Not a bad player and this deal won't hurt the team in any meaningful way with their caps space, but this is a shockingly weird deal. It just seems wholly unnecessary for a guy who has been good not great.
he's shown flashes and is an elite pass blocker. $9m/yr is virtually nothing for the Patriots right now. I think it's a great deal for both parties with plenty of upside
Also something I’ve heard players talk about on podcasts is how much RBs are often well respected locker room leaders.
New coach, major locker room/culture transition, tons of cap space…extending a popular player who contributed on game day is a great PR move, and a solid RB who contributes in the passing game sounds like a great asset for a young, developing QB.
He’s off the books by the time they have the pay Maye, so let’s just call this one the Rookie QB Contract special.
Very funny playing franchise as the Pats and having like 40 something million in 24 cap space after free agency and the draft
Like that’s more than the game lets you rollover into the next year lmao
Goeddert has consistently been one of the most efficient receivers (among TE) in the league over the last five years or so. He doesn't get many touchdowns, but his catch rate, success rate, ypc, first down rate, etc, have consistently been elite. This isn't as good of a burn as you think it is. The Eagles have some questionable contracts, but Goeddert isn't one of them.
Googled his stats, and this was this first thing that came up:
[Every NFL Team's Most Overpaid Player](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10116188-every-nfl-teams-most-overpaid-player-following-peak-2024-free-agency)
(Setting aside the fact that you misspelled your own team’s player’s name)
Ah yes, a two-sentence "analysis" that completely ignores what I just said; that Goedert has consistently ranked at or near the top of TEs in receiving efficiency.
His counting numbers are unimpressive because he doesn't get as many targets as some other tight ends. But when he is targeted, he is elite.
Unfortunately DYAR/DVOA is behind a paywall now, but if I remember correctly, from 2019-2021 Goedert was in the top-5 every single year in both DVOA (value per play) and DYAR (total value). In 2022 his DVOA was again excellent, but his DYAR dropped a bit because he was hurt, and couldn't accumulate as much value.
Further, the splits in the Eagles' passing offense dropped significantly when he was out in 2022. They went from something like 2nd in passing EPA to 12th in the games he missed. This is off the top of my head so the numbers are +-, but I've posted about this before so it should be pretty close.
In 2023 he got hurt again, and his efficiency was down as well. 2023 was definitely a down year for him, no arguments there.
TL;DR judging Goedert on total yards / catches / touchdowns is missing what he does well, and this article is flat out wrong about him being the Eagles' most overpaid player. That player is James Bradberry, and it's not even remotely close. Bradberry is making ~11M this season guaranteed, and might not even make the team.
> (Setting aside the fact that you misspelled your own team’s player’s name)
Yeah, I can never remember how to spell his name. Should have googled it first. Oh well.
Are you even reading what you’re writing yourself? You just listed multiple reasons he’s overpaid, including constantly being hurt and declining production, which is exactly what the article said confirming my original point. My statement wasn’t he’s a bad tight end when available. I said he’s overpaid, because he doesn’t account for enough production to match his salary, which you’re just validating.
> he’s overpaid, because he doesn’t account for enough production to match his salary
Efficiency is just as important, if not more important, than total production. I'd rather have elite efficiency on 80 targets than average efficiency on 120 targets, even though the latter will produce more total yards.
> including constantly being hurt
His availability has been an issue, yes. But I don't think missing 16 games over 6 years is enough to justify labeling him as the most overpaid player on the team.
> declining production
It was one season, which also coincided with the Eagles' offense declining significantly overall due to Brian Johnson and their absolutely garbage scheme.
If he struggles again in 2024, then yes, I will be on board with this argument. Until then, no.
Edit: To be fair to both you and the article, Goedert's contract is a bit higher than I realized. OTC has him as the 4th highest paid TE by APY. I would have guessed he was in the 6th-10th range. It's fair to say that 4th is too high for him. But there's not that many good TEs in the league, and the difference between 4th and 8th is like a million bucks per year. He's maybe overpaid by 1-1.5M, not a huge deal. Calling him the Eagles' most overpaid player is a joke when Bradberry exists.
Yeah Rhamondre or Onwenu are our best player on offense. The fact that our O Line has sucked has people sleeping on him. We haven't had a RB this good since Blount and honestly I'd say he's playing at a very similar level despite the lower stats.
If you look at the other APYs of RB contracts signed in 2024 it lines up almost perfectly. Lower than Saquon and Jacobs, higher than Mixon and Swift. That seems about right in terms of ranking them
Granted he makes more then per year than Derrick Henry, but I think that’s age being baked into Henry’s contract and lowering the value
I think part of the motivation is to show other players that we will reward you for working hard and being a team player. It’s a shift from the “we’ll just cut you for someone cheaper” philosophy that doesn’t work anymore.
This is where I'm at. It's interesting...but at the same time $17M guaranteed front loaded won't hurt the team (considering the room they already have). There's an out pretty quickly.
So yeah, interesting, but it doesn't seem like it'll hurt so whatever.
He had 1 great year and a few others where he showed some flash but got injured. He’s good but not great like you said but has potential if he stays healthy. We have an out after 2 years so it’s not a bad deal
He reminds me of Josh Jacobs. Stevenson is more versatile but when they’re healthy, theyre top 10 backs.
