2020 Free Agency Game Thread

Super Nomario

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Thanks. Kind of crazy that 2 picks makes a 20% difference.
It's a big difference in relative terms but in absolute terms it's $2 MM over four years - about a rookie minimum salary per year.

Except with Sony you get the 5th year option where you don't get that with the 33rd pick.
Eyeballing it, the fifth year option for a RB taken outside the top ten is something like $5.5 MM, so that's a pretty reasonable one-year hit if a guy is good.
 

tims4wins

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Jul 15, 2005
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I seriously wonder what the Pats plan is for TE. They've sat on their hands for years now.

Edit: I don't mean to imply they should have tried to sign Ebron. Seeing that he had signed just got me thinking about the position.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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I seriously wonder what the Pats plan is for TE. They've sat on their hands for years now.

Edit: I don't mean to imply they should have tried to sign Ebron. Seeing that he had signed just got me thinking about the position.
We’re pretty much screwed at this position. The draft is weak so unless someone really outperforms expectations, get ready for some awful production at TE once again.
 

Bowser

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Sep 27, 2019
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I seriously wonder what the Pats plan is for TE. They've sat on their hands for years now.

Edit: I don't mean to imply they should have tried to sign Ebron. Seeing that he had signed just got me thinking about the position.
I think we see one FA signing and at least one draft pick committed to the TE position. Tyler Eifert should be a target. I think Nick Vannett would be an upgrade over both Izzo and LaCosse, both of whom are incompetent blockers (surprised Izzo was so bad).

As for the draft, I think they'll look for a player with blocking upside like Cole Kmet (Notre Dame), Jared Pinkney (Vanderbilt) or Devin Asiasi (UCLA). Kmet is somewhat Gronk-like in his measurables, but I think #23 is probably too rich for him.

I'm intrigued by Harrison Bryant's (FAU) versatility/upside and Albert Okwuegbunam's (Missouri) value as a potential late Day 2 pick.
 

EL Jeffe

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Aug 30, 2006
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This isn't a rumor/news, just a personal opinion. Demarcus Robinson (WR, KC) is unsigned and kind of an interesting player. He had a lot of character flags coming out of Florida, which to no one's surprise, did not concern KC. He's talented, but modest production (coming off career highs of 32 catches/449 yards). That said, with Kelce, Watkins and Hill, he was never going to be more than a 4th option. He's an outside, vertical threat who plays much faster than the 4.59 he ran at the combine in 2016. I'm not aware of any character issues since entering the league, and he's never missed a game in his 4 year career. He shouldn't cost much, but I know how much NE values comp picks. I do wonder if NE would have interest there,
 

Dr. Gonzo

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Jan 8, 2010
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This isn't a rumor/news, just a personal opinion. Demarcus Robinson (WR, KC) is unsigned and kind of an interesting player. He had a lot of character flags coming out of Florida, which to no one's surprise, did not concern KC. He's talented, but modest production (coming off career highs of 32 catches/449 yards). That said, with Kelce, Watkins and Hill, he was never going to be more than a 4th option. He's an outside, vertical threat who plays much faster than the 4.59 he ran at the combine in 2016. I'm not aware of any character issues since entering the league, and he's never missed a game in his 4 year career. He shouldn't cost much, but I know how much NE values comp picks. I do wonder if NE would have interest there,
Interesting. I would be on board.

When can players be signed and it won't count against the comp pick formula?
 

IdiotKicker

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Nov 21, 2005
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I love the Vitale signing. It’s irrational and probably not fact-based, but he was a fantastic talent at Northwestern, and I feel like he hasn’t really been in an offense that’s done anything creative with FB or H-back types. I’m writing that last clause just to justify the fact that I have an irrational man-crush on him, but I dig the pickup.
 

Marciano490

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Nov 4, 2007
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I think we see one FA signing and at least one draft pick committed to the TE position. Tyler Eifert should be a target. I think Nick Vannett would be an upgrade over both Izzo and LaCosse, both of whom are incompetent blockers (surprised Izzo was so bad).

