Patriots and Gronk agree to 6year/$54 Million Contract

[mayoclinic]

The terms of the contract are what they are. It's not an 8 year deal, no matter how much you want to insist that it is. There's nothing to debate here. Not sure why you're taking a simple correction by DI so personally, but facts are facts. Continuing to debate this doesn't add to the discussion, and the personal attacks aren't warranted at all. Even when they're tagged onto the tail end of backhanded, insincere apologies. FFS, it shouldn't be this difficult to man up and move on.

Is it really worth all this harping about who's right and who's wrong? The bottom line is the Pats have Gronk under contract for the next 8 seasons. That's incredible. And whether he's making $7M/year for 8 years for $0.5M/year for 2 years + $9M/year for 6 years, it's a great deal all around.

 

[eom]

Yeah, I wonder how that's going over in Welkerville.

I believe wes is making more money than he is this year.

 

[mayoclinic]

Yeah, I wonder how that's going over in Welkerville.

I doubt it's making much of a splash in Welkerville. Gronk's situation is totally different, and I doubt Wes would begrudge him having earned a long term deal.

Counting Welker's $9.55M franchise tag Wes will have earned almost $27M over 6 years with the Pats. That's not chump change. According to Greg Bedard's breakdown, Gronk's bonuses plus contract will pay him $24,600,000 over the next 4 years (a $10M roster bonus kicks in in 2016):

Analyzing the Gronkowski deal - Page 2 - Boston.com

Gronk has already played 2 years under his $4.44M rookie deal, $1.175M of which is rolled into the new deal. So as far as I can figure it out, Gronk will earn $27,865,000 from the Pats over his first 6 years with the team. That's pretty close to what Welker will make over his first 6 years with the team if he plays under his franchise tender. The rest of Gronk's contract is voidable, and Gronk going into the 2016 season would be a full 5 years younger than Welker would be going into 2013. So I don't see what Welker has to complain about, as far as the Gronk contract goes.

The Pats WR/TE dilemma is in some ways similar to the situation the Giants have at DE with Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. They can't all be paid as All Pros. Pierre-Paul is like Gronk - a "transformational" player (to use Gregg Rosenthal's phrase) who is a true game-changer. He's the first priority. Umenyiora is a bit like Welker - the oldest of the 3, and the odd man out from a contract perspective.

 

[borg]

Its not a 6 year deal. Its not an 8 year deal.

Bedard gets it right:

"Basically, the deal is two four-year contracts.

The first one: four years at $18.2 million ($8 million signing bonus), guaranteed. ($4.55 million per year).

Second "deal": four years at $36.97 million ($10 million option bonus) which is $9.2425 million average per year"

And in truth....its a 4 year deal with a Patriot option to add 4 more years at a prenegotiated price. Looking at the first 4 years, the $18.8 mill total looks like what Gronk would have been paid if he played out his rookie contract and the Pats then franchised him two consecutive years. (Gronk '12 & '13 salaries, plus the expected '14 franchise value, plus the "15 franchise value + 20%.) BB just smoothed out the delivery of funds.

And BB the economist must have been salivating in identifying a cost verses value anomaly that was exploitable.

Why not do the same with Hernandez.....at least the first 4 year portion. Knock it down a couple million, factor in his lesser salary...4 years/$15 mill with $7 mill up front. One sticking point is if he sees himself in the WR category which elevates franchise comparisons. Even if the Pats sign Hernandez to the exact same 4 year deal Gronk got....huge win especially knowing that Brady has the same group to work with the next 4 years

 

[Off The Grid]

BB just smoothed out the delivery of funds.

And BB the economist must have been salivating in identifying a cost verses value anomoly that was exploitable.

Why not do the same with Hernandez.....

Exquisite!! :rocker:

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I believe wes is making more money than he is this year.

He doesn't have the security or long term deal his performance deserved.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I doubt it's making much of a splash in Welkerville. Gronk's situation is totally different, and I doubt Wes would begrudge him having earned a long term deal.

Counting Welker's $9.55M franchise tag Wes will have earned almost $27M over 6 years with the Pats. That's not chump change. According to Greg Bedard's breakdown, Gronk's bonuses plus contract will pay him $24,600,000 over the next 4 years (a $10M roster bonus kicks in in 2016):

Analyzing the Gronkowski deal - Page 2 - Boston.com

Gronk has already played 2 years under his $4.44M rookie deal, $1.175M of which is rolled into the new deal. So as far as I can figure it out, Gronk will earn $27,865,000 from the Pats over his first 6 years with the team. That's pretty close to what Welker will make over his first 6 years with the team if he plays under his franchise tender. The rest of Gronk's contract is voidable, and Gronk going into the 2016 season would be a full 5 years younger than Welker would be going into 2013. So I don't see what Welker has to complain about, as far as the Gronk contract goes.