Not a lot of backs are elite runners, good pass catchers, and great pass blocking.
Both only have 1 full season too so there’s that.
Really good use of extra cap space on a guy who’s shown excellent pass blocking and can be a vet presence in the huddle with a rook like Drake… where’s the issue??
Good for them! In my experience, giving a RB an expensive 2nd contract never backfires or has any negative impact on a team's salary cap structure whatsoever.
lol, comparing Zeke’s contract to this one is hilarious. Pats can put all his guaranteed money on this year if the wanted and still have cap to roll over to 2025.
Yeah but Rhamondre isn’t in the stratosphere of those backs either. Hes the exact type of back you don’t pay, the type that’s good enough behind a good line but not a great one.
I know we suck but we can suck and have a plan to be good. This is just oh we have a ton of cap because no one wants to play here so let’s throw it at an aging non elite rb who should do even worse in AVPs zone running scheme
So you’d rather gamble than extend maybe the best offensive player on the team?
The draft and free agency next year should be used to plug holes we currently have
Gonna have to agree to disagree on this one
… why?
He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022, had another year in his rookie deal and the could have been tagged
Good for him, but why are the Pats doing this?
To me this screams - "We have a ton of cap space, we have a QB on a rookie deal, we like how they look together in the two months since and we want to give him some stability in the backfield"
Not to mention only $17 mil guaranteed probably means those later years have an out if he falls off. Ultimately not a very consequential signing at a time where they have to worry more about surrounding Maye with talent over worrying about the cap.
It's still comfortably a Top 10 contract for a RB, and Stevenson is definitely not anywhere near a Top 10 in the NFL. The Patriots could've waited to pay him to see if his 2023 season was a fluke.
Saying he’s “definitely not anywhere near top 10 in the NFL” is pretty harsh. In 2022 he was easily top 10 with 1400 total yards on great efficiency. He passed the eye test in his rookie season but had to split time with Damien Harris (and got the Belichick rookie treatment). Last year was his worst but he was injured and the offense was obviously a total mess. I don’t see reason to believe his 2022 season was a fluke
Maybe, maybe not. I don’t feel like debating that right now. But his 2022 season was easily top 10 for that season. And I’m guessing the organization is expecting him to repeat that assuming he doesn’t get injured like he did last year.
Plus it’s not like they can just trade him for any of the guys you like better lol. The contract is pretty team friendly in terms of structure so I don’t see the big deal.
I mean yeah. It's an overpay that they wouldn't have done if they were contending. But they aren’t, and ultimately I think there's value in a young, rebuilding team rewarding the guys that deserve it, and if they think Mondre is one of those guys then fuck it I don't really think it'll lead to any all too impactful repercussions the stakes are pretty low.
But who cares they weren't hurting for cap and 17 million over two years is whatever if he is a good locker room guy on a young team its worth it. Like its an overpay but it doesn't matter.
Like yeah if he ends up being a JAG this'll look bad but I don't think swinging and missing to keep a potential piece happy is a bad move, And I'm saying this after watching Miles Sanders do nothing for 15 games; we were still able to put together a really solid FA this year. This is pretty low risk.
Swapping out Foreman for Sanders was one of the most head-scratching moves the Panthers made in the 2023 off-season. I still don't understand why they did that.
Honestly, the big leap to zone blocking when we were power run team the season before was the biggest mistake. I think Sanders looks at least 'fine' if our o-line was any good at zone blocking last year.
They have very little offensive skill talent. And when healthy he has been one of their best. It’s not like it’s a huge deal and they’re not spending it anywhere else on offense.
The cap carry’s over if unused
I don’t agree that “he’s the best we’ve got” is a good enough reason
Guys, do you think it’s wise to overpay a player who is under team control for at least two years just because your other players aren’t good?
If it’s him or nothing, then ok overpay a bit, but you’re not losing him for the next two seasons
Compare this contract to any wide receiver. It’s chump change for a team that REALLY can’t turn their nose up at any weapons at all. Only two years guaranteed. Nothing to cry over
It’s not an overpay. The APY falls between Barkley/Jacobs and Swift/Mixon.
He’s not as good a RB as Barkley or Jacobs, and he’s a better RB than Swift or 2024 Mixon.
The tag is too expensive for him, they wanted him for 2 more years after this season, adding $17-18 million to have him at least the next three years is pretty cheap and he’s probably a good locker room guy.
Because $17-$18 million for two years is a lot cheaper than $13 million for one year. Pretty simple. There is a big fall off after the top guy and another fall off after the 5th guy. Their pay ranking doesn’t matter, the AAV and guaranteed money matter.
> He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022,
The offensive line was a mess, and there was no real credible passing threat last year. The number of times he and Zeke were trying to dodge guys in the backfield was ridiculous. I'm not holding last year against him.
I’m not either. But i’d be shocked if that market didn’t. This is quite a bit higher than what i’d expect the market to pay
It’s not a terrible contract, it just seems unnecessary
He is a three-down back that elite in pass blocking, with a rookie QB. In my (dumbass) opinion, rookie QBs benefit a lot from a consistent pass blocking RB. Their QB is on a rookie contract of course, so I think it's worth it.
