCourty wants to hear what options he has before putting pen to paper.
Its certainly a dilemma.
Thanks for providing the article link.
Expanding on the dilemma the Patriots are dealing with, if they somehow retain both Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty, the next question that comes to mind is what player ( s ) will be salary cap casualties and what key UFA's will the Patriots decide they can't re-sign? This has plenty of significance for the Jaguars, because it could open the door for a player ( s ) that would be a good fit for the Jaguars from the perspective of the front office and coaching staff.
As for Devin McCourty, unless his heart is telling him to remain with the Patriots, he might as well find out what other teams are willing to offer him. It's possible McCourty and his agent already know because of tampering. But the 3 day window starting this coming weekend should provide a clear picture of what McCourty's options are.
Quote:There's only a handful of guys league-wide that can play center field like McCourty can. Then add in the fact that he has cover skills like a corner, and he's one of a kind.
I've seen first hand with Glover Quin the kind of impact you are referring too. Especially, the center field aspect. Preventing big plays over the top and coming down with several interceptions per season can easily make the difference in a number of games during a typical season. It sounds obvious but it takes many teams a long time to find this type of player.
Quote:Im scared we wont have a chance at him considering he wants to stay a pat
That is just one of my fears with him.
The other is that if he is open to leaving New England, he wants to play along side his brother in Tennessee.
Hopefully the Jags will blow McCourty away with an offering on the order of 4 Yrs - 45 Mil - 25 Mil Guaranteed in the first two years.
Quote:Hopefully the Jags will blow McCourty away with an offering on the order of 4 Yrs - 45 Mil - 25 Mil Guaranteed in the first two years.
I don't care what we offer as long as it is front-loaded so he will want to come to Jacksonville.
Oh how I wish the Jags comes out of this with Devin on board. He can help Evans and Cyp and we will be golden.
Money talks, guys. He's still young and has already won a Super Bowl. So if a team comes calling and blows him away with an offer, he'll leave NE.
McCourty would be such an ideal player for this team. Age, position of need, talent. Check, check, check.
I would feel pretty damn good about the secondary if they added him.
Quote:Oh how I wish the Jags comes out of this with Devin on board. He can help Evans and Cyp and we will be golden.
No, the much better thing is that he would replace Evans.
Quote:No, the much better thing is that he would replace Evans.
He can bu talso help. I think Evans can be a good player with some direction.
Quote:He can bu talso help. I think Evans can be a good player with some direction.
A good special teams workhorse, maybe. Evans has had two years in the starting role, and he doesn't look much better now than he did in game one.
He is the #1 target there are no other options in FA or the draft
Quote:DiRocco argues for McCourty...
http://espn.go.com/blog/jacksonville-jag...o-1-target
I have to agree with DiRocco on this one. FS is the weakest link in the Jags D. McCourty is the best available FA option there. They can afford to pay him 11mil per year.
Just do it.