Patriots Payroll Explodes

[HoosierCat]

The price of victory…perhaps another chink in the vaunted Patriots machine’s armor…?

http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/...articleid=98545

The price of success: Champs' payroll in $105M range

By Michael Felger/ Patriots Insider

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - Updated: 07:10 AM EST

FOXBORO - The Patriots are cheap with their players?

The Pats don't pay their stars?

It's a charge that will be extremely hard to levy this season.

After shelling out more than $30 million in signing bonuses and giving raises to at least a half-dozen veterans, the Pats are expected to have a payroll (actual cash spent, not salary cap dollars) of more than $105 million this year.

That figure could make the Pats the highest-spending team in the NFL in 2005. Not since the open-checkbook days of Robert Kraft's early ownership a decade ago have the Pats risen to anywhere near that level.

In fact, since Bill Belichick took over the football operation in 2000, the closest the Pats have come was in 2003 when they ranked ninth in the league with an estimated payroll of $82 million. Otherwise, they've been bottom-feeders during Belichick's tenure, ranking 25th in 2000 ($51.3 million), 24th in 2001 ($65.7 million), 31st in 2002 ($46.1 million) and 24th in 2004 ($77 million).

Unlike most of the league's big spenders in the past (such as the Washington Redskins, who dished out a record $118 million last year), the Patriots ballooned their payroll primarily by re-signing their own players, not making a splurge in the free agent market.

New contracts for Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, Mike Vrabel and Jarvis Green resulted in some $29 million in 2005 salaries and signing bonuses alone. Kicker Adam Vinatieri's franchise tag of $2.5 million and raises for Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison also had an impact.

Add in relatively modest free agent deals for linebackers Chad Brown and Monty Beisel and the rookie signing bonus money, and you can see how the numbers have grown.

It won't get any easier for the Pats next year, as Brady is due a second-tier bonus of $12 million, Seymour will be one step closer to the end of his contract and starters David Givens, Stephen Neal and Tom Ashworth are scheduled to enter free agency. And don't forget the draft and free agency.

The bottom line? It took a few years, but the price of the Pats' success has finally caught up to them.

[Spain]

Recipe for disaster, you need young guys coming in , and not pay vets. Two Cents

[Who?]

It seems as if the Patriots dynasty is now coming to an end.

[alleycat]

Anyone watch last night's game. I was interested to watch for comparisons on gauging cincy's performance (acknowledging that such comparisons are EXTREMELY difficult to do in preseason). One thing that was clear is that both the Saints and Bengals were able to run at will against the Pats, even their first team. Brushci and Johson look to be hurting them.

One thing that did brighten the picture though was that Matt Cassel (when he wasn't on his back) also performed VERY well against the Saints D (which isn't saying much as they were the last in the League last year, but it still makes me feel a little better about are backups).

All of the sacks the Pats gave up make me question our pass rush from that game given that the Saints were all over them.

Again, I know you can't compare preseason games, but anyone else see any room for insight?

[rizzy]

Yeah the saints D was all over matt cassel. He probably did not know who he was this morning after some of the hits he took.

[JPW]

I think that the Saints may have had a little advantage, in that they knew what to expect from Matt Cassel.

I mean who the heck thought that the guy would pull a Mike Vick act on us last week.

[HoosierCat]

For me, the best thing about the Pats/Saints game was watching Brady go out and get picked on his first throw. Made me feel much better about Palmer's first toss.

As for the Pats' payroll, two things struck me. First, there's this big belief out there that the Pats are this "band of brothers" who stay together and take less money to win Super Bowl rings. Well, that may have been true once, but it ain't now. And I have to wonder if the combination of their coaching and personnel losses, plus plenty of rings on their fingers, plus fat wallets, isn't going to take the edge off their play.

The second thing was the last line. If Marvin is successful in building a championship team in Cincy, that time will catch up to us, too. The Pats' payroll represents, what $20 million cash over cap? And the Bengals front office has stated categorically that, being a poor destitute small market club, they can't afford to do cash over cap stuff.