The Pats WR/TE dilemma is in some ways similar to the situation the Giants have at DE with Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. They can't all be paid as All Pros. Pierre-Paul is like Gronk - a "transformational" player (to use Gregg Rosenthal's phrase) who is a true game-changer. He's the first priority. Umenyiora is a bit like Welker - the oldest of the 3, and the odd man out from a contract perspective.

I'll take your word on the details, but Welker has left no doubt in anyone's mind that he is not happy that he has not been given a long term deal with guarantees that he liked. Now they they seem to have been able to do so with Gronkowski. I doubt that sits well with him. If he suffers a major injury this season he has nothing beyond that.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I'll take your word on the details, but Welker has left no doubt in anyone's mind that he is not happy that he has not been given a long term deal with guarantees that he liked. Now they they seem to have been able to do so with Gronkowski. I doubt that sits well with him. If he suffers a major injury this season he has nothing beyond that.

The details are what they are. And what that means is if Gronk suffers a major injury this season he may have nothing beyond $13M out of his looooooong term deal. The problem with looking at total value of a deal is so few players ever realize it, ending up with either a little more or a lot less. One of the few guys who ever played out an entire rookie deal and an entire second deal was Peyton Manning...that's how rare it is. If Gronk plays out this entire deal he will make $55.2 in the next 8 years and he will average $6.9M. His average over the last 6 years, regardless of the total extension value will be $46M or $7.67M per (because he's already deposited the $8M in signing bonus money for extending.

Wes has no issue with this deal, nor should he aside from the average being about several hundred thousand per more than they seem to want to commit to him for any number of years beyond 1. But getting this deal done makes it easier for a deal to get done between him and the team. If they don't, the issue won't be Gronk or Hernendez or anyone else's deal. It will be this FO's belief that he only has 1-2 productive seasons left.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The terms of the contract are what they are. It's not an 8 year deal, no matter how much you want to insist that it is. There's nothing to debate here. Not sure why you're taking a simple correction by DI so personally, but facts are facts. Continuing to debate this doesn't add to the discussion, and the personal attacks aren't warranted at all. Even when they're tagged onto the tail end of backhanded, insincere apologies. FFS, it shouldn't be this difficult to man up and move on.

The terms of the are what they are, indeed. It is now an 8 year contract by virtue of his signing a 6 year extension... And you're right, it shouldn't be this difficult to man up and move on.

 

[Ring 6]

The terms of the are what they are, indeed. It is now an 8 year contract by virtue of his signing a 6 year extension... And you're right, it shouldn't be this difficult to man up and move on.

Frankly, this sounds like a matter of semantics. Yes he signed a 6 year extension, and yes he is now under contract for 8 years.
If he truly signed for 6/54 they would have ripped up the contract.
If he signed a 6 year deal ripping up the 2 years left, clearly he wouldn't have gotten 54 mill.
I don't think anyone in the argument is technically wrong, because 'what he signed' was 6/54 but as an extension it is part of the current contract.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'll take your word on the details, but Welker has left no doubt in anyone's mind that he is not happy that he has not been given a long term deal with guarantees that he liked. Now they they seem to have been able to do so with Gronkowski. I doubt that sits well with him. If he suffers a major injury this season he has nothing beyond that.

The Pats can pull the plug on Gronk with only $8m guaranteed. Welker turned down $16m guaranteed. I understand that he wants more, but that doesn't mean that he should be upset by Gronk's deal.

I'm sure the Pats would be more than happy to give Welker a deal that's identical in ALL respects to Gronk's.

 

[Off The Grid]

The ONLY thing better than the AWESOME news that the Patriots got CRAZY aggressive in locking up the best Flex End in the GALAXY for an additional SIX YEARS...is the HILARIOUS rancor that this news's produced!!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Like Ian's banner on the home page says, Welcome to patsfans.com...The greatest fans on earth.

:rocker: :violent: :stars2:

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Reiss had some interesting intel in his Sunday quick hit thoughts. Apparently the Gronk camp approached the team about getting something done. This kind of jives with his dad's earlier comments on the deal. Rob is and will always be who he appears to be, a big kid with a big, fun loving heart who loves the game and is living a dream isn't ever going to become a demanding diva so he wanted the whole contract/business of football thing out of the way ASAP in exchange for reasonable long term security.

Brady had some of that in him out of the gate (just not as big and exuberant) and it served this team well for over a decade. It's nice to know with Bruschi gone the age of just wanting to get paid decently and get the base security elephant in the room out of the way so you can project to play football for one team and enjoy the journey living in the moment isn't dead. So many players get caught up in their comps and potential perception and equate it all to the number of zeros on their paycheck every time you turn around compared to whomever else to the point they take all the joy out of their ride (yes, Revis et all, I'm talking about youse guys) not to mention their fans.

