Scott Chandler next?

[Fitzpatrick'sbeard]

I hope so, I want to get his jersey. I put off getting a new jersey last season because I knew he was going to be an UFA. If he's not back I think I'll be getting a Kyle Williams jersey this season.

[Novacane]

I hope they resign him too but I have a feeling he wants to much money right now.

[DBrown77]

I bet he is over valuing himself. They will let him hit the market for a reality check and hope someone doesnt overpay.

[psubills62]

Chandler is OK, but nothing special. He's one of those guys that IMO is going to be overpaid if he signs an extension. Better to replace him.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I really don't think he is in a position to demand much after one half of a productive season. His best bet would be to sign a short-term contract here and play in the system that made him for another opportunity to get the big bucks.

[Goobylal]

I'd rather spend the money on John Carlson.

[The Jokeman]

I'd rather spend the money on John Carlson.
The 2008-2009 version of John Carlson is nice but the 2010 and 2011 isn't as nice. So it's a gamble to sign him. I say re-sign Chandler to a fair contract if not bring in Visanthe Shiancoe, Martellus Bennett, Kellen Davis or Daniel Fells make my short list with a draft pick in Rounds 4-6 make my long list.

[Luisito23]

No thank you on Carlson...

[Goobylal]

The 2008-2009 version of John Carlson is nice but the 2010 and 2011 isn't as nice. So it's a gamble to sign him. I say re-sign Chandler to a fair contract if not bring in Visanthe Shiancoe, Martellus Bennett, Kellen Davis or Daniel Fells make my short list with a draft pick in Rounds 4-6 make my long list.
Seems like Carlson was phased-out of Pete Carroll's offense, and last year missed the season with a torn labrum. It would be a risk, but I doubt he's looking for top dollar.

As for the others, Bennett, Davis, and Fells have done little in their careers to justify signing them, and Shiancoe is getting up there in years (32 in June) and appears to be in decline.

[The Jokeman]

Seems like Carlson was phased-out of Pete Carroll's offense, and last year missed the season with a torn labrum. It would be a risk, but I doubt he's looking for top dollar.

As for the others, Bennett, Davis, and Fells have done little in their careers to justify signing them, and Shiancoe is getting up there in years (32 in June) and appears to be in decline.
Hence my reference as short term solution. As the reality is the TE does not play a big part of Gailey's offenses. Chandler got noticed because he did some things in the end zone but outside he didn't do much. Another name that I forgot was Marcedes Lewis.

[Goobylal]

Hence my reference as short term solution. As the reality is the TE does not play a big part of Gailey's offenses. Chandler got noticed because he did some things in the end zone but outside he didn't do much. Another name that I forgot was Marcedes Lewis.
The TE can play a big part in Gailey's offense. The problem with Chandler last year was he was injured, needed to block more, or just plain disappeared for long stretches. Carlson proved he could do it for 2 years and would be an under-the-radar signing.

And Lewis was re-signed to a 5-year deal last year.

[BertSquirtgum]

I hope he isn't overrating himself. His numbers were a product of Gailey's system.

[Ickybaluky]

I like Carlson, he is a good player. Not considered a great blocker, but underrated in the passing game. I have heard the Bears and Giants (who really need help at TE) have interest in him. He is a much better player than Chandler, IMO.

Part of Carlson's problem the last couple years has been injury. He had a severe concussion in the 2010 playoffs and then had a bad shoulder injury last year. He had surgery and is still rehabbing. Because of that, he is probably looking for a 1-year deal somewhere, where he could show he is healthy and put up some numbers. He then would be in line to make more money when he hits FA next year.

[Goobylal]

I like Carlson, he is a good player. Not considered a great blocker, but underrated in the passing game. I have heard the Bears and Giants (who really need help at TE) have interest in him. He is a much better player than Chandler, IMO.

Part of Carlson's problem the last couple years has been injury. He had a severe concussion in the 2010 playoffs and then had a bad shoulder injury last year. He had surgery and is still rehabbing. Because of that, he is probably looking for a 1-year deal somewhere, where he could show he is healthy and put up some numbers. He then would be in line to make more money when he hits FA next year.
Sounds about right.

Looks like the Pats will be bystanders in FA this year, eh icky? With $11.6M in cap space after franchising Welker, and probably the rookie cap being ~$5M, that leaves about $6.6M for the remaining 14 players to fill out the roster. Unless they can restructure a lot of contracts before the start of FA.

[BertSquirtgum]

Good, **** the Patriots.

[Ickybaluky]

Looks like the Pats will be bystanders in FA this year, eh icky? With $11.6M in cap space after franchising Welker, and probably the rookie cap being ~$5M, that leaves about $6.6M for the remaining 14 players to fill out the roster. Unless they can restructure a lot of contracts before the start of FA.