I'm not a cap guru, but this seems cheaper than tagging him. The tag is expected to be about $12mil for an RB next year. This deal is only $17mil guaranteed. So under this deal they'll be on the hook for ~$8mil in the first year of the contract, and then they can cut him with no dead cap. Compared to paying him $12mil on the tag and letting him walk. I'm assuming some of his guaranteed money will be shifted to this year, but again, I'm not a cap guru.
But like, why now? Why not wait a year and see if he performs. This is well above his market value and unless he has like 1700 total yards this year it’s hard to see how he would earn any more than this
It’s just completely unnecessary
His average annual salary is only 3% of the current cap and the cap will only continue to increase. They can wait and if he performs well, though he'll be more expensive to re-sign or they can tag him. If they tag him, they'd already be better off with this contract. There is of course a chance he'll be bad this year, but I think the risk-reward tips in favor of this contract because it's a small portion of the cap and will likely only be 1%-2% of the cap over the next few years.
Plus, I put more value into an RB that is a good pass blocker, especially for a rookie QB. Even if he doesn't put up amazing stats, it'll likely be worth it just for the benefit to Maye's development. There is just such a small risk associated with this contract, they have the cap, and gambling could end up costing them a lot more.
How is it well above market value? Swift just got 8m/yr and 15.3 gtd, and Rhamondre is slightly better. Plus it's an extension, so some of the money will go into this year.
It's a bit of an overpay, but it doesn't hamstring us in the slightest.
How many people do you think would agree that the guy who just had the season he had is better than Swift?
In an open market you think he’s getting this deal?
Based on 1 year? No. But if we based it on just 2022, then everybody would say Rhamondre was better. Based on the past 2 years, their production is about equal, but Rhamondre is more complete but with a worse team.
I think he'd get something very similar to Swift, so yeah it would be close.
It seems like an attempt to make New England an attractive destination for players.
“We pay for talent, and will give you incentive to come to our team”.
They really lost their attractiveness when Brady left and Bill wasn’t being productive. Gotta make up for it with $.
>He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022
That's what happens when you have no QB, WRs, or OL. CMC wouldn't have looked good on the 2023 Patriots offense.
>had another year in his rookie deal and the could have been tagged
Rookie year doesn't go away and $17m for two years is better than $13m for one year.
The problem for the Patriots was their quarterback play was so good last year there was no way they were going to hand the ball off. Teams knew they were going to get beat deep which you would think would open it up to running the ball but that was never needed.
Isn't it widely known last year was going to be a shitshow because Bill had his hands on everything and thought assigning Matt Patricia to offensive playcalling would be sufficient when we all knew it wouldn't be. Plus this isn't really that expensive of a contract. 17 mil guaranteed.
The market is down on RB contracts. As a percent of the salary cap, RBs are pretty much cheaper than ever before. If that trend continues, this is a poor move. But if New England believes that market will rise back up (or that the cap is gonna go way up and raise everyone's salary) and they want him around long term, it would be cheaper to resign him now than resign him in 2026.
I’ve said it in other comments but I don’t think it’s a poor move even if the RB market stats the exact same. If you look at what he got against other RB contracts signed in 24 it makes sense
Seeing a lot of comments about how he's just been okay the past few years; he looks to me like an above average back based on the games I've watched. What hasn't been above average in NE the last few years? The passing game and the offensive line. If the passing game and/or OL improve, Rhamondre improves too. That's my take at least.
I'm cautiously optimistic he'll do well in AVP's zone run scheme. He's always had good lateral wiggle and can get yards after contact, and can catch some passes too.
Not really sure if philosophy is the right word. I'm sure they would love to underpay players but unfortunately they don't have that luxury anymore being a bad team
More like he is one of the best skill position players they have, so paying him to keep him happy while we do a rebuild around him is a no brainer. We have plenty of cap space for the next few years since we aren't paying any market rate contracts at the premiere positions (no market rate veteran QB, WR1, LT, Edge, or CB1)
Wolf is making it a focal point to actually retain home-grown talent, which is a good approach, in my opinion. It shows they actually value their players and are willing to reward them, rather than the Belichick approach of letting most players hit free agency.
When you have money to spend might as well reward your core guys. In a vacuum this is a bad deal, but NE has plenty of cap space the next couple years. I'd rather they spend on their in-house guys that have had success here, instead of making big free agency splashes on mid level guys who may or may not be fits in the locker room or schematically.
>And it was barely a 1k yard season
Stop box-scoring watching and actually watch football. Rhamondre was really good in 2022, and he's an elite pass protector. Also, he averaged 5 yards per carry, which was good for 5th among all RBs. Not his fault Belichick didn't give him 300 carries and run him into the ground.
No one. All of the people on here are talking out of their ass or haven’t seem Mondre play ball. The two notable free agents he’s referring to have to be Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers.
So assuming theres an out, before all those years chime...youve got his last rookie year at what 3 million, then 17 million in guarantees.....so 20 mil for 3 years? That doesnt feel huge for a guy whos played well, had zero off the field issues, and can actually play 3 downs. Pats also have a ton of money this and next year, and him being "Top 10" in money never lasts, by next year he'll probably be much lower as all these new contracts hit for extensions.
