Champ Bailey released by the Broncos
Today the Denver Broncos announced that they have officially released cornerback Champ Bailey, who has played the last ten seasons in Denver after five seasons to begin his career with the Redskins.
The team's choice to cut ties with the future Hall of Famer was a move many saw coming given the salary cap ramifications of his release. The move saves Denver $10 million in cape space, which they can now allocate to address other areas of concern.
Bailey's release came coupled with a statement from General Manager John Elway, who was gracious and appreciative of Bailey's time in Denver (Quote from ESPN.com):
Here are a couple thoughts looking at the release through a Patriots lens:
Bill loves Champ Bailey. An article posted today on Boston.com goes in depth to document his admiration for Champ as a player, and goes on to connect the dots for how he could end up in New England. We also know Bill loves to scoop up veterans past their prime from the bargain bin and see if they contribute to the team with skill and a veteran presence.
In some cases, this has worked (Rodney Harrison), in other cases, it has flopped (Adrian Wilson, John Lynch). Assessing how much Bailey has left in the tank, I would lean towards: not much. If the Super Bowl was an audition for him to prove he can still play, he failed, repeatedly getting burned by the young receivers on the Seahawks.
According to reports Bailey has no plans on retiring, and is now added to an interesting free agent class of defensive backs that already includes Allteraun Verner, T.J Ward, Charles Tillman, and more. While rumors are floating around that the Patriots may be trying to pry Darelle Revis from Tampa Bay, it seems a more likely conclusion that they will attempt to re-sign Aqib Talib or pursue a replacement for him in free agency who is more cost effective than Revis.
Another interesting take-away from this release that could apply to the Patriots offense is that the Broncos have effectively cut ties with an important veteran leader with diminishing skills and a monster contract. Sound familiar? It should, because the Patriots are in the same boat with Vince Wilfork, who is owed over $11 million this upcoming season and is coming off a torn achilles in the later stages of his career.
If the Patriots are realistically planning on making some sort of splash in free agency outside of their go-to bargain bin approach, Wilfork will need to be released or restructured. If they decide to release him, perhaps there is something to be learned from how Denver was able to do so smoothly with their defensive leader.
In fifteen seasons, Bailey played in 215 games, amassing 52 interceptions, 822 tackles, and 4 touchdowns. Perhaps his most memorable play is his interception and near touchdown return in the Patriots 2005 playoff loss to Jake Plummer and the Broncos. A sure bet for the Hall of Fame, it will be interesting to see if Bailey gets any bites in the coming weeks.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
The team's choice to cut ties with the future Hall of Famer was a move many saw coming given the salary cap ramifications of his release. The move saves Denver $10 million in cape space, which they can now allocate to address other areas of concern.
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| Jeff Gross/Getty Images |
Bailey's release came coupled with a statement from General Manager John Elway, who was gracious and appreciative of Bailey's time in Denver (Quote from ESPN.com):
"This was a difficult decision for our team with everything that Champ Bailey has meant to the Denver Broncos and this community over the last 10 years," executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway said. "Without question, he's among the best cornerbacks to ever play the game and one of the finest players in the history of the Broncos. You couldn't ask for more in a player than what Champ brought to this team. His combination of elite talent, class, leadership and competitiveness made him one of the all-time greats.
"On behalf of everyone with the Broncos, I wish Champ all the best and thank him for everything he did for this franchise. Champ will always be a Bronco. We look forward to his Ring of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame election in the years ahead."
Here are a couple thoughts looking at the release through a Patriots lens:
Bill loves Champ Bailey. An article posted today on Boston.com goes in depth to document his admiration for Champ as a player, and goes on to connect the dots for how he could end up in New England. We also know Bill loves to scoop up veterans past their prime from the bargain bin and see if they contribute to the team with skill and a veteran presence.
In some cases, this has worked (Rodney Harrison), in other cases, it has flopped (Adrian Wilson, John Lynch). Assessing how much Bailey has left in the tank, I would lean towards: not much. If the Super Bowl was an audition for him to prove he can still play, he failed, repeatedly getting burned by the young receivers on the Seahawks.
According to reports Bailey has no plans on retiring, and is now added to an interesting free agent class of defensive backs that already includes Allteraun Verner, T.J Ward, Charles Tillman, and more. While rumors are floating around that the Patriots may be trying to pry Darelle Revis from Tampa Bay, it seems a more likely conclusion that they will attempt to re-sign Aqib Talib or pursue a replacement for him in free agency who is more cost effective than Revis.
Another interesting take-away from this release that could apply to the Patriots offense is that the Broncos have effectively cut ties with an important veteran leader with diminishing skills and a monster contract. Sound familiar? It should, because the Patriots are in the same boat with Vince Wilfork, who is owed over $11 million this upcoming season and is coming off a torn achilles in the later stages of his career.
If the Patriots are realistically planning on making some sort of splash in free agency outside of their go-to bargain bin approach, Wilfork will need to be released or restructured. If they decide to release him, perhaps there is something to be learned from how Denver was able to do so smoothly with their defensive leader.
In fifteen seasons, Bailey played in 215 games, amassing 52 interceptions, 822 tackles, and 4 touchdowns. Perhaps his most memorable play is his interception and near touchdown return in the Patriots 2005 playoff loss to Jake Plummer and the Broncos. A sure bet for the Hall of Fame, it will be interesting to see if Bailey gets any bites in the coming weeks.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
