Is A Holdout By Brady Coming?

[Patjew]

Can you imagine the orgasm ESPN will have if Brady holds out?

 

[Rob0729]

I think Brady or those around him will have no trouble spinning a Brady holdout as anything but a sign of a whiny rich athlete.

Brady's branding strategy is unclear to me (which only means that it's 'unclear to me' and not that it's 'bad'), but for now at least he earns about half of what Peyton does from endorsements ($4mm vs. $8mm). Perhaps TB is taking a longer term view of his brand equity or maybe he doesn't like doing commercials. His four primary sponsors are Audi, Movado, Glaceau (Smartwater) and Stetson. Peyton's primary sponsors are Gatorade, Oreo, MasterCard, Nerf, Sony, Reebok, Wheaties and DirecTV.

I have thought for some time that Brady would be foolish to risk injury at Training Camp without a Contract, but didn't say it out here until these stories broke because I didn't want to deal with the Flames...so I wouldn't be surprised at all if he holds out.

As for "not honoring the final year of his contract," a rumored Training Camp holdout is a long ways away from that scenario, and we should only think about crossing that bridge if we come to it, which hopefully we will not.

When was the last time when a player held out where it was spun to his advantage? Brady might be able to overcome more than most, but 9 out of 10 fans will side with the Pats if he holds out.

As for Brady's brand strategy, he just isn't a great TV pitchman like Manning. Manning gets so many TV deals because he is a natural on TV and can make fun of himself with his "aw, shucks" persona. That just isn't Brady. Brady's brand is more of GQ meets the NFL. That means he does mostly print and more upscale advertising. Peyton is more accessible to the everyman and Brady is more glamourous as a spokesperson. No matter his brand though, he protects that as much as possible.

I doubt Brady will miss any time. If he does miss any time, it will be more symbolic like Seymour did several years ago. I doubt he will even do that.

 

[BlueThunder]

I plan on going to training camp the day it opens..weather permitting.

I hope Brady is there

 

[Tunescribe]

In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine a guy with Tom Brady's many millions (including Gisele's income) holding out for more dough. At this point he should be playing for free. What difference will a few dozen more millions make in his life? Oh, excuse me. Sorry. I live in the "real" world.

 

[Metaphors]

Fair enough, and I do partly agree with you - although my feeling is that he was here under the belief that things were in the preliminary stages and did want to start working with the new players and was hoping to keep things quiet. Which clearly he did well, and up until recently things had stayed pretty quiet regarding the negotiations.

Could be true, but that would mean Brady completely misread the situation. There are circumstances preventing a deal from being completed or the Pats trading him (no way he walks for a 3rd round comp pick). We can guess at what they are, but none of those circumstances were going to change between March and July. Brady's only hope of forcing management's hand was to do exactly what Mankins is doing (well, not exactly since Mankins isn't under contract).

Since he didn't do that, he has shown faith in the process (and Pats management) and is riding it out. That faith may not last forever, but I doubt that time is the key factor for Brady. Once the roadblocks (whatever they are) start to get cleared, I expect Brady's contractual clock will start ticking.

Brady may have expected things to start moving this spring. He would have had no reason to expect that and I consider him to be much smarter than that.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Can you imagine the orgasm ESPN will have if Brady holds out?

Why did you have to put the image of "ESPN" and "orgasm" together in my mind? The thought is disgusterating!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Could be true, but that would mean Brady completely misread the situation. There are circumstances preventing a deal from being completed or the Pats trading him (no way he walks for a 3rd round comp pick). We can guess at what they are, but none of those circumstances were going to change between March and July. Brady's only hope of forcing management's hand was to do exactly what Mankins is doing (well, not exactly since Mankins isn't under contract).

Since he didn't do that, he has shown faith in the process (and Pats management) and is riding it out. That faith may not last forever, but I doubt that time is the key factor for Brady. Once the roadblocks (whatever they are) start to get cleared, I expect Brady's contractual clock will start ticking.

Brady may have expected things to start moving this spring. He would have had no reason to expect that and I consider him to be much smarter than that.

From your lips to God's ears, as the old saying goes. But, I worry that you are being way too optimistic. Since none of us really has any clue as to what's really going on, we'll all just have to have our own opinions and sit and wait and see who was closest to the truth, if any of us are!

 

[Miguel]

Thanks, as always, Miguel. Let me tell you how I understand that as a layman: it means that the Pats could pay Brady $10.4 plus $3.12 or $13.52 next year and, in addition to that, they could spread a large signing bonus over two years, constrained, of course, by their overall cap number. Is that right?

It is $13.52 million this year.
Part of the $13.52 million is already accounted for.
$2.4 million option bonus proration.
$3 million roster bonus.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Can you imagine the orgasm ESPN will have if Brady holds out?

Tim Graham will say he broke the story for ESPN ...

If Brady shows up nobody will remember Tim mentioned it ...

Wishful journalism at it's best.

 

[RIP#40]

Can anyone tell me why this article isn't written up as Brady and Manning Contracts looming over there clubs?

seems to me they are both in the same exact seat yet only one of them continues to have these stories written about them. No sources, no quotes, nothing but speculation and hearsay.

Doesn't mean in the end Tom can't holdout but until there is some real evidence of his plans then I don't see why this is being speculated for Tom and not Peyton or at all.

Grew up in Cali, new house in Cali, 2 kids in Cali. Since he has been Gisselled, I don't think football is his #1 priority. I think he longs to go back home. Nothing to base it on other than my gut.