Stevenson is much better than his yardage stats convey. The scheme has changed from a power run scheme when he got here in 2020 to a full zone scheme and he has adjusted decently well. He is very versatile and can play all 3 downs at a high level. I'm happy he's going to stick around at this price
We have an insane amount of cap space and a serious lack of playmakers. It is not that bad of a deal unless you’re obsessed about helping Kraft’s bank account.
9 per year seems like a lot for a guy that *feels* like a mid-round rookie could replace the production pretty 1:1.
That said, I support the shit out of RBs getting paid. I think their contracts should only count 50% against the cap.
$9m/yr may be a bit high but saying he could be replaced by a mid round rookie is really underselling him and feels like box score watching. He’s a true three down back, a good pass protector, and adjusted pretty seamlessly to the scheme change after his rookie year. He was one of the few bright spots the last couple years even if his production fell off last year. The Pats RBs averaged like 1.9 yards before contact last year, the ol fucked them
And he got paid more as a result.
I gotta say...reading this thread...two things become apparent.
1. Pats fans dont think their offense has been and still remains a dumpster fire.
2. Some the fuck how the nfl has convinced fans that on the debate of who should win in a contract negotiation...billionaires or players...fans should be for the billionaires.
Crazy shit.
Gotta keep any talent we have, now don’t trade Judon 🙂
Mondre, Judon and Jakobi Meyers were the reason I watched so many Patriots games post TB
Im sorry to hear that
I'll take one Judon, please.
Not a bad player and this deal won't hurt the team in any meaningful way with their caps space, but this is a shockingly weird deal. It just seems wholly unnecessary for a guy who has been good not great.
he's shown flashes and is an elite pass blocker. $9m/yr is virtually nothing for the Patriots right now. I think it's a great deal for both parties with plenty of upside
Also something I’ve heard players talk about on podcasts is how much RBs are often well respected locker room leaders. New coach, major locker room/culture transition, tons of cap space…extending a popular player who contributed on game day is a great PR move, and a solid RB who contributes in the passing game sounds like a great asset for a young, developing QB. He’s off the books by the time they have the pay Maye, so let’s just call this one the Rookie QB Contract special.
Also, elite pass blocker…OL is a sore spot and we have a rookie QB.
He’s tough as nails too. Something we need on the offensive side of the ball.
The one thing Bill always did well, was manage the cap. They had a ton of room left for this year, and an insane amount for next year.
Very funny playing franchise as the Pats and having like 40 something million in 24 cap space after free agency and the draft Like that’s more than the game lets you rollover into the next year lmao
TIL there is cap rollover in Madden. (I say as if I ever play without the cap turned off)
honestly had no idea they actually had that lmao
It's pretty easy to have cap space when you have no good players to pay.
We can’t all have one of the highest paid tight ends hauling in those massive two to three touchdowns a season.
Goeddert has consistently been one of the most efficient receivers (among TE) in the league over the last five years or so. He doesn't get many touchdowns, but his catch rate, success rate, ypc, first down rate, etc, have consistently been elite. This isn't as good of a burn as you think it is. The Eagles have some questionable contracts, but Goeddert isn't one of them.
Googled his stats, and this was this first thing that came up: [Every NFL Team's Most Overpaid Player](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10116188-every-nfl-teams-most-overpaid-player-following-peak-2024-free-agency) (Setting aside the fact that you misspelled your own team’s player’s name)
Ah yes, a two-sentence "analysis" that completely ignores what I just said; that Goedert has consistently ranked at or near the top of TEs in receiving efficiency. His counting numbers are unimpressive because he doesn't get as many targets as some other tight ends. But when he is targeted, he is elite. Unfortunately DYAR/DVOA is behind a paywall now, but if I remember correctly, from 2019-2021 Goedert was in the top-5 every single year in both DVOA (value per play) and DYAR (total value). In 2022 his DVOA was again excellent, but his DYAR dropped a bit because he was hurt, and couldn't accumulate as much value. Further, the splits in the Eagles' passing offense dropped significantly when he was out in 2022. They went from something like 2nd in passing EPA to 12th in the games he missed. This is off the top of my head so the numbers are +-, but I've posted about this before so it should be pretty close. In 2023 he got hurt again, and his efficiency was down as well. 2023 was definitely a down year for him, no arguments there. TL;DR judging Goedert on total yards / catches / touchdowns is missing what he does well, and this article is flat out wrong about him being the Eagles' most overpaid player. That player is James Bradberry, and it's not even remotely close. Bradberry is making ~11M this season guaranteed, and might not even make the team. > (Setting aside the fact that you misspelled your own team’s player’s name) Yeah, I can never remember how to spell his name. Should have googled it first. Oh well.
Are you even reading what you’re writing yourself? You just listed multiple reasons he’s overpaid, including constantly being hurt and declining production, which is exactly what the article said confirming my original point. My statement wasn’t he’s a bad tight end when available. I said he’s overpaid, because he doesn’t account for enough production to match his salary, which you’re just validating.