As for the draft, I think they'll look for a player with blocking upside like Cole Kmet (Notre Dame), Jared Pinkney (Vanderbilt) or Devin Asiasi (UCLA). Kmet is somewhat Gronk-like in his measurables, but I think #23 is probably too rich for him.

I'm intrigued by Harrison Bryant's (FAU) versatility/upside and Albert Okwuegbunam's (Missouri) value as a potential late Day 2 pick.
The Patriots told Pinkney he has a loser’s mentality. I’d be shocked if they went near him after that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2020/02/28/patriots-chide-top-nfl-prospect-jared-pinkney-for-losers-mentality/amp/
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

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Feb 19, 2015
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The Patriots told Pinkney he has a loser’s mentality. I’d be shocked if they went near him after that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2020/02/28/patriots-chide-top-nfl-prospect-jared-pinkney-for-losers-mentality/amp/
Probably depends on how he responded to that. If they had no interest, I doubt they even bother mentioning his "losers mentality". What would be the point? I bet they wanted to probe how he responded, precisely because they might be interested.
 

Super Nomario

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I love the Vitale signing. It’s irrational and probably not fact-based, but he was a fantastic talent at Northwestern, and I feel like he hasn’t really been in an offense that’s done anything creative with FB or H-back types. I’m writing that last clause just to justify the fact that I have an irrational man-crush on him, but I dig the pickup.
BUT DOES HE STILL HAVE THE MANBUN
 

Soxy

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Dec 1, 2008
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If you read the article, it points out how they told him that in response to a specific answer that he gave to one of their questions. They didn't call him a loser, or tell him that he had a loser's mentality. They were telling him: that response is a loser's mentality. I don't think we should necessarily be reading into it one way or another.

This is the quote:

“It’s interesting, because (with) a team that’s been winning for as long as they have, you expect them to come in with a certain mentality and to share that mentality and to spread it and impart it on you,” Pinkney said, according to NESN. “And that’s exactly what happened. I gave a kind of wonky answer, and it was like, ‘No, that’s a loser’s mentality.’ And I was like, ‘OK, my bad.’ (Raises hands.) They were like, ‘You need to be like this and that and that,’ and I was like, ‘Yes, sir. I’m better.’ ”
I think it's all kind of a nothing burger.
 

doc

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Jul 14, 2005
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I seriously wonder what the Pats plan is for TE. They've sat on their hands for years now.

Edit: I don't mean to imply they should have tried to sign Ebron. Seeing that he had signed just got me thinking about the position.
TE's are so 2010's, FB's are undervalued. Watch BB invent the 3 FB backfield and we convert our RB's to wideouts
 

Bowser

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Sep 27, 2019
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If you read the article, it points out how they told him that in response to a specific answer that he gave to one of their questions. They didn't call him a loser, or tell him that he had a loser's mentality. They were telling him: that response is a loser's mentality. I don't think we should necessarily be reading into it one way or another.

This is the quote:



I think it's all kind of a nothing burger.
That's my read as well.

I'm not a huge Pinkney fan. He's a young Dwayne Allen -- both are 6'4", 260, with 4.9 40s and similar strength reps. And they had similar college production:
  • Allen (3 seasons): 93 receptions, 1,079 yards, 12 TDs
  • Pinkney (first 3 seasons): 94 receptions, 1,327 yards, 12 TDs
The difference is Pinkney went back for his senior year, bombed (20/233/2), and got injured. He wasn't helped by poor QB play.

Comparing him to Allen is not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Pinkney has very good hands and gives solid effort as a blocker. And he was getting some early Day 2 buzz following the 2018 season. Moreover, the Pats are desperate for a TE who can win his matchups either as a receiver or a blocker (forget winning both), and Pinkney has potential as an in-line blocker. He has a shot at growing into a solid TE2, which would be great value on Day 3.
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
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There are very few teams that shouldn't at least kick the tires on Cam. When healthy he's better than a lot of starters, and he's better than every backup.
 

luckiestman

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Jul 15, 2005
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Jets lost Sun God but signed Perriman from Brady’s new team

Jets are having a quality offseason so I expect football will not be played this year.