 

[Ian]

Can you imagine the orgasm ESPN will have if Brady holds out?

No kidding. You'll see 24-hour coverage in Foxboro until it's over

 

[PatsFanSince74]

When was the last time when a player held out where it was spun to his advantage? Brady might be able to overcome more than most, but 9 out of 10 fans will side with the Pats if he holds out.

As for Brady's brand strategy, he just isn't a great TV pitchman like Manning. Manning gets so many TV deals because he is a natural on TV and can make fun of himself with his "aw, shucks" persona. That just isn't Brady. Brady's brand is more of GQ meets the NFL. That means he does mostly print and more upscale advertising. Peyton is more accessible to the everyman and Brady is more glamourous as a spokesperson. No matter his brand though, he protects that as much as possible.

I doubt Brady will miss any time. If he does miss any time, it will be more symbolic like Seymour did several years ago. I doubt he will even do that.

I doubt that nine out of ten NEP fans would side with Kraft. I also think that even fans outside NE would understand. As for the Brand strategy, you know as much about it as I do, and either one of us could be right. Hope you're right that this resolves itself without a material holdout.

 

[Snake Eyes]

If Brady were to hold out it would be the beginning of the end of his time as a Patriot.

 

[Boston Boxer]

i think he might hold out to make his point, but when it matters, he will be there

 

[Rob0729]

I doubt that nine out of ten NEP fans would side with Kraft. I also think that even fans outside NE would understand. As for the Brand strategy, you know as much about it as I do, and either one of us could be right. Hope you're right that this resolves itself without a material holdout.

Whenever a player holds out under contract, most fans side with management. If Brady held out for the first three games and the Pats got creamed, most fans would be pissed at Brady. A lot of them would turn on the guy. Look at what happened to Asante Samuel (who wasn't even under contract) and Deion Branch. Personally, I would be peissed at Brady if he held out while under contract, but I wouldn't turn on him.

As for Brady's brand, I do have a marketing background and it looks pretty obvious. Besides, Brady isn't great on TV as we saw on his SNL appearance or his Snickers commerical (the commerical was funny, but his acting left a lot to be desired) or Visa commericial (where the o-line outshined him). Aat least he isn't as good as Manning. As much as I hate Manning, I can recognize he is a natural TV pitchman and can sell almost anything (in fact, he might be the best athlete pitchman in a long while). Brady comes off a bit stiff on TV. That's why Brady uses his model looks to sell more stylish products while Manning uses his personality which comes out more naturally on TV.

I love Brady and all that, but TV commericals are not his strong point and that is why he isn't on them like Manning. Manning is great at it and that is why major companies are lining up to get him for commericials. I'd rather have Brady on the football field, but I would rather have Manning pitch my product on TV.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

The only thing we can know is that we don't know what's really going on, Clayton et al aside.

That said, I know I'll be in a minority here for saying that I wouldn't blame Brady for holding out. Why risk injury at Training Camp if he isn't convinced that things are moving along towards getting a deal with Guarantees done? I believe that he has earned the right to go into the 2010 Season with a deal.

You probably are in the minority, but I don't mind joining you there. What I would like to see is the team take a bit more of a proactive approach and worry less about the labor situation and what Manning is going to get from the Colts.

The fact of the matter is, this is one of the greatest organizations in sports history. They are titans in the industry. The Krafts don't need to take their cues from anyone.

Unless of course the labor issue and Manning's contract aren't part of the equation. Maybe they're not. Maybe they have concerns about giving a massive contract to a 33 year-old-to-be. I don't think that's the case, but we have to at least allow for that possibility.

 

[Ghost of Ben Dreith]

In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine a guy with Tom Brady's many millions (including Gisele's income) holding out for more dough. At this point he should be playing for free. What difference will a few dozen more millions make in his life? Oh, excuse me. Sorry. I live in the "real" world.

I just wonder if his wife has anything to do with it if he does hold out.....I would say his wife/kids/California youth all would have more to do with it than the cash/ego....but maybe I would be wrong on that.....I guarantee that even if it is all about cash/ego (if he does hold out), it will never be said it was the reason.....It will all be about "respect".

Personally....I think he shows up and a deal gets done. If it doesn't, to me it speaks volume about where football would reside in his life.

Come on Tom and make everybody who took the time to post in this thread look like idiots by just getting it done without killing the team's payroll. How much is a ring worth versus "respect"?

 

[Snake Eyes]

I just wonder if his wife has anything to do with it if he does hold out?

If she doesn't want him to be at camp he won't be at camp.

 

[jmt57]

It's not just Brady, it's other players like Manning and LaMarr Woodley who are having their contracts held up by the CBA. In all three cases, once their teams see what the new cap is, they will act swiftly and decisively to resign those players. The media is making a big thing about this in order to increase readership/ad revenue; fans are making a big thing about this because they're failing to recognize that this year is so much different than past seasons with the impact of the uncertainty of the CBA and the cap.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Actually, his first contract extension, Brady was overpaid for what he had accomplished at the time. His second contract extension you can argue he took a hometown discount, but not as much as everyone seems to make it.

Brady has gotten three contracts from the Pats: His rookie contract, a new contract in 2002 right before the season, and another one in 2005.

My mistake. I meant his first real extension in 2005. I was just going by what some of the media was saying about him and the "home town discount". According to this article (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2054072), I'm wrong. It just didn't seem like it with Vick making 100+ million and Manning's deal.