> he’s overpaid, because he doesn’t account for enough production to match his salary Efficiency is just as important, if not more important, than total production. I'd rather have elite efficiency on 80 targets than average efficiency on 120 targets, even though the latter will produce more total yards. > including constantly being hurt His availability has been an issue, yes. But I don't think missing 16 games over 6 years is enough to justify labeling him as the most overpaid player on the team. > declining production It was one season, which also coincided with the Eagles' offense declining significantly overall due to Brian Johnson and their absolutely garbage scheme. If he struggles again in 2024, then yes, I will be on board with this argument. Until then, no. Edit: To be fair to both you and the article, Goedert's contract is a bit higher than I realized. OTC has him as the 4th highest paid TE by APY. I would have guessed he was in the 6th-10th range. It's fair to say that 4th is too high for him. But there's not that many good TEs in the league, and the difference between 4th and 8th is like a million bucks per year. He's maybe overpaid by 1-1.5M, not a huge deal. Calling him the Eagles' most overpaid player is a joke when Bradberry exists.
He’s been really good tf. He’s probably the best offensive player
No one watches us unfortunately so they don't know how good he is. So nimble while being a big back
Yeah Rhamondre or Onwenu are our best player on offense. The fact that our O Line has sucked has people sleeping on him. We haven't had a RB this good since Blount and honestly I'd say he's playing at a very similar level despite the lower stats.
RB Zoom Call gonna be interesting this week.
If you look at the other APYs of RB contracts signed in 2024 it lines up almost perfectly. Lower than Saquon and Jacobs, higher than Mixon and Swift. That seems about right in terms of ranking them Granted he makes more then per year than Derrick Henry, but I think that’s age being baked into Henry’s contract and lowering the value
Henry also likely wants a shot at a ring and the sheer amount of work he's carried could scare teams.
I think part of the motivation is to show other players that we will reward you for working hard and being a team player. It’s a shift from the “we’ll just cut you for someone cheaper” philosophy that doesn’t work anymore.
The new GM (or whatever they call him) said essentially the same thing, but more diplomatically
This is where I'm at. It's interesting...but at the same time $17M guaranteed front loaded won't hurt the team (considering the room they already have). There's an out pretty quickly. So yeah, interesting, but it doesn't seem like it'll hurt so whatever.
He had 1 great year and a few others where he showed some flash but got injured. He’s good but not great like you said but has potential if he stays healthy. We have an out after 2 years so it’s not a bad deal
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Who is the frank gore or ap level of longevitiy? Mixon is getting there. Besides him. Not a single ffuckin soul
Shockingly weird describes a lot of what the Pats have done the last couple of years.
As opposed to all those brilliant panthers moves. How’s the offense going without CMC again?
Hey man, we’re trying our best.
Is that their excuse or just the saddest part of it all? Haha I love that we’re getting downvoted for this. Happy cake day!
He reminds me of Josh Jacobs. Stevenson is more versatile but when they’re healthy, theyre top 10 backs. Not a lot of backs are elite runners, good pass catchers, and great pass blocking. Both only have 1 full season too so there’s that.
Really good use of extra cap space on a guy who’s shown excellent pass blocking and can be a vet presence in the huddle with a rook like Drake… where’s the issue??
I mean I wouldn't call him a top talent in the league but he's been the only decent part of thier offense lately
> guy who has been good not great. uhhh he's been one of the best players on pats offense the past couple years, great rb
Good for them! In my experience, giving a RB an expensive 2nd contract never backfires or has any negative impact on a team's salary cap structure whatsoever.
lol, comparing Zeke’s contract to this one is hilarious. Pats can put all his guaranteed money on this year if the wanted and still have cap to roll over to 2025.
yeah this contract isn't even in the same stratosphere as the zeke or gurley contracts. this is a win-win for rhamondre and the patriots
To be fair the Cowboys overpaid for Pollard too
Yeah but Rhamondre isn’t in the stratosphere of those backs either. Hes the exact type of back you don’t pay, the type that’s good enough behind a good line but not a great one.
After you adjust for the increase in cap over the last 5 seasons, this is under half the AAV (and 2 fewer years).
This is 9m/yr with an out after two years what are you talking shorn
Only the cowboys would be stupid enough to give a running back the money Zeke got
Well that's not true, lots of RBs were getting paid back then. Gurley, Bell, AP, etc.
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*Woosh*
r/thatsthejoke
We really are one of the bad teams now aren’t we?
Enjoy it
We’re not like you, we just drafted a top 3 quarterback with raw ability who just needs experience. …Wait…no.…no…oh god.
It’s okay. I’m sure our rational and patient fan base won’t destroy his confidence
Yeah but only for 5 years now.
If you're just **now** accepting this, your denial skills are strong my friend.
I know we suck but we can suck and have a plan to be good. This is just oh we have a ton of cap because no one wants to play here so let’s throw it at an aging non elite rb who should do even worse in AVPs zone running scheme
For giving their best offensive player $9m a year with front-loaded guarantees so they have an out after two years? It's not a bad deal at all.
What’s your solution for RB in NE?
This year? Rhamondre.
Next year?
Draft? Free Agency? How did we do it for the last 20 plus years? I wouldn’t over pay an average back who doesn’t even fit van pelts scheme though.
