The Trade for Butler

[BigKen]

Those of us who live an average normal life often have great difficulty trying to grasp the insane inner workings of professional sports. A TV commentator was talking about the ridiculous contracts that some less than naverage players have received because they were the 'best' free agent available. But he made a valid point. WHO decreed these guys as the "best available"? The media basically start the whole ball rolling by making lists of free agents and then declare who they think is the best available at every position. Quickly there are 20 lists by position and generally there is a concensus on the top 10-20 at every position. Then that same media deternine what every team needs and publish magazine after magazine convincing the average football fans what they want them to believe. So four weeks following the Super Bowl 250 or so free agents become available and the sports media convince everybody that their favorite team needs Player X who is the best Long Snapper and will imperative for his team to sign at $12M a year so that the kicker who missed 12 extra points last year will only miss 8 this year.

Malcolm Butler's agent has been reading way too many magazines and newspapers. He needs to sit down with MB and put together a strategy to get MB resigned long term by the Patriots. Stop looking at what everyone else got. MB is not an unrestricted free agent. He has no leverage. Sitting out an entire year does him absolutely no good whatsoever. No signing his tender until week 7 of the season does nothing buy lose him $3M. The smartest thing would be to sit down with the Patriots and ask for $13M and 4-5 years starting next year. Make it an extension.
Say $65M for 5 years like Gilmore got. Get $15M as a signing bonus and play for $3.9M this year and get 5 years at $10M per year. Malcolm gets his money, the agent gets his 3% ($1.5M) over the life of the contract and the Patriots get Malcolm for the next 6 years for a Grand total of roughly $69M ($11.5M per). What's so difficult?
EGOs. The biggest problem is the Butler's ego or his agent's ego.

Like I constantly tell my grandson......."Screw what people think!" Play your best the way that know how and the only guy you have to worry about is the coach. Don'y let your ego cloud the path in front of you. Coach told him if he wants to QB his HS Varsity team next year, he has to get into the weight room and work with the coaches and trainers. That was incentive enough. He's in the weight room every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He'll be quarterbacking the varsity for the next three years and hopefully a college team for the next four. Butler needs to do the same thing.......listen to what BB has to say and shut out everyone else.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Not compared to what Gilmore got.

That's the difference between having 5 years of service and being a UFA and 3 years and an RFA, though. That's the difference between graduating HS early and being a 4 year starter at a major D1 program and high 1st round pick, and getting kicked out of Community College.

 

[PatsFan2003]

That's the difference between having 5 years of service and being a UFA and 3 years and an RFA, though. That's the difference between graduating HS early and being a 4 year starter at a major D1 program and high 1st round pick, and getting kicked out of Community College.

Of course. That's the real world but it's still hard to play for "peanuts" NFL wise and see a player that you are better than get paid big-time.

But it's in his best interest to put that all aside and play well for next year.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Yup. His beef is really with the NFLPA, not the Pats or Gilmore. If they had collectively bargained a better deal for RFA's, I'm sure he wouldn't be so butthurt about making 1/4 of what Gilmore got. The Pats are just taking advantage of whatever's advantageous in the system for them, same as they've always done.

 

[nefansince75]

The facts are really pretty straight. The Pats can decide to keep him under the tender and he can sign it or sit out. Next year and 2019 the patriots can franchise him. So the truth is that the Patriots can control him until he's 31.

If he sits out he will still be a restricted free agent for next year... The status is calculated based on time under contract and not time since first contract. If he doesn't play this year he faces the exact same situation next year... Mankins was in a similar situation and payed hold out games until the last moment... That's MB's best course of action if he wants to avoid playing as much as possible for the Pats. On the other hand, his best course of action for a big pay day is to play this year under the tender offer.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

That's the best course of action for him for a less-big-but-still-big payday, too...if he sits out, they can reduce his salary to 110% of what he made last year. And then he'd only get 6 games' worth of that number, so he'd take home less than $300K. Or he can sign the tender and get almost $4M guaranteed.

He's too far down the rabbit hole to give in just yet...he might as well wait until the offer sheet deadline passes at this point, but then he should get down to Gillette ASAP on April 21st to sign the tender after that.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

I would love to know what kind of LTC they actually offered him.

 

[BigKen]

I would love to know what kind of LTC they actually offered him.

From what I was told, they offered him a 4 year contract last August. The total was something close to $36M.
He would have gotten a $4M bonus for signing the extension, played for the $600K and then got $8M a year for 2017-2020. No one really knows for sure, but .........................

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

So ~Top 10 CB money 2 years ahead of UFA. That seems a pretty fair offer. Usual caveats about how it was structured and so forth apply, of course, but that's certainly not an egregious lowball if true.

 

[BigKen]

Multiple Sports Networks (NESN, CSNNE, CBS Sports) are reporting that a 'source' has stated that Malcolm Butler is upset, BUT, "My head is in the right place if I have to play with the Patriots this year."

Sounds like Malcolm has been talking/listening to some of the former Patriots who've been offering advice. Maybe his agent is starting to figure out that MB doesn't have any leverage and insulting the Patriots just might not be the best way to get anything done.

 

[BigKen]

Tom Curran stated today that he thinks that there is general "thawing" of the ice between Malcolm Butler and the Patriots. He said he has nothing to prove it, but it's a sense that he has. If he's right, that could be really good news for the Patriots defense.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Good news.
Butler, Gilmore and Rowe with McCourty and Chung...Tough secondary.

 

[YankeeRebel]

Good news.
Butler, Gilmore and Rowe with McCourty and Chung...Tough secondary.

I agree but HOLD HOLD HOLD your ROWE kills me with some his penalties

 

[CreepCreep2014]

So my question is, what happens to Rowe IF Butler signs? Is he now trade bait, or is MB still the guy who gets traded. I mean we need a slot guy, and not sure if Jones/Coleman are the answer...so is MB the slot guy? I mean does it matter in BB defense, considering they play matchups better than anyone. Does Rowe get some looks at S now, come in a cover a big TE? I would love to see Gill/MB/Rowe all together.

 

[CreepCreep2014]

I agree but HOLD HOLD HOLD your ROWE kills me with some his penalties

He struggled in the beginning, I'll give you that. However, if he plays like he did vs Julio, I'll be more than happy. You have to admit, he got better as the season went on. More comfortable with more reps?

 

[Southieinnc]

I love Malcom Butler but he is not a #1 CB. He is as good a #2 as you'll find but Logan Ryan usually covered the #1 wide receiver. Gilmore will be #1 this year. With butler #2, we'll have a great secondary.

 

[BigKen]

Gilmore and Rowe will have the outside and Butler will be the slot CB. Depending on who they play, Butler will take the outside and Rowe will rotate with both Butler and Gilmore allowing for all of the corners to get a blow when needed.......if Butler comes back.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

I agree but HOLD HOLD HOLD your ROWE kills me with some his penalties

Not as bad as Browner...

 

[YankeeRebel]

He struggled in the beginning, I'll give you that. However, if he plays like he did vs Julio, I'll be more than happy. You have to admit, he got better as the season went on. More comfortable with more reps?

Well, I don't have to but for the sake dual perspective I will.

 

[BigKen]

It's getting to the points where No one knows what's going on with Butler. My gut feeling is that Belichick will keep him for one year and let him go for a compensatory pick if the Saints don't give him the #11 pick.

I just don't think the #32 is value enough for a top 5 CB.

That's me...no one else. If I were the GM, the Saints would NOT get him for that low a pick. If they gave up the #32 AND #43, then I might consider it. But the Saints have said that their first two picks are off the board. If it were me, Butler would be off the board.