Brent Grimes deal sets the stage for Aqib Talib contract
Today, Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes signed an extension to stay with Miami.
Last year, Grimes signed there on a one year deal coming off a season ending achilles injury in 2012. It was a "prove it" contract and he more than did so. As Nick Underhill of MassLive.com points out, Grimes was ProFootballFocus's second best corner in 2013.
The Patriots' Aqib Talib had a similar strategy to Grimes. A troubled past, injury history, and lukewarm market all forced Talib into signing his own one year "prove it deal" and stay on with the Patriots. Grimes just got a big pay day from that strategy, with the dollars being reported at $8 million per year and $16 million guaranteed.
Talib's deal last year was for $5 million and you can bet the Patriots are not looking to shell out three extra million a year for Aqib Talib. Still, Grimes has now set the market for the top of the crop for free-agent cornerbacks. It's unfortunate for the Patriots, as now you know Talib's agent will be asking for at least that much, if not more.
The Pats have their own argument against paying the corner what is now top dollar though. Robert Kraft recently talked about how the team might hesitate with Talib because he hasn't been able to stay on the field. While he was arguably the team's MVP over the first month and a half of 2013, his hip injury flared up causing him to miss a lot of time and when he did come back his production went down. He then suffered another injury for the second straight AFC championship game, which ultimately led to two Patriots defeats.
The importance of Talib to this team can't be underestimated though and he's built himself a reputation as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Talib is also younger than Grimes by three years, and that will certainly be something his agent tries to hammer home with New England.
We know from last year's Welker debacle that the team rarely moves off of their position of what they believe a player is worth. It's hard to imagine they see him being worth more than $8 million, so if Talib is going to stay it could come down to how the contract is creatively structured, with incentives etc.
The team has until 4 pm on March 11th to sign Talib to an extension. If they fail to do so, he hits the open market where there will be plenty of suitors willing to shell out $8 million a year.
RELATED:
5 likely destinations for Aqib Talib
Using the franchise tag on Aqib Talib will cost the Patriots
Re-signing both Talib and Edelman may not be possible
Last year, Grimes signed there on a one year deal coming off a season ending achilles injury in 2012. It was a "prove it" contract and he more than did so. As Nick Underhill of MassLive.com points out, Grimes was ProFootballFocus's second best corner in 2013.
The Patriots' Aqib Talib had a similar strategy to Grimes. A troubled past, injury history, and lukewarm market all forced Talib into signing his own one year "prove it deal" and stay on with the Patriots. Grimes just got a big pay day from that strategy, with the dollars being reported at $8 million per year and $16 million guaranteed.
Dolphins gave Pro-Bowl CB Brent Grimes a four-year, $32 million deal that includes $16 million guaranteed, per ESPN source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2014
Talib's deal last year was for $5 million and you can bet the Patriots are not looking to shell out three extra million a year for Aqib Talib. Still, Grimes has now set the market for the top of the crop for free-agent cornerbacks. It's unfortunate for the Patriots, as now you know Talib's agent will be asking for at least that much, if not more. The Pats have their own argument against paying the corner what is now top dollar though. Robert Kraft recently talked about how the team might hesitate with Talib because he hasn't been able to stay on the field. While he was arguably the team's MVP over the first month and a half of 2013, his hip injury flared up causing him to miss a lot of time and when he did come back his production went down. He then suffered another injury for the second straight AFC championship game, which ultimately led to two Patriots defeats.
The importance of Talib to this team can't be underestimated though and he's built himself a reputation as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Talib is also younger than Grimes by three years, and that will certainly be something his agent tries to hammer home with New England.
We know from last year's Welker debacle that the team rarely moves off of their position of what they believe a player is worth. It's hard to imagine they see him being worth more than $8 million, so if Talib is going to stay it could come down to how the contract is creatively structured, with incentives etc.
The team has until 4 pm on March 11th to sign Talib to an extension. If they fail to do so, he hits the open market where there will be plenty of suitors willing to shell out $8 million a year.
RELATED:
5 likely destinations for Aqib Talib
Using the franchise tag on Aqib Talib will cost the Patriots
Re-signing both Talib and Edelman may not be possible