So you’d rather gamble than extend maybe the best offensive player on the team? The draft and free agency next year should be used to plug holes we currently have Gonna have to agree to disagree on this one
… why? He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022, had another year in his rookie deal and the could have been tagged Good for him, but why are the Pats doing this?
To me this screams - "We have a ton of cap space, we have a QB on a rookie deal, we like how they look together in the two months since and we want to give him some stability in the backfield"
Not to mention only $17 mil guaranteed probably means those later years have an out if he falls off. Ultimately not a very consequential signing at a time where they have to worry more about surrounding Maye with talent over worrying about the cap.
It's still comfortably a Top 10 contract for a RB, and Stevenson is definitely not anywhere near a Top 10 in the NFL. The Patriots could've waited to pay him to see if his 2023 season was a fluke.
Saying he’s “definitely not anywhere near top 10 in the NFL” is pretty harsh. In 2022 he was easily top 10 with 1400 total yards on great efficiency. He passed the eye test in his rookie season but had to split time with Damien Harris (and got the Belichick rookie treatment). Last year was his worst but he was injured and the offense was obviously a total mess. I don’t see reason to believe his 2022 season was a fluke
You’re crazy if there aren’t ten RBs you would take over him
Maybe, maybe not. I don’t feel like debating that right now. But his 2022 season was easily top 10 for that season. And I’m guessing the organization is expecting him to repeat that assuming he doesn’t get injured like he did last year. Plus it’s not like they can just trade him for any of the guys you like better lol. The contract is pretty team friendly in terms of structure so I don’t see the big deal.
What are your 10?
I mean yeah. It's an overpay that they wouldn't have done if they were contending. But they aren’t, and ultimately I think there's value in a young, rebuilding team rewarding the guys that deserve it, and if they think Mondre is one of those guys then fuck it I don't really think it'll lead to any all too impactful repercussions the stakes are pretty low.
That's a fair point. The costliest player on the Patriots roster is Onwenu, who's not even cracking $20M/yr.
But who cares they weren't hurting for cap and 17 million over two years is whatever if he is a good locker room guy on a young team its worth it. Like its an overpay but it doesn't matter.
Like yeah if he ends up being a JAG this'll look bad but I don't think swinging and missing to keep a potential piece happy is a bad move, And I'm saying this after watching Miles Sanders do nothing for 15 games; we were still able to put together a really solid FA this year. This is pretty low risk.
Swapping out Foreman for Sanders was one of the most head-scratching moves the Panthers made in the 2023 off-season. I still don't understand why they did that.
Honestly, the big leap to zone blocking when we were power run team the season before was the biggest mistake. I think Sanders looks at least 'fine' if our o-line was any good at zone blocking last year.
It's also super low risk based on the guaranteed money and allows them to not reset the market to keep him if he breaks out.
Bro does not watch football.
That’s a long scream.
They have very little offensive skill talent. And when healthy he has been one of their best. It’s not like it’s a huge deal and they’re not spending it anywhere else on offense.
The cap carry’s over if unused I don’t agree that “he’s the best we’ve got” is a good enough reason Guys, do you think it’s wise to overpay a player who is under team control for at least two years just because your other players aren’t good? If it’s him or nothing, then ok overpay a bit, but you’re not losing him for the next two seasons
Compare this contract to any wide receiver. It’s chump change for a team that REALLY can’t turn their nose up at any weapons at all. Only two years guaranteed. Nothing to cry over
It’s not an overpay. The APY falls between Barkley/Jacobs and Swift/Mixon. He’s not as good a RB as Barkley or Jacobs, and he’s a better RB than Swift or 2024 Mixon.
Just cause the Texans overpaid Mixon doesn’t mean the Pats need to overpay Rhamondre
The tag is too expensive for him, they wanted him for 2 more years after this season, adding $17-18 million to have him at least the next three years is pretty cheap and he’s probably a good locker room guy.
If the tag is too expensive, why are you making him the 7th highest paid RB?
Because $17-$18 million for two years is a lot cheaper than $13 million for one year. Pretty simple. There is a big fall off after the top guy and another fall off after the 5th guy. Their pay ranking doesn’t matter, the AAV and guaranteed money matter.
I feel like they could have signed this exact same contract in 8 months if he has a solid season
But if they have the cap now why not sign him? It’s not like we’re suddenly in the running to spend top money on someone else
So save it for the carryover?
> He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022, The offensive line was a mess, and there was no real credible passing threat last year. The number of times he and Zeke were trying to dodge guys in the backfield was ridiculous. I'm not holding last year against him.
I’m not either. But i’d be shocked if that market didn’t. This is quite a bit higher than what i’d expect the market to pay It’s not a terrible contract, it just seems unnecessary
The last year on his rookie deal doesn't go away. It's still there
He is a three-down back that elite in pass blocking, with a rookie QB. In my (dumbass) opinion, rookie QBs benefit a lot from a consistent pass blocking RB. Their QB is on a rookie contract of course, so I think it's worth it. I'm not a cap guru, but this seems cheaper than tagging him. The tag is expected to be about $12mil for an RB next year. This deal is only $17mil guaranteed. So under this deal they'll be on the hook for ~$8mil in the first year of the contract, and then they can cut him with no dead cap. Compared to paying him $12mil on the tag and letting him walk. I'm assuming some of his guaranteed money will be shifted to this year, but again, I'm not a cap guru.