1. When it comes to the Patriots and tight end Rob Gronkowski’s contract extension, here’s a key thing to keep in mind: Gronkowski and his agent Drew Rosenhaus were the catalysts, as they first approached the team about trying to get something done. Gronkowski, who missed his junior season in college with a back injury, wanted some financial security now and thus was willing to concede some potential future earnings. While it is commonplace in the agent community to crunch numbers to measure whether it was a good deal for Gronkowski or a good deal for the team, and where it ranks among others at the position, it all seems like the secondary point to this: The player wanted it, the team agreed to it, and everyone’s happy.

Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

 

[mayoclinic]

Reiss had some interesting intel in his Sunday quick hit thoughts. Apparently the Gronk camp approached the team about getting something done. This kind of jives with his dad's earlier comments on the deal. Rob is and will always be who he appears to be, a big kid with a big, fun loving heart who loves the game and is living a dream isn't ever going to become a demanding diva so he wanted the whole contract/business of football thing out of the way ASAP in exchange for reasonable long term security.

Brady had some of that in him out of the gate (just not as big and exuberant) and it served this team well for over a decade. It's nice to know with Bruschi gone the age of just wanting to get paid decently and get the base security elephant in the room out of the way so you can project to play football for one team and enjoy the journey living in the moment isn't dead. So many players get caught up in their comps and potential perception and equate it all to the number of zeros on their paycheck every time you turn around compared to whomever else to the point they take all the joy out of their ride (yes, Revis et all, I'm talking about youse guys) not to mention their fans.

Quick-hit thoughts around NFL & Pats - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

I saw this earlier, and also found it interesting. I was worried that Gronk would be seduced by the big money on the FA market, and I wouldn't have predicted that he would have been the guy to worry about long term security at this point. But I think your reading of him is likely to be accurate, and it's a great thing that it happened.

 

[jason423]

Based on info available on Friday and some guesstimates, which I think are pretty accurate, I wrote up a piece on the Gronkowski deal which I think explains exactly what they did and who made what concessions in signing it.

Analyzing Rob Gronkowski's Extension

One of the problems with all these comparisons being thrown around to make his deal look so low in value is that they are all being compared apples to oranges with other players. Everyone is reporting APYs now for Gronk based on 8 years but basing the other players on 5 years despite the fact that they have 6 and 7 year deals, similar to Gronkowski.

You have to look at this as two contracts- a 2 year extension and a 4 year option. Based on his short term production Gronkowski gave in to New England and took a below market 2 year payout in new money. In year 3 and 4 he completely blows away the rest of the market if he makes it that far. There would almost be no reasonable way for the market to catch up to the numbers he would get in a 3 and 4 year payout so NE was willing to make him the new standard bearer at the position, ala Larry Fitzgerald at WR, if he continues to put up ridiculous numbers these next few years. I doubt he gets there, especially since New England is usually so tough on contracts, but you never know. Its a fair deal for both sides, but does favor the team moreso than the player since they have so much option power in his contract based on dead money charges and backend payouts.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The details are what they are. And what that means is if Gronk suffers a major injury this season he may have nothing beyond $13M out of his looooooong term deal. The problem with looking at total value of a deal is so few players ever realize it, ending up with either a little more or a lot less. One of the few guys who ever played out an entire rookie deal and an entire second deal was Peyton Manning...that's how rare it is. If Gronk plays out this entire deal he will make $55.2 in the next 8 years and he will average $6.9M. His average over the last 6 years, regardless of the total extension value will be $46M or $7.67M per (because he's already deposited the $8M in signing bonus money for extending.

Wes has no issue with this deal, nor should he aside from the average being about several hundred thousand per more than they seem to want to commit to him for any number of years beyond 1. But getting this deal done makes it easier for a deal to get done between him and the team. If they don't, the issue won't be Gronk or Hernendez or anyone else's deal. It will be this FO's belief that he only has 1-2 productive seasons left.

"if Gronk suffers a major injury this season he may nothing beyond $13M out of his looooooong term deal." I love the way we just throw around $3.5MM (the difference between Gronkowski's guarantee and Welker's one year and the cash he would take away if he suffered a "major injury this season") like it was play money. I don't know about you, but $3.5MM is a lot of money to me and I suspect it is to these players too.

I never said that Welker would have a problem with Gronkowski's particular deal, but rather with the reality that they worked out any deal with Gronkowski.

I guess the real difference is that Brady and Gronkowski are guys who want to be Patriot lifers and will remain so if treated reasonably. We have, I think, to remember that if we count his brief time as a UFA with San Diego, this is Welker's third team. He probably has a slightly different world view.