Actually, I feel the opposite. I think the Pats are going to go after at least one bigger FA, at least bigger than they have in a while. I could be wrong, but they seem to be set up for that. I am not sure which of their own guys they plan on signing. My guess is they will bring back a few from the group of Andre Carter, Mark Anderson, Deion Branch, Dan Connolly, Dan Koppen, Matthew Slater and James Ihedigbo. But I think they will be active.

The Pats are in very good cap shape this year, best they have since probably 2007. They have a lot of room, even with tagging Welker (although I think they hope to eventually agree to a longer deal and lower his number this year). I am not sure the exact number (nobody does, since the cap has not been set yet), but they have a lot of flexibility. Don't pay attention to the numbers reported, as they are merely an accounting number.

The Pats basically have a few core players in big contracts, but they are all good players (Brady, Wilfork, Mankins, Mayo). They really don't have any bad contracts, or a ton of dead money. They are in a position to do a lot if they want to.

There has been a lot of chatter about them signing a WR, but I think a guy like Vincent Jackson is a pipe dream. They aren't going to pay him top dollar, but I think they will sign a veteran WR.

I think they might make a play for a guy like Mario Williams. I question how far they are willing to go, as it will probably be a deal along the lines of 6 Yrs/$90M+, $25M SB, $45M guaranteed. I am not sure they will do that, but they might if they think the player is worth it. Guys like Williams don't often get to FA, although I am not sure he will (Houston could still make a push to keep him).

At any rate, the feeling I get is similar to 2007. They have been rebuilding the last couple years and have a lot of new players. They have put together a new core of players, and are in very good cap shape. I think, like 2007, they are going to load up this year and try to win one more before Brady is done. In 2007 they were very active, and I get the same feeling this year.

I could be wrong, but that is the feeling I get.

[ServoBillieves]

Martellus Bennett. Davis would have been nice but got tagged. I'll take Chandler back though in a beat, just with a fair contract...

[Goobylal]

Actually, I feel the opposite. I think the Pats are going to go after at least one bigger FA, at least bigger than they have in a while. I could be wrong, but they seem to be set up for that. I am not sure which of their own guys they plan on signing. My guess is they will bring back a few from the group of Andre Carter, Mark Anderson, Deion Branch, Dan Connolly, Dan Koppen, Matthew Slater and James Ihedigbo. But I think they will be active.

The Pats are in very good cap shape this year, best they have since probably 2007. They have a lot of room, even with tagging Welker (although I think they hope to eventually agree to a longer deal and lower his number this year). I am not sure the exact number (nobody does, since the cap has not been set yet), but they have a lot of flexibility. Don't pay attention to the numbers reported, as they are merely an accounting number.

The Pats basically have a few core players in big contracts, but they are all good players (Brady, Wilfork, Mankins, Mayo). They really don't have any bad contracts, or a ton of dead money. They are in a position to do a lot if they want to.

There has been a lot of chatter about them signing a WR, but I think a guy like Vincent Jackson is a pipe dream. They aren't going to pay him top dollar, but I think they will sign a veteran WR.

I think they might make a play for a guy like Mario Williams. I question how far they are willing to go, as it will probably be a deal along the lines of 6 Yrs/$90M+, $25M SB, $45M guaranteed. I am not sure they will do that, but they might if they think the player is worth it. Guys like Williams don't often get to FA, although I am not sure he will (Houston could still make a push to keep him).

At any rate, the feeling I get is similar to 2007. They have been rebuilding the last couple years and have a lot of new players. They have put together a new core of players, and are in very good cap shape. I think, like 2007, they are going to load up this year and try to win one more before Brady is done. In 2007 they were very active, and I get the same feeling this year.

I could be wrong, but that is the feeling I get.
We'll see. Reports are that the cap isn't going to go up that much this year, Welker and the Pats are far apart on a new contract, and 14 players (assuming 6 rookies) take up quite a bit of room even for absolute minimum salaries, never mind trying to add someone of Williams' caliber.

[Ickybaluky]

We'll see. Reports are that the cap isn't going to go up that much this year, Welker and the Pats are far apart on a new contract, and 14 players (assuming 6 rookies) take up quite a bit of room even for absolute minimum salaries, never mind trying to add someone of Williams' caliber.

The Pats have a lot of room. In fact, really pretty much every team in the NFL has room or can make enough to move around. There are a few teams that will have to make some painful choices, like Oakland and Pittsburgh, but a lot of teams have flexibility to make room. There are going to be a lot of active teams, and very few teams have much to worry about cap-wise.

