Adam Vinatieri

[urysohn]

The Patriots just slapped the franchise player tag on Adam Vinatieri, which will award him with the average of the top 5 kickers in the league. The guy really came through down the stretch, but "Top 5" seems a bit ridiculous. For comparison, Jason Elam just got the same deal.

[Oliver Klozov]

Somehow designating a kicker as a "franchise" player just seems wrong.

[sb_jim]

Isn't the kicker often the team's leading scorer? I haven't looked lately but I think the kickers often lead the league in points. A very important position in those 9-6 close games where no touchdowns are scored, especially when the Chargers are involved.

[urysohn]

Very important position. But that doesn't make Vinatieri one of the elite ones.

[Abducens]

He might be worth it. Vinatieri may be the only guy who'd make me say "It's over" when the Pats got to the 35.

[Pseudolus]

I think you may be taking the "franchise" tag too literally. All it really means in this context is that it lets the Patriots sign him for less money. If they had another important player in difficult contract negotiations, that guy might get the label.

[jets fan]

I agree with Pseudolus. It's just a way to make sure you retain a player or have first right refusal before letting him go. It's about the salary cap, not who is the most 'important' person for the franchise.

[urysohn]

I'm not reading "franchise" player in any other sense than the NFL is using it. Sign him by March 15th, cut him, hope somebody else signs him and take the compensation, or pay him the average of the top 5 kickers in the league.
(1) Hopefully we'll sign him before March 15th, but it's no guarantee and the other options won't really incent Vinatieri to negotiate too much.
(2) I don't think we want to cut him, as few truly elite kickers are available.
(3) I think the "franchise player" tag is going to assure nobody will go after him. Who wants to give up all those compensation picks for a kicker??
(4) Which leaves us with paying him the average of the top 5 kickers. Again, I don't think he's worth it. Transition player, maybe (average of the top ten). Franchise player, no.

[Oliver Klozov]

I understand, I think, how the "franchise player" tag is used....generally to screw a player over. It just seems to me to be an ironic use of the term.

[Pseudolus]

On 2002-02-22 13:08, urysohn wrote:

(4) Which leaves us with paying him the average of the top 5 kickers. Again, I don't think he's worth it. Transition player, maybe (average of the top ten). Franchise player, no.


Today's Boston Herald says:The move enables the Patriots to retain exclusive negotiation rights with the Super Bowl hero for the upcoming season as a salary level equal to the average figure of the five highest-paid placekickers for the 2001 season. That translates into a one-year contract worth $1,241,000, nearly twice what he received a year ago but well below market value for kickers of his caliber in a rapidly rising market. http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/football/pats02222002.htm

Personally, I have no idea how much AV would bring on the free-agent market. The Herald says it would be more than $1.24M. What do you think?

[Oliver Klozov]

I think Pittsburgh might be interested, or they could be gun-shy....they thought they had the real deal.