NFL Offseason

[Phlegm]

The Patriots is on a spending spree this off season. They just signed Donte Stallworth for 6 years.

[Lyion]

That's a smoke screen deal.

STALLWORTH SIGNED A "PROVE IT" DEAL

As we guessed several days ago, the contract that receiver Donte' Stallworth has inked with the New England Patriots is a one-year "prove it" deal. If he is effective, and if he doesn't get suspended for violation of the substance abuse policy, the team will likely pay him $8 million in 2008 bonus money. If he is not effective, or if he gets suspended, the team can walk away.

And if Stallworth is a training camp train wreck, the team is out only a $1 million signing bonus and $300,000 workout bonus.

So why didn't Stallworth just sign a one-year deal and head back to free agency in 2008? If he plays well enough for the Pats to happily hand him $8 million by early March, he'd likely get much more than that on the open market.

The glitch, as one league insider has explained it to us, is the franchise tag. Under a one-year deal, the Pats would still have the ability to restrict Stallworth's movement by extending an offer with a one-season salary equal to the average of the five highest-paid receivers in the game.

And with Stallworth set to earn $11 million in 2008 if the Patriots like what he does in 2007, they surely would have been willing to use the franchise tag -- which will be several million bucks less than his currently scheduled pay -- if Stallworth had played like a star under a one-year deal. (The structure of the contract prevents the Pats from passing on the option bonus but then tying Stallworth's hands -- and saving a lot of money -- with the franchise tag, since the option bonus is due after the last day for using the franchise or transition tags.)

So why not ask the team to agree not to use the franchise tag? As the source explained, it's hard to get a one-year deal worth much more than the veteran minimum if the team then has no way to extend the player's tenure with the team.

[Phlegm]

The Texans new starting quarterback? Matt Schaub signed a six-year, $48 million contract with the Texans, after being traded from Atlanta.

[Xaiveir]

Yeah Carr is done in Houston. He will probably be traded for a third round pick and a bag of chips.

[Phlegm]

I hope Schaub likes to eat dirt because that what Carr had been doing the last 5 years in Houston.

[Xaiveir]

Schaub is more of a prototypical west coast QB. Carr held onto the ball alot longer than what was needed. Im not saying that the Texans line wasnt crap, because it was. However Carr's was very slow at reading defenses, and paid for it.

Schaub is a very quick reader, and likes the 3 step drop and throw, so I think the Texans will improve. It still amazes me though that the Texans signed him to that deal, when he has never won a start that he has made.