You guys make sense...I am trying to remember where I read about Brady's contract restructing and how that makes his cap space very hard to absorb next year (forcing a new contract negotiation). I'll find the link and post it.
Till then - you all have been helpful. I dont want any of this to be possible.
BTW I am a she, (a high school teacher even!) not a he - so go easy on me. I am still figuring it all out. Which is why I love this board!
Editing to add - I found the article that caused the concern...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2859992
Here's the quote:
"Because while the restructuring for this year reduced Brady's 2007 salary-cap charge to $7.346 million, roughly $4 million less than before the deal was redone Sunday morning, it inflated the cap hit for each of the subsequent seasons through 2010. All of the maneuvering with the new six-year, $60 million contract that Brady signed in May of 2005 -- the initial $14.5 million signing bonus, a $12 million option bonus in March 2006 that was converted into a second signing bonus, and Sunday's machinations -- means the quarterback is carrying prohibitive cap charges over the final three seasons of the contract.
Just how prohibitive? Try a cap charge of $14.626 million for 2008.
Without a new deal, Tom Brady's cap number will become a big problem for the Patriots.
Even if the league's spending limit increases to $116 million in 2008, as anticipated, Brady's cap charge, if untouched, would represent a whopping 12.6 percent of the New England budget. By comparison, his cap charge for 2007 is 6.7 percent of a $109 million cap. For owner Bob Kraft, such an excessive amount tied up in one player in 2008 would leave him little recourse.
He would almost certainly have to negotiate a new contract, which could be one of the most lucrative in NFL history, or extend the current deal."