Brady...how long, how much?
 

The cap article on the globe

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...+Patriots+news


touched on Brady having a hit of around 14 mil next year. Do the pats redo it? if so, how much/long?

I think he redoes it.... 6 years, 75 mil. 30 mil upfront.

Thoughts?

Re: Brady...how long, how much?
 

I don't like spending that much money on unproven players.

Re: Brady...how long, how much?
 

Yeah, let's give this sixth rounder a chance to make the team next year first.

Re: Brady...how long, how much?
 

I'm not good with contract numbers but I am thrilled to see that we were able to move a lot of money into next year. We knew there were lots of incentives hitting our cap and this will offset most of them. Between Stallworth, Washington, Brady, Colvin, we have lots of places to save money either with letting a player move on or doing a new, longer contract. We may not be leading the league in cap space but we'll be in pretty good shape (albeit down a few players) once the above are dealt with. We'll have the money to re-sign Samuel if we choose to.

Re: Brady...how long, how much?
 

So if I understand Reiss correctly, the Pats before the Eckels move were about 5 million under the 2008 cap, and are now 10 million or so under before NLTBE credits are applied, and that significant cap space can be easily cleared without significant dead money by cutting/trading Stallworth and Washington a week after the Super Bowl. Further funds can be made available by a reasonable resigning of Colvin to a three or four year deal for maybe 5 million/year, and Brady's number is the monster that hangs if the Patriots really want/need to create space, although waiting until 2009 to redo his deal may be more advantageous.

Is that correct?

Re: Brady...how long, how much?
 

I believe they can't trade anyone until FA opens, and both have options due well before that date to avoid just such an occurrance. You could pick up the options and trade them later, but that would make no cap sense since you would eat the dead cap for the option bonuses. Stallworth will either be here on the contract he signed, which can be restructured by converting his $3.6M in additional roster bonuses to signing bonus to give him a $3.5M or so cap hit in 2008, or he will become a FA once his option is not picked up. Ditto Washington who is more likely to have to do an entirely new deal if he wants a shot at completing for a WR roster spot in 2008.


Colvin will almost certainly be extended and that will cut his 2008 cap likely in half. There are several others who have little valley's between their peeks that can also be taken advantage of as needed to free up several more million without creating a problem down the road because they signed cap friendly below market deals already. Brady has room left on his deal to simply convert salary to bonus and delay his extension another year if they choose to. His current 2010 cap hit is still just $10M. But if we win another they may do the deed sooner rather than later. I don't think he will squeeze them on the bonus money, he never has. And it will again be a tiered/split bonus structure and likely liberally sprinkled with base salary guarantee language.

The real item of interest will be what it takes to re-sign Randy. And whether he and Asante decide rings and a truckload of money are better than just a boatload of cash on top of promises of funny money which you will never see if your new team just can't win with you.