Off Season 3

BigKen said:

ESPN is reporting that things are quiet today because Donte Hightower is celebrating his 27th birthday today. The
New York Jets are not letting him have a family type day. Word is that the Jets have now decided that they will do whatever it takes to yank HT from the New England Patriots.

Some questions that HT has to answer to himself, not Patriot or Jets fans. Will playing for the Jets for a huge paycheck be satisfying to a football player who has never been part of a losing organization? Would playing for a loser be eased by a big payday? Would making big money be ok if you were watching your former team in the playoffs and possibly playing in a second Super Bowl a row and possibly winning a second Super Bowl in a row?

Everyone talks about a legacy. What kind of legacy would HT have if he finished his career in obscurity in New Jersey? Everyone wants to make as money as they possibly can. But when that amount is $50-$60-$70M, does a couple million really make that much of a difference when you're playing for a 14-2 team vs a 6-10 team?

It's easy to answer when you're not the one giving up $3-$4M.........twice what you've earned in your lifetime.

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Really good points Ken. Hightower, as team Captain of the Pats D, is probably pretty smart. I'm hoping he also realizes That besides losing, he may also not get the right game plan and end up another "post NE casualty"

Patriots bring in Rex Burkhead for visit, could fill Brandon Bolden role

11:00 AM ET

• 
  
  Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
  

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots are hosting former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rex Burkhead on a free-agent visit at Gillette Stadium, ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates reports.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Burkhead entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft choice out of Nebraska, and could be eyed to fill Brandon Bolden's role in New England as a reserve running back and special teamer.

Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard opened up opportunities for him on offense last season.

"I'm confident in my skills, I know what I can do, just needed an opportunity,” Burkhead said last season, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "For me, it came year four into the NFL, so I've been patiently waiting for it and just did my best out there when I got the chance. ...

"I love it here in Cincinnati, I hope I can stay here,” Burkhead said at the time.

At running back, the Patriots have Dion Lewis, James White, D.J. Foster and Tyler Gaffney under contract for 2017, while LeGarrette Blount and Bolden are unrestricted free agents. Lewis and White are scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the 2017 season.

New England Patriots Transactions - 2017
Season:

APRIL
DATE TRANSACTION
April 18, 2017 Released OL Tre' Jackson. Signed CB Malcolm Butler and TE Matt Lengel.
April 12, 2017 Re-signed DB Brandon King.
April 11, 2017 Re-signed DL Alan Branch and OL Cameron Fleming.
April 5, 2017 Re-signed RB Brandon Bolden.
MARCH
DATE TRANSACTION
March 20, 2017 Released RB Tyler Gaffney.
March 17, 2017 Signed DB Justin Coleman.
March 16, 2017 Re-signed LB Dont'a Hightower.
March 16, 2017 Re-signed LB Dont'a Hightower to a four-year contract.
March 14, 2017 Signed RB Rex Burkhead.
March 14, 2017 Signed DL Lawrence Guy.
March 11, 2017 Acquired WR Brandin Cooks from New Orleans and DL Kony Ealy from Carolina.
March 10, 2017 Signed CB Stephon Gilmore and DB Duron Harmon. Re-signed TE Michael Williams.
March 10, 2017 Acquired TE Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts for an undisclosed draft selection.
March 3, 2017 Released T Sebastian Vollmer.
FEBRUARY
DATE TRANSACTION
February 27, 2017 Named Nick Caley tight ends coach.
February 14, 2017 Signed FB Glenn Gronkowski to a reserve/future contract.
February 7, 2017 Signed TE Rob Housler to a future contract and OL Chris Barker, LB Trevor Bates, OL Jamil Douglas, OL Chase Farris, RB Tyler Gaffney, DL Woodrow Hamilton, DL Darius Kilgo and WR Devin Lucien to the practice squad.

New England Patriots Transactions - 2017


APRIL
DATE TRANSACTION
April 18, 2017 Signed WR Danny Amendola to new reduced pay contract
April 18, 2017 Signed RB James White to a 3 year extension
April 18, 2017 Released OL Tre' Jackson. Signed CB Malcolm Butler and TE Matt Lengel.
April 12, 2017 Re-signed DB Brandon King.
April 11, 2017 Re-signed DL Alan Branch and OL Cameron Fleming.
April 5, 2017 Re-signed RB Brandon Bolden.
MARCH
DATE TRANSACTION
March 20, 2017 Released RB Tyler Gaffney.
March 17, 2017 Signed DB Justin Coleman.
March 16, 2017 Re-signed LB Dont'a Hightower.
March 16, 2017 Re-signed LB Dont'a Hightower to a four-year contract.
March 14, 2017 Signed RB Rex Burkhead.
March 14, 2017 Signed DL Lawrence Guy.
March 11, 2017 Acquired WR Brandin Cooks from New Orleans and DL Kony Ealy from Carolina.
March 10, 2017 Signed CB Stephon Gilmore and DB Duron Harmon. Re-signed TE Michael Williams.
March 10, 2017 Acquired TE Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts for an undisclosed draft selection.
March 3, 2017 Released T Sebastian Vollmer.
FEBRUARY
DATE TRANSACTION
February 27, 2017 Named Nick Caley tight ends coach.
February 14, 2017 Signed FB Glenn Gronkowski to a reserve/future contract.
February 7, 2017 Signed TE Rob Housler to a future contract and OL Chris Barker, LB Trevor Bates, OL Jamil Douglas, OL Chase Farris, RB Tyler Gaffney, DL Woodrow Hamilton, DL Darius Kilgo and WR Devin Lucien to the practice squad.[/QUOTE]

Patriots present roster is at 65. Gillislee will bring it back to 66. Teams generally go into mandatory OTAs and Mini Camps with 90 players. If Belichick intends to bring the full roster to camp, he'll need to add 24. As of today he has 7 picks in the draft. Trades will really affect these numbers.