People make too much about the cap. It is just an accounting number and can be managed. Some teams are more leveraged than others, and the Pats are a team that is not very leveraged. They have a lot of room to make moves and can be very active if they want to be. This is the year for it, in future years they have players of their own they will need to pay.

It is true the cap is going to be pretty flat this year, but there is going to be a lot of growth when the new TV contracts kick in. Teams know that and can structure contracts accordingly. Really, too much is made of the cap.

You get into cap trouble by giving big contracts to players that aren't worth it. If the players you pay are worth it, you generally don't have to worry about the cap unless you have too many good players. Nobody has that problem.

$10M is a lot of room. Signing a guy like Williams will require less than $5M in cap room in 2012 if structured right, so over half the league could sign him if they want to. The cap isn't going to be much of a factor for most teams in the NFL. Right now, it is hard to say how much room any team has. The actual cap has not been set, although it is expected to be around $120M. Tenders have to be made and incentive adjustments from last year accounted for. The Top-51 rule changes the actual salary counted in the offseason.

Looking at the Pats contracts, they have a little more than $110M committed for 2011 after tendering Welker. Then they will tender Hoyer, which is another $3M. The Top-51 rule takes off about $4-$5M in salary. That is the starting point. They will adjust some contracts. Ochocinco is taking a paycut. They have about $30-$40M in restructures available if they need it. In the end, they have a lot of room to make moves. The rebuilding they have done the last couple years has put them in that position.

[The Jokeman]

Martellus Bennett. Davis would have been nice but got tagged. I'll take Chandler back though in a beat, just with a fair contract...
I said Kellen Davis of the Bears not Fred Davis of the Redskins.

[JCBills]

I really hope they go after Bennett.

[Hawkeye78]

Bennet's work ethic is questionable. Time to buy the Chandler jersey.

[Goobylal]

I think Chandler is gone.

[Hawkeye78]

Unless something crazy happens, he will be a Bill. He loves Buffalo and really likes his teammates.

[Goobylal]

Unless something crazy happens, he will be a Bill. He loves Buffalo and really likes his teammates.
Sounds like you know him personally. And I'd be all for bringing him back, but anything over $3M/year (I suspect he's asking for probably $5M/year) and they're overpaying.

[DraftBoy]

Chandler was a good red zone option but I think we can improve the position. Kellen Davis from Chicago would be my top choice.

[The Jokeman]

Chandler was a good red zone option but I think we can improve the position. Kellen Davis from Chicago would be my top choice.
Kellen is probably the best all around TE available through UFA. He's the type we could agressively pursue and land. Yet at the end of the day I don't see him being a significant difference maker (nor do any TEs available through UFA for that matter) so I'm really indifferent about signing him.

[Goobylal]

Outside of Carlson, none of the available (this means Fred Davis isn't an option) TE's is worth much. Chandler had a lot of TD's, but not a lot of catches or yards.

[Ickybaluky]

Outside of Carlson, none of the available (this means Fred Davis isn't an option) TE's is worth much. Chandler had a lot of TD's, but not a lot of catches or yards.

I think Joel Dreessen of Houston might be the best player available.

Dreessen is not as big as Chandler, but more athletic and more of a down-field threat. He does a pretty good job blocking, especially in the open field. He is versatile and has lined up at TE, FB and split out wide. In the Texans offense he played behind Owen Daniels, but he showed a pretty good knack for getting in the endzone. He is the type of guy who can develop into a better than expected player.

Texans reportedly want to sign him and he is expected to return there.

[tatersalad]

I really hope they go after Bennett.
why he is lazy and plays well below his capabilities

[justasportsfan]

I think Joel Dreessen of Houston might be the best player available.

Dreessen is not as big as Chandler, but more athletic and more of a down-field threat. He does a pretty good job blocking, especially in the open field. He is versatile and has lined up at TE, FB and split out wide. In the Texans offense he played behind Owen Daniels, but he showed a pretty good knack for getting in the endzone. He is the type of guy who can develop into a better than expected player.

Texans reportedly want to sign him and he is expected to return there.

Yeah. This guy actually has more TD's than Daniels last year.

[Goobylal]

I think Joel Dreessen of Houston might be the best player available.

Dreessen is not as big as Chandler, but more athletic and more of a down-field threat. He does a pretty good job blocking, especially in the open field. He is versatile and has lined up at TE, FB and split out wide. In the Texans offense he played behind Owen Daniels, but he showed a pretty good knack for getting in the endzone. He is the type of guy who can develop into a better than expected player.

Texans reportedly want to sign him and he is expected to return there.
Dreessen could be a decent option, but he'll be 30 in July. I'd rather have Carlson.