But like, why now? Why not wait a year and see if he performs. This is well above his market value and unless he has like 1700 total yards this year it’s hard to see how he would earn any more than this It’s just completely unnecessary
His average annual salary is only 3% of the current cap and the cap will only continue to increase. They can wait and if he performs well, though he'll be more expensive to re-sign or they can tag him. If they tag him, they'd already be better off with this contract. There is of course a chance he'll be bad this year, but I think the risk-reward tips in favor of this contract because it's a small portion of the cap and will likely only be 1%-2% of the cap over the next few years. Plus, I put more value into an RB that is a good pass blocker, especially for a rookie QB. Even if he doesn't put up amazing stats, it'll likely be worth it just for the benefit to Maye's development. There is just such a small risk associated with this contract, they have the cap, and gambling could end up costing them a lot more.
How is it well above market value? Swift just got 8m/yr and 15.3 gtd, and Rhamondre is slightly better. Plus it's an extension, so some of the money will go into this year. It's a bit of an overpay, but it doesn't hamstring us in the slightest.
How many people do you think would agree that the guy who just had the season he had is better than Swift? In an open market you think he’s getting this deal?
Based on 1 year? No. But if we based it on just 2022, then everybody would say Rhamondre was better. Based on the past 2 years, their production is about equal, but Rhamondre is more complete but with a worse team. I think he'd get something very similar to Swift, so yeah it would be close.
It's a pretty cheap deal for one of their better contributors on O. Tagging him next year would've been in the 13M range just for 1 year.
It seems like an attempt to make New England an attractive destination for players. “We pay for talent, and will give you incentive to come to our team”. They really lost their attractiveness when Brady left and Bill wasn’t being productive. Gotta make up for it with $.
>He wasn’t nearly as good as in 2022 That's what happens when you have no QB, WRs, or OL. CMC wouldn't have looked good on the 2023 Patriots offense. >had another year in his rookie deal and the could have been tagged Rookie year doesn't go away and $17m for two years is better than $13m for one year.
I’m well aware his rookie year doesn’t go away, thanks
You said "had" not "has" so one could reasonably infer you thought it got replaced.
The problem for the Patriots was their quarterback play was so good last year there was no way they were going to hand the ball off. Teams knew they were going to get beat deep which you would think would open it up to running the ball but that was never needed.
Reminds me of the Texans extending Joe Mixon. In both situations I don't understand why the teams felt they had to do the extension.
Their offense has been a dumpster fire and RS has proven he can operate in it regardless.
He had 600 yards last year lol
In a full season, healthy?? Oh god...the Pats franchise is out to lunch with this contract. Oh well.
I keep saying this and everyone tells me I’m wrong
Isn't it widely known last year was going to be a shitshow because Bill had his hands on everything and thought assigning Matt Patricia to offensive playcalling would be sufficient when we all knew it wouldn't be. Plus this isn't really that expensive of a contract. 17 mil guaranteed.
Patricia wasn’t calling plays last year
The market is down on RB contracts. As a percent of the salary cap, RBs are pretty much cheaper than ever before. If that trend continues, this is a poor move. But if New England believes that market will rise back up (or that the cap is gonna go way up and raise everyone's salary) and they want him around long term, it would be cheaper to resign him now than resign him in 2026.
I’ve said it in other comments but I don’t think it’s a poor move even if the RB market stats the exact same. If you look at what he got against other RB contracts signed in 24 it makes sense
RBs always struggle under garbage QB play. They are often in long yardage situations.
Seeing a lot of comments about how he's just been okay the past few years; he looks to me like an above average back based on the games I've watched. What hasn't been above average in NE the last few years? The passing game and the offensive line. If the passing game and/or OL improve, Rhamondre improves too. That's my take at least.
I'm cautiously optimistic he'll do well in AVP's zone run scheme. He's always had good lateral wiggle and can get yards after contact, and can catch some passes too.
Also you can’t say if it’s a good or bad contract until you see the term of the contract. Players almost never get the full amount they put out there
Pats actually pay there RBs?
It’s a new era. But seriously, he’s been their only playmaker when healthy
Yeah you really wasted Hunter Henry's best years.
Bro just wasn’t down to play with Herbert
You're the one saying he's not a playmaker when if you watched game film you'd see he's still great.
Dawg relax. I’ve watched plenty of patriots film, Henry can still ball…but the patriots are still trash 😂😂
Clearly a Bill Belichick problem. He’s always letting the older RBs go so he can draft a younger 24 year old RB.
I mean was it a problem? His running back philosophy aged a lot better than the one he had for paying wide receivers.
Linda Holliday -> Jordan Hudson Better to trade a player a year early than to trade a player a year late.