Will he really bring in 15-17 undrafted free agents? History tells us that at least 2, possibly 3 will make the 53 man roster.

Any word on what Dola restructured too? Be curious if it created any cap space at all.

NFL Network just announced that Tre' Jackson former NE Patriots offensive lineman has failed his physical and has been released from his Rams contract.

BigKen said:

NFL Network just announced that Tre' Jackson former NE Patriots offensive lineman has failed his physical and has been released from his Rams contract.

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Tard.
Tre Jackson is officially a tard.

Yankee Traveler said:

Tard.
Tre Jackson is officially a tard.

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Lets be glad we took Mason in the next rd, who has actually turned out to be better than we thought and improving under Scar.

SDGuy73 said:

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I stand corrected.
I assumed he just got fat in the offseason.
Poor Bastard.

Patriots gain $4.75 million in cap space with Danny Amendola pay cut
11:23 AM ET

• 
  
  Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
  • Covered Patriots since 1997
  • Joined ESPN in 2009

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Details of the pay reduction for receiver Danny Amendola that will keep him with the New England Patriots in 2017 are now known, courtesy of ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates.

The biggest takeaway: The Patriots, already in good salary-cap space, create an additional $4.75 million in space.


Danny Amendola accepted a pay cut from the Patriots for the third straight year. John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports
Some more details:

• Amendola receives $100,000 in the form of a signing bonus.
  
  
• His base salary of $1.25 million in fully guaranteed.
  
  
• He has a $50,000 workout bonus.
  
  
• A total of $300,000 in per-game roster bonuses can be earned ($18,750 per game).
  
  
• His maximum compensation in 2017 is $1.7 million.
  
  
• His new cap number is $3.041 million, down from the $7.791 million it would have been in his original contract.
  

This is the third straight year that Amendola has taken a pay reduction. When it happened two years ago, he had explained his thinking this way: "Was that a decision I would have made five years ago? I don't know. I can't say that it would be. ... I'm my own business, and I'm competing with everyone else on the team and competing with the organization for me to get paid. At the same time, I'm a good teammate. I want to be there for my teammates. I want to be part of something great. ...

"When it came down to it, it was also about playing good football. I've been on a 1-15 team. I've been on teams that never made it to the playoffs. It wasn't fun playing meaningless football. When you're playing meaningful football at the end of the season, and every play and every route that you run counts, every ball you catch counts, and it's either win or go home, what I found in the sense of coming here is that's the most rewarding thing.

"I understand it's a business. Money wasn't really something I was counting in that situation. ... I feel like I want to be part of something good. I want to play good football, and my family is here. Those were really the three things that helped me with the decision."

Those comments likely still apply to Amendola's current thinking.

Rings can do that to an often injured player without many other suitors.

Yankee Traveler said:

Rings can do that to an often injured player without many other suitors.

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Not sure he wouldn't have any suitors he was still under contract. I'm glad he's still a Patriot.

NWPATSFAN said:

Not sure he wouldn't have any suitors he was still under contract. I'm glad he's still a Patriot.

Click to expand...

Yeah, what I meant is if he did not take pay cut and ended up getting cut, I don't think there would be many lining up for Danny.

Yankee Traveler said:

Yeah, what I meant is if he did not take pay cut and ended up getting cut, I don't think there would be many lining up for Danny.

Click to expand...

I think a lot of teams would've came a knocking. What price would've been the only question.

NWPATSFAN said:

I think a lot of teams would've came a knocking. What price would've been the only question.

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Yes. Semantics.

@caplannfl

Former #Vikings C/G Brandon Fusco is visiting the #Patriots today.


@FieldYates

Source: former Jaguars LB Dan Skuta is visiting the Patriots today. Appeared in 13 games for Jacksonville in 2016.

Patriots only have 4 OT on the roster. Solder, Cannon, Fleming and LaWaddle. Tom Curran said the he expects that Caserio will be all over the waiver wire when the June cuts are made. He also thinks that the Patriots will draft an OT in the 6th or 7th round.

Some of you don't care but just like last year, I'm moderating a website based here in New Hampshire.

We have a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting in one of the largest building in Manchester. Again this year, they have 4 eggs and the first one due to hatch anytime between Sunday and Wednesday. The others will hatch anywhere between 24-48 hour intervals following the first. If you'd like to watch them live you can just Google

Single Digits Peregrine Falcon Feed. There are three cameras in the nest and Feed 1 is direct on the nest with audio. I hope any of you with children take a minute to show your kids. We have 30 elementary classrooms following daily as well as middle schools and some high schools.

Thanks for allowing me to spread the word.