On Sunday, news spread that the New England Patriots and the G.O.A.T. quarterback, Tom Brady, had agreed to a contract extension that would keep Brady with the franchise through 2021.
Brady, who recently turned 42 on August 3rd, is on record that he wants to play at least until the age of 45. As reported, this new contract would take him right to the brink of that deadline.
New England thought they had Brady’s successor in Jimmy Garoppolo but that ended with Brady approaching owner Robert Kraft to get the understudy shipped away. This summer, they spent a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on the next potential replacement, former Auburn quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.
Though he’s gotten good reviews during training camp, no one feels that Stidham is anywhere near ready to be a full-time starter (or even unseat Brian Hoyer as the Patriots back up).
But with the face of the franchise locked in for multiple seasons things seemed in place for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Turns out that the alleged contract extension for Brady actually wasn’t an extension. Yes, Brady still receives a salary increase from $15 million to $23 million and yes the Patriots save $5.5 million in salary cap relief. However, the language of the new deal states that the additional years and money of the agreement is automatically voided on the final year of the 2019 NFL league year. The contract also stipulates that New England isn’t allowed to place the franchise tag on Brady.
This deal was more of a compromise than an extension. New England was unwilling to truly commit long-term money to Brady. Given how Rob Gronkowski’s retirement blindsided the team it’s understandable that they want to make sure the same thing doesn’t occur when Brady calls it quits. Brady wants to make sure that there’s honest negotiation in the future as opposed to just being placed on the franchise tag year-to-year.
Both sides are still on board with continuing their relationship on a yearly basis as long as Brady still wants to play—and plays at a high-level. The odds remain in favor of Brady finishing out his career with the Patriots.
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