The Brady Crunch...number crunch, that is

In an effort to give the Patriots salary flexibility, reports say Tom Brady will sign a three-year contract extension that is far below market value. He will get a $3 million bonus, then have base salaries of $7 million, $8 million and $9 million over the next three years according to Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

The NFLPA will have a meltdown over this, and I understand why. Players like Joe Flacco and even Alex Smith...guys that are set to sign new contracts in the next few years...are going to have this contract held against them. I get that Brady is about winning, that his last contract set him up for life and he just wants to get back to the Super Bowl, but should the NFL be able to step in when a player obviously is not signing for market value and is, in essence, giving his team quite an advantage?

 

I am trying to work up a give-a-fuck over the millions of dollars this may mean left on the table for the Smiths and Flaccos..... and I just can't do it.


Exactly why would the NFL step in in this situation?

 

We're already talking about this on the off-season thread. It's a cap maneuver to pay him more upfront and yet reduce the cap figure for 2013 by adding years to the contract 2015-17. That will be his 16th through 18th years in the NFL. If he makes it that far, we have no idea if he has void options in the contract or what his market value will be. The "below market value" you're referring to is three years away from being determined. You are completely wrong in saying it pays him this over the next three years. It is the years 2015-17.

Basically the idea that he's taking less to help the team is mostly bullshit. He might turn out to be taking a little less, so that he and Belichick can saddle up and ride for a year or two more, but beyond that there's no point in bothering to figure out what a contract for 3-5 years down the road, to a player who is going to be 38 years old, will even mean.

The big thing this tells me is that the Pats know they have two years left at the most in this run before they need a major overhaul. Their O-line is getting older along with Brady, and so is Vince Wilfork, and Belichick and Co. have done a pretty terrible job at drafting any replacements.

 

NFLPA may look at it as a good thing since the contract is 60 mil over 5 years guaranteed.
Not many NFL contracts are guaranteed.

How many times do you hear about a big contract getting signed and you just know that the guy is never going to make it to the end and realize full payment.

 

Thanks for the specifics...I didn't know this was that far down the road. Now I wonder why the talking heads on the radio are talking about how this will help them sign Welker and their other current free agents. They can give the extension at any point, so not sure why people are saying this is going to help the Pats out now. Talk about a non-story. Thanks for filling me in.

 

Little easier to take "reasonable" contract that might not reflect your market value when your wife makes $45 million a year.

 

It helps them out because it opens 15 mil in cap space.

 

Yeah, it reduces his salary now to like $1 million by guaranteeing a bunch of the extension money. So he IS taking less money now, locking in more money later, and it will help then cap wise. It's just not a completely selfless gesture some of the Pats fan friends are making it out to be.

 

The big impact now is that it allows all those yokels to go around Boston saying SEE WELKAH, TOMMY TOOK LESS, SO FAWK YOU YOU GREEDY BASTAHD!

Can't imagine Welker and his people and his lovely wife are going to fall for that, though.

 

The Patriots are the best system for Welker. He has to realize that.

 

He should. I don't think he will be nearly as effective with a different QB.

 

I am sure that Welker's contract is one reason Brady got this extension done at this time. He wants him back, and he wants him paid, too.