Gay is an interesting case in that he entered the league (2004) as a rookie free agent out of LSU. He played 18 games in the Super Bowl championship season in 2004, starting 12 of them. But he's played in only eight games the last two years due to injuries.

If the Patriots rolled the dice and gave him the low tender, Gay would essentially be an unrestricted free agent. It would be simple for another interested team (e.g. Jets) to insert a "poison pill" into an offer sheet, making it difficult for the Patriots to match.

To protect themselves, the Patriots are likely to give Gay the second-round tender. While $1.35 million might be a bit much to invest at this point of time, the Patriots also must protect themselves at defensive back, a spot that ranks high on the team's need list.

Assuming they receive offers, Baker, Mruczkowski and Yates would likely receive the lowest tender.

This will be one area we'll be following today.