NFL Notes: Patriots, Raiders, Saints

Patriots

• According to Ben Volin, one of the reasons why the Patriots traded LB Jamie Collins to the Browns last year was because he “insulted” by their contract offer of around $10-$11 million per year and took it personally.

Raiders

Andy Abboud, VP of government relations and community affairs for casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp, mentioned in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Sheldon Adelson and his family were willing to share revenue in regards to the stadium project with the Raiders, but they weren’t going to allow the team or the NFL to pick their pockets.

“(Adelson) was willing to share revenues and make it financially mutually beneficial, but they were picking his pocket,” Abboud said. “I think that they felt they were asking to be entitled to revenue streams and things that simply made the deal unworkable. It was never about the financial return for the Adelsons, but the Adelson family wasn’t going to have their pocket picked, by the Raiders or by the NFL or anybody.”

According to Abboud, the Adelson family received mixed signals from the Raiders about their involvement in the deal.

“We just kept hearing conflicting stories about how we could do it and how the NFL owners felt about it,” Abboud said. “We felt it was conceivable that they were using that as a tool for manipulation. I don’t know.”

Adelson withdrew his $650 million commitment to the project after the Raiders proposed a lease deal in which they would pay $1 to lease the facility, but have full control of the UNLV football schedule and prevent the Rebels from having any brand field markings.

“I’m still trying to figure out what the hell they were thinking,” Abboud said. “Had they told anybody ahead of time that they were going to dump that document, even if they had told us, ‘We don’t want you in the deal anymore,’ if they had shown anyone that’s been involved in this process at all that document, we would have said, ‘What in the hell are you thinking?’”

Saints

• Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune assumes that the Saints will be aggressive in trying to sign some immediate impact players this offseason now that they finally have some cap space to work with.
• Holder expects the Saints to be on the lookout for a middle linebacker in either free agency or the draft now that it appears as though Stephone Anthony is falling out of favor in New Orleans.
• Holder wouldn’t spend big money to get DE Jason Pierre-Paul in free agency and would instead try to find another pass-rusher in the draft.
• In regards to free agent DT Nick Fairley, Holder would be “absolutely stunned” if he re-signed with the Saints before testing the open market. Holder mentions that this could be Fairley’s last shot at a big contract, but he can’t see the Saints getting into a bidding war for him.