It's only fitting that I follow up part one which was about Hall of Famer Ty Law with discussing his replacement Asante Samuel, another frequently mentioned name in the Belichick let him go too early contest.
​SHOES FILLED- When Law got hurt in 2004, Asante stepped into some big shoes and filled them up pretty handedly. Upon Law being released from the Patriots and moving onto the Jets in 2005, Asante kept up that pace for another two seasons. On the last year of his rookie deal, Asante filled up the stat sheet with 10 interceptions and 24 pass deflections.
​FRANCHISED AND PISSED- The time had now come for Asante to get paid. Knowing that they wanted to keep him, the Patriots slapped the franchise tag on him February 16, 2007. While this would mean he would get paid pretty well for one season, Asante wasn't very thrilled and wouldn't end up signing thetag until training camp had already started. In order to sign his contract, Asante insisted on a getting a guarantee that he wouldn't be tagged the following season.
TIME TO GET PAID, TAKE TWO- Except for his big, game changing, top ten of Super Bowl screwups which helped deny the Patriots the perfect season, Asante once again played the role of shutdown corner for New England. His play in 2008 earned him a First-Team All-Pro selection. This would be the year Asante would get paid.
THE DEAL- Asante was one of the most sought after free agents of the 2008 off-season. He had his new deal completed on the first day of free agency. Asante would now be wearing number 22 for the Eagles to the tune $56 million over six years.
THE VERDICT- Because Asante Samuel ended up leaving for much greener pastures than the Patriots were going to offer, you can't really say that Belichick let him go. Did Belichick put himself in a bind by the way the 2007 off-season went down, yes absolutely.
THE DEAL- Asante was one of the most sought after free agents of the 2008 off-season. He had his new deal completed on the first day of free agency. Asante would now be wearing number 22 for the Eagles to the tune $56 million over six years.
THE VERDICT- Because Asante Samuel ended up leaving for much greener pastures than the Patriots were going to offer, you can't really say that Belichick let him go. Did Belichick put himself in a bind by the way the 2007 off-season went down, yes absolutely.
FREE AGENT SIGNING 2007- Not long after Asante got franchised, Belichick "backed up the Brinks truck" to pay free agent Adalius Thomas. Whether or not paying Thomas happened before long-term contract talks started with Asante and his agent, I don't know. Regardless, bringing in Thomas was one of Belichick's biggest mistakes. Adalius Thomas signed a 5 year $35 million deal with the team on March 3rd. The first year in Foxboro, Thomas played well and kept his teammates humble with his humble-pie t-shirts. The honeymoon was short-lived though as injuries, tardiness, and poor play led the way to hisrelease the day after the 2010 draft.
NO MONEY- Signing Adalius Thomas cost the Patriots money. It is money that could have helped keep Asante Samuel around. Additionally, when you look at the cap numbers for Patriot players in 2007 and 2008, you can see that the Patriots were in a bit of cap jail in 2008. After having their incredible 16-0 regular season run with Brady, Moss and Welker accounting for only $12 million on the cap, their caps would more than double the following year.
NO MONEY- Signing Adalius Thomas cost the Patriots money. It is money that could have helped keep Asante Samuel around. Additionally, when you look at the cap numbers for Patriot players in 2007 and 2008, you can see that the Patriots were in a bit of cap jail in 2008. After having their incredible 16-0 regular season run with Brady, Moss and Welker accounting for only $12 million on the cap, their caps would more than double the following year.
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