My real bottom line is that I just think it's a damn shame that the Pats haven't been able to come to terms with this guy who has given so much to the team. Not a small part of me wonders if this would be going on if he had made "that catch."

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The Pats can pull the plug on Gronk with only $8m guaranteed. Welker turned down $16m guaranteed. I understand that he wants more, but that doesn't mean that he should be upset by Gronk's deal.

I'm sure the Pats would be more than happy to give Welker a deal that's identical in ALL respects to Gronk's.

If the Pats are that desperate to keep him, they could just franchise him for two years at a total cost of $20M guaranteed.

I understand why the Pats made the offer of 2/$16M fully guaranteed, and I can also understand why Welker turned it down.

 

[mayoclinic]

If the Pats are that desperate to keep him, they could just franchise him for two years at a total cost of $20M guaranteed.

You're missing the point. The point is that while some people feel that WW would be "upset" about Gronk's contract, the fact is that Gronk's contract guarantees less money than Welker's franchise tag and is very cap friendly in the first several years. It's worth about $18M for the first 4 years without roster bonuses and $24M with. Through 2013 Gronk will earn a maximum of $12.4M, which is considerably less than the $16M guaranteed which the Pats reportedly previously offered Welker. Sp I doubt that Welker would in any ways be happy with Gronk's deal. He's looking for something entirely different.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Based on info available on Friday and some guesstimates, which I think are pretty accurate, I wrote up a piece on the Gronkowski deal which I think explains exactly what they did and who made what concessions in signing it.

Analyzing Rob Gronkowski's Extension

One of the problems with all these comparisons being thrown around to make his deal look so low in value is that they are all being compared apples to oranges with other players. Everyone is reporting APYs now for Gronk based on 8 years but basing the other players on 5 years despite the fact that they have 6 and 7 year deals, similar to Gronkowski.

You have to look at this as two contracts- a 2 year extension and a 4 year option. Based on his short term production Gronkowski gave in to New England and took a below market 2 year payout in new money. In year 3 and 4 he completely blows away the rest of the market if he makes it that far. There would almost be no reasonable way for the market to catch up to the numbers he would get in a 3 and 4 year payout so NE was willing to make him the new standard bearer at the position, ala Larry Fitzgerald at WR, if he continues to put up ridiculous numbers these next few years. I doubt he gets there, especially since New England is usually so tough on contracts, but you never know. Its a fair deal for both sides, but does favor the team moreso than the player since they have so much option power in his contract based on dead money charges and backend payouts.

Nice work, Jason. I think you are on to something grasping the significance of the mindset. I think the centerpiece will be extended next offseason for 2-3 more years (was always preferable to tagging twice which is out the window after this seasons restructure) making the probable end game 2016 or 2017. With little dead cap there likely, although with not a lot of cap devoted to his replacement out of the gate that again would be nbd.

Just can't figure out the reticence on Welker unless he's really looking for years that would push them into that range. I think the ACL really screwed the timeline up there. They had to wait til 2010 to see if he was really still as good as ever, but they still had a year to play with for amortization had they not gone with the 2 year limit (which is what I think is the sticking point on Wes' end moreso than the $$). And it turned out he was better than ever. They act as if he's 33 already. I just don't get it. The backend of any deal they gave him wouldn't be guaranteed, either, and via structure they can limit dead cap.

Agents really make a difference. Think Dunn is one of those your best interest guys. And he's Hernandez agent too. Rosenhaus has always gotten his clients whatever it was they really wanted, even if it wasn't in their best interest (from an on or off the field perspective). Condon will walk away from an elite client before allowing them to take a deal that isn't market setting. He had issues with Manning this last time out, and only signed off on the bail out deal when he was able to squeeze more up front money and a pre FA timetable as the concessions to the opt out.

It’s a great deal for New England as they give the player a nice raise and maintain him at low costs for the next few years before making their bigger decision on him in a few years. It also keeps New England playing the “2015 game” as the teams only players with contracts that run beyond that season are Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo and both easily dumped after 2015. Tom Brady will be 39 in 2016 the Patriots have to realize the strong possibility that he will hang up the cleats by then. When he goes you have to wonder if Bill Belichick, who will have been coaching the team for 16 years at that point, wants to go through what could be a rebuilding phase. When you have that kind of change on the team it is probably best to be cautious with the deals, which clearly the Patriots have been. Even if Gronkowski plays well he may be worth more as a trade piece in a few years than as a Patriot.

This deal gives them all the flexibility in the world to figure things out in a timely fashion. Had they waited to extend him until 2013 not only could it cost more but would definitely drag on into 2016. If they wait until 2014 it goes even longer. It also limits their use of the franchise tag which is going to be a big part of their strategy in the future to keep key players on the team on a year by year basis rather than on long term deals that could extend too far into the future.