Bedard: Retirement Seems Likely for Light

MoLewisrocks · Mar 23, 2012

borg said:
Is it customary for teams to reward players for not honoring contracts? Can you think of any other Patriots that Bob Kraft has bestowed millions to as a parting gift? Did the Pats and Brady restructure, sacrificing future cap space, so Matt can ride off into the sunset with extra coin?

Ted Johnson for one was allowed to retain about $1.5M in signing bonus they could have asked to be refunded. I don't believe Tedy was asked to reimburse them any of his when he retired, either. Their deal with Light may well have been for $7M to play in 2011 and $5M if he plays another season which neither side was anticipating he would and they just structured it in a way that allowed them to spread the hit over two years by calling a lot of that 2011 payment "signing bonus". Teams aren't required to recover it on retirement, just entitled to if they choose to.

Had they structured it differently with little signing bonus and mostly salary (as you would do in a two year deal that is really a one year deal with little or no dead cap ramifications) he would have counted against the cap $7M last season instead of $4.5... $7M is very good although not quite top tier LT money, so... the structure of his deal made him a 1 or two year bargain.

borg · Mar 23, 2012

MoLewisrocks said:
Ted Johnson for one was allowed to retain about $1.5M in signing bonus they could have asked to be refunded. I don't believe Tedy was asked to reimburse them any of his when he retired, either. Their deal with Light may well have been for $7M to play in 2011 and $5M if he plays another season which neither side was anticipating he would and they just structured it in a way that allowed them to spread the hit over two years by calling a lot of that 2011 payment "signing bonus". Teams aren't required to recover it on retirement, just entitled to if they choose to.

Had they structured it differently with little signing bonus and mostly salary (as you would do in a two year deal that is really a one year deal with little or no dead cap ramifications) he would have counted against the cap $7M last season instead of $4.5... $7M is very good although not quite top tier LT money, so... the structure of his deal made him a 1 or two year bargain.

You may be very well right regarding the Light bonus situation....but the Ted Johnson example is a far different set of circumstances than the healthy Light retirement.

"His agent, Jack Mills, told the Boston Globe that doctors had not cleared Johnson to play and that the decision to retire was a "very difficult" one."

"He had been seeking medical opinion about whether he could continue to play, and the people that he talked to recommended that he not continue with football," Mills said to The Associated Press. "He decided to take the doctors' advice."
USA Today

Players keep some contract money if forced to retire due to injury....unlike the Light situation

MoLewisrocks · Mar 23, 2012

You're talking Johnson's discussions with independent neurologists regarding his future vs. passing a team physical. Light's decision may be centered around some of the very same concerns, his future and his ability to enjoy a long life in retirement. Johnson had passed his exit physical months earlier. He likely would have passed his intake physical too unless he complained (as he never had in the past) and they had dug deeper. And even then, at that point it was not a given he wouldn't have passed a team physical. That was several years ago. Times and attitudes are changing now. TJ actually freaked out over what happened to Tedy that off season, and that as much as concussion concern per se drove him to get out while he still could. Sadly it was likely a little too late even then. Bright guys like Light who have a future in the media or with the union don't want to make that same mistake.

KDPPatsfan85 · Mar 25, 2012

Rotoworld Speculation: Matt Light to retire

Per Rotoworld-

ESPN Boston expects Patriots LT Matt Light to retire.

Light has been contemplating retirement since the Patriots' Super Bowl loss, but hasn't offered any public insight into his decision. It's believed he'd have to take a pay-cut from his $3.4 million salary and accept a swing-tackle role to remain with the Pats.

If he retires, how much cap will we have?

BTTA · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Matt Light to retire

Bad, bad, bad posting. Speculation has been going on for months. This is just more of that.

patsfaninpa · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Matt Light to retire

KDPPatsfan85 said:
Per Rotoworld-

If he retires, how much cap will we have?

Jumping the gun a little bit there mate. Contemplating doesn't mean hi is to retire like your title says. Zolak has been saying since the Super Bowl he hasn't heard it from Matt. And, doesn't think he will retire.

MoLewisrocks · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Matt Light to retire

You're just begging for the PS. And you've been long enough to know better that to start a deliberately deceiving thread so you're really begging for a time out IMO...

crowell33 · Mar 25, 2012