With Mayo, sure seems like it’s a different philosophy Mondre is also great so I’m happy about it
That's how I like my sandwiches, with Mayo
Not really sure if philosophy is the right word. I'm sure they would love to underpay players but unfortunately they don't have that luxury anymore being a bad team
More like he is one of the best skill position players they have, so paying him to keep him happy while we do a rebuild around him is a no brainer. We have plenty of cap space for the next few years since we aren't paying any market rate contracts at the premiere positions (no market rate veteran QB, WR1, LT, Edge, or CB1)
Wolf is making it a focal point to actually retain home-grown talent, which is a good approach, in my opinion. It shows they actually value their players and are willing to reward them, rather than the Belichick approach of letting most players hit free agency.
their
Here rbs. There rbs.
When you have money to spend might as well reward your core guys. In a vacuum this is a bad deal, but NE has plenty of cap space the next couple years. I'd rather they spend on their in-house guys that have had success here, instead of making big free agency splashes on mid level guys who may or may not be fits in the locker room or schematically.
When you factor in his blocking ability, it’s not a terrible deal.
Yes, not terrible, merely bad.
Who on that offense would you throw some money at? Maybe Tyquan Thorton?
I would throw it at Rhamondre like they did.
Bad deal thou.
I explained it pretty clearly in my first post. I don't think we actually disagree that much here.
As i root for players to get paid and not billionaires to keep getting richer...dunno.
RB market is sooo back babyy!!!
I love Stevenson and we have the money to burn. Great news
It’s good to see a RB getting paid
People pay running backs still?
Paying RBs is SO 2010s.
Yay!
Steal
Okay, so we know the agent speak terms of the contract, has anyone released the real money yet? Two years... 15 million is what I'm guessing
> $9m/yr for a middling RB LOL LMAO even
He only has a single 1k yard season, but RBs are such a high demand position so I get it.
And it was barely a 1k yard season, and it was during a year when a dozen other RBs reached 1k yards. Stevenson is good, but he's not $9M/yr great.
>And it was barely a 1k yard season Stop box-scoring watching and actually watch football. Rhamondre was really good in 2022, and he's an elite pass protector. Also, he averaged 5 yards per carry, which was good for 5th among all RBs. Not his fault Belichick didn't give him 300 carries and run him into the ground.
He's also very good at yards after contact. Dude gets no respect because "lol patriots RB", but he does everything at a high level.
It’s only 17 mil guaranteed
Have you seen what $17m guaranteed can get you in the RB market? That's still a lot of money for a fairly unproven/inconsistent RB.
Who is on the market they could get that is better? Not being sarcastic I honestly don’t know.
No one. All of the people on here are talking out of their ass or haven’t seem Mondre play ball. The two notable free agents he’s referring to have to be Dalvin Cook and Cam Akers.
So assuming theres an out, before all those years chime...youve got his last rookie year at what 3 million, then 17 million in guarantees.....so 20 mil for 3 years? That doesnt feel huge for a guy whos played well, had zero off the field issues, and can actually play 3 downs. Pats also have a ton of money this and next year, and him being "Top 10" in money never lasts, by next year he'll probably be much lower as all these new contracts hit for extensions.
Pretty good deal both ways imo
Stevenson is much better than his yardage stats convey. The scheme has changed from a power run scheme when he got here in 2020 to a full zone scheme and he has adjusted decently well. He is very versatile and can play all 3 downs at a high level. I'm happy he's going to stick around at this price
And he can catch
Overpaying for a RB cus we have nothing else better to do
Anyone have the proper contract details? I’m hoping this is only in theory a 2 year deal
this deal would be dumb if the pats were anywhere near competing right now. $9m for a okay-good rb is terrible
So the Pats will re-sign their own RBs and TEs to expensive contracts but won't spend on WRs and O-line in FA to help their rookie QB. Makes sense.
How is this kid making more than Swift?
Too much money
Terrible deal for a dude who only rushed for 600 yards. You don’t pay running backs that you can replace in the draft
We have an insane amount of cap space and a serious lack of playmakers. It is not that bad of a deal unless you’re obsessed about helping Kraft’s bank account.
9 per year seems like a lot for a guy that *feels* like a mid-round rookie could replace the production pretty 1:1. That said, I support the shit out of RBs getting paid. I think their contracts should only count 50% against the cap.
$9m/yr may be a bit high but saying he could be replaced by a mid round rookie is really underselling him and feels like box score watching. He’s a true three down back, a good pass protector, and adjusted pretty seamlessly to the scheme change after his rookie year. He was one of the few bright spots the last couple years even if his production fell off last year. The Pats RBs averaged like 1.9 yards before contact last year, the ol fucked them
lol
That seems like a lot for him, I'm a little surprised.
Yall just paid taylor 27m guranteed
And? Taylor is a vastly superior player.
And he got paid more as a result. I gotta say...reading this thread...two things become apparent. 1. Pats fans dont think their offense has been and still remains a dumpster fire. 2. Some the fuck how the nfl has convinced fans that on the debate of who should win in a contract negotiation...billionaires or players...fans should be for the billionaires. Crazy shit.
Idk how you came to the conclusion that Pats fans don’t think the offense was a dumpster fire the last two years 😂
Read the comments on this sub.
Uhhh okay I guess?
Ben Baldwin about to become the Bron of rage tweeting...
Overpay, even if only the first 2 years are guaranteed.
This man did nothing for me in fantasy last year and he got this contract?