Vereen - stay or go?

What if $3.5m is not enough

Double TE said:

What if $3.5m is not enough

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I think we saw what they are willing to pay with guys like Julian Edelman (basically 4m AAV), so the thought of paying Shane Vereen the same kind of money seems like quite a stretch.

Ivan said:

I think his versatility is where the value is. How many guys can run the ball on any down, play 3rd down receiving back, WR and slot receiver, and contribute on special teams. Vereen is a perfect fit and can both start or provide insurance at multiple positions. He's well worth 3.5 a season and I believe they will pay him that.

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I hope you're right, but I think you're really pushing it with this whole "he can do it all" thing.

Keep in mind that aside from one big run vs. CIN which gave him a total of 90 yds in the game, Vereen had a high rushing yardage of over 40 yards just twice all season long (43 and 40).

He also was extremely mediocre at best on the ground, and only saw attempt totals in the double digits twice (11, and 11--which came directly after the loss of Ridley and before Blount).

Do you really think that Bill Belichick is going to pay him 3.5--4 million dollars per year to carry the ball EIGHT times or less in 17/19 games?

Sure, he allows us to take advantage of short passes vs teams with stout defensive fronts (DET--8 catches, and SEA--11 catches), but that's not exactly screaming "value" to me. It looks like we'll have to move on with someone else for way less money. Unfortunately, it will probably take a year or two to fill his shoes in the short passing game, but such is life in the NFL salary cap era.

What does everyone think he's actually worth?

I agree. He is good not great. Good receiver for sure but replaceable.

He is worth $1.5m per yr

He is going to get some suitors for sure. I bet a team like New Orleans would love to get a player of his skill set. Those fans are still mad about The Sproles departure.

Ivan said:

We disagree. I think they see him as an all purpose player who fills a variety of roles and needs well for them. I'm betting he is back.

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Kyle Arrington's versatility, including his contributions in "the kicking game," was rewarded with an extension that raised eyebrows here. Why not the same for Shane Vereen?

I want some of what M. Reiss has been smoking. This isn't his father's NFL. Not many RBs get $4 million a year offers these days. $4 million a year for a guy coming off a career best 391 yard season? Jesus, the Cowboys offered $4 million a year to Demarco Murray (1845 yards in 2014).

Nunchucks said:

Most times he touched the ball and in preseason.

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This year was the first time that Verren was healthy and effective for a whole season, I like Vereen and I would like to keep him but I dont think that the Patriots are going to be able to/willing to pay him $3 or 4 million a year which is what he is going to want. I'd like to see what White can do in year two before writing him off as a bust

try to ignore the "expert hysteria", hwc...if they keep him, great..if they don't, we, as fans have to move on. Too much obsession with binkies from today's fans and too little ability or inclination to see the big picture.

Joker said:

try to ignore the "expert hysteria", hwc...if they keep him, great..if they don't, we, as fans have to move on. Too much obsession with binkies from today's fans and too little ability or inclination to see the big picture.

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maybe true, but rooting for the laundry isn't what it should be all about

then tell me...what SHOULD it be all about? Idol worship? My "idol" got 200 yards, so who gives a shyt about that loss?... why even have a team then, why even have role players? just reduce it to 5 on 5 and may the best LeBron win...

I'll be a Pats fan until I die off...maybe by then the NFL WILL have morphed into the WWE and all the hero worshippers can hold nonstop fantasy stat conventions every Sunday instead of, you know, actually WATCH a T-E-A-M play the game it was designed to do. I just hope I don't live to see this friggin' dreck.

Joker said:

then tell me...what SHOULD it be all about? Idol worship? My "idol" got 200 yards, so who gives a shyt about that loss?... why even have a team then, why even have role players? just reduce it to 5 on 5 and may the best LeBron win...

I'll be a Pats fan until I die off...maybe by then the NFL WILL have morphed into the WWE and all the hero worshippers can hold nonstop fantasy stat conventions every Sunday instead of, you know, actually WATCH a T-E-A-M play the game it was designed to do. I just hope I don't live to see this friggin' dreck.

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who said anything about idol worshipping?..It would be be pretty boring rooting for a team of nameless players though. The players make the game...I guess maybe having Belichick be in charge of a bunch of robots would be more appealing? He could just remote control them from the sidelines.

BTW all those people ready to push Vereen out the door... you have no idea what his contract demands are. This is all speculation. Why would you get rid of the next Kevin Faulk, when he has proven to us again and again that he is a valuable playoff contributor?

Vereen almost single-handedly destroyed the Texans in the 2012 playoffs. Then he helped Brady pick apart the Seahawks in the Superbowl this year.

And how easy do you think it will be to get this type of player again? We expended a 2nd round pick on Vereen which is a pretty early selection. And we bust on our 2nd round picks about half the time. All we need to do to keep Vereen is pay cash. To replace him likely will cost a valuable draft pick who might not even pan out.

And James White? That's a joke right, he has shown ZERO to indicate he is ready to fill Vereen's shoes. The year we let Woodhead go, is after Vereen blew up the Texans in the playoffs and opened eyes that he could turn out even better if given the chance. I'm not convinced White is not a bust. If anything he might be Ridley's replacement. Or he might not even make the 53 next year.

Personally I see Vereen as the new Kevin Faulk and we need that type of guy. Vereen isn't going to be a 1000 yard a season rusher but we don't set up the offense for that guy either. He's an amazing option for short passes and when the run is stuffed becomes the go to guy. Keeping Vereen will be a big piece if there's any hope to repeat.

Roy Finch would make a better replacement for Vereen than White IMO...and he's a cut

hwc said:

I want some of what M. Reiss has been smoking. This isn't his father's NFL. Not many RBs get $4 million a year offers these days. $4 million a year for a guy coming off a career best 391 yard season? Jesus, the Cowboys offered $4 million a year to Demarco Murray (1845 yards in 2014).

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He is basing his projections off of the 3/10.5 (3.5m dollar AAV) contract that Donald Brown signed last year with San Diego in the same role.

In this case, I'm thinking that Reiss is right in the ballpark. Vereen was a 2nd round pick, who just showcased his skillset in the Super Bowl with 11 catches. Why wouldn't he get something similar to what Brown received?

I think he's one of those kinds of players that can produce more in the right setting, and that there will likely be some teams who may envision a role for him.

LeoparCT said:

Keeping Vereen will be a big piece if there's any hope to repeat.

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Wow..."keeping Vereen will be a big piece if there's any hope to repeat." (???)

Give me a break.

You're sure banking an awful lot on a RB who caught THREE or less passes in 10/19 games this year, and had single digit carries in 17/19 games.

Shane Vereen is a nice complimentary piece, and really showcased his skills in the past 1.5 seasons, but he is certainly someone they can plan around, replace on some level, and continue to be productive without. You're talking about a team who has generally been in the top 5 offenses for quite some time now.

This is the age of the salary cap. I'd love to see Vereen back for 2m per year or something, but it's probably not too likely that another team won't offer more. The fact that we have some much bigger priorities at the moment probably won't help his cause to stay here, unfortunately.

VJCPatriot said:

I'm not convinced White is not a bust. If anything he might be Ridley's replacement. Or he might not even make the 53 next year.

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James White is the typical kind of 3rd down back who caught 40 passes during his senior year. He's much more likely to have been drafted with an eye on replacing Shane Vereen than having anything to do with replacing Stevan Ridley--who is a more typical "bell cow" running back with power.

If they wish to replace Ridley, they can do so with Blount (as we've seen), Gray, or possibly even Tyler Gaffney--who is 6'1" and goes 225 lbs. Obviously, their RBBC system will allow them some options.