If only...

[Actual Pats Fan]

Tom Brady agrees to contract extension with Patriots​

By APF; What Could Have Been
Pastfans.com
•
Aug 04, 2019 at 6:14 AM



For his 42nd birthday, Tom Brady received a special gift from the New England Patriots: a long-awaited contract extension.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback agreed to terms on a two-year, $50 million contract extension with New England on Sunday, a source told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The deal raises Brady's 2019 salary from $15 million to $23 million. Brady is then scheduled to make $24 million in 2020 and $26 million in 2021, fully guaranteed, with another $9 million in potential incentives.

Such a contract is unusual for the Patriots for a player of any age, but the team ownership and management clearly recognize they aren't dealing with any ordinary player.

Already in uncharted territory, Brady is now under contract through 2021, his age-44 season. The quarterback has insisted for years that he would like to play until he's at least 45 years old. This deal keeps that goal still in the realm of possibility.

Brady was set to enter the final season of a two-year restructured deal agreed to last August before he struck an extension with the Pats this weekend. Brady was scheduled to make $15 million and carry a $27 million cap hit in 2019. The Patriots QB has still never entered a season in the final year of his deal.

The six-time Super Bowl champion was never at risk of entering the 2019 season without assurances past this campaign. Striking a deal was a matter of when not if. Brady and the Pats came to agreement on Aug. 4, nearly one year to the day when they agreed to a restructured deal in 2018 (Aug. 10), so a contract adjustment like this was not unprecedented.

Brady appeared calmly confident this week when asked whether he deserved a contract extension, joking to reporters, "Have I earned [an extension]? I don't know. That's up for talk show debate. What do you guys think? Should we take a poll?"

There's no denying Brady deserved assurances from the Patriots past this season, but negotiating extensions for players of his age is not an exact science. The QB's ability to play into his 40s at an MVP level is unprecedented, and New England does not have a succession plan yet.

For some time, Jimmy Garoppolo was thought to be the heir to the throne, but New England traded him to San Francisco during the 2017 season. Behind Brady now are journeyman backup Brian Hoyer and rookie Jarrett Stidham, not exactly world-beaters.

Brady's play has barely taken a dip. After his 2017 MVP campaign, the Patriots QB got off to a slow start but finished with 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 picks and, most importantly, one Lombardi trophy.

However, there's no telling when a quarterback, even one as limber as Brady, will see a dropoff in ability. Peyton Manning's skill memorably fell off a cliff during Denver's 2015 Super Bowl season before the Broncos QB announced his retirement. The difference: Manning had myriad injury issues, while Brady has stayed relatively healthy since he tore his ACL in 2008.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated, "We considered putting clauses in to leave Tom's options open to him after the season, but I refused to accept that. I wasn't going to treat my star player like Roger Clemens was. I simply faced reality. There's never going to be another player like Tom. Ever. There are times when you're called upon to stand up for what's right. That's exactly what I did when I appealed and fought against a ridiculous suspension for a fabricated, minor transgression."

"This," Kraft said, "is a very happy day in the life of the New England Patriots."

Kraft also said Brady should be remembered in Boston like Ted Williams, Bill Russell and Larry Bird, each having played his entire career in the city.

"I remember feeling sad when Bobby Orr left," Kraft said of the NHL Hall of Famer who left Boston for Chicago near the end of his career. "I saw this as an opportunity to sign the greatest Patriot for the rest of his career."

"This was an easy decision, like when we immediately restored our logo and uniforms after I bought the team. We had an identity built for over three decades and a loyal fan base, and we were recognized throughout the region, and had great players and history. Many people, most of them opponents and in the media, lost sight of that in denigrating and dismissing the team and its accomplishments before I bought it."

"As a coach," Bill Belichick said, "it's very important to know that your key players will be with you for a while. It makes it a lot easier for our planning."

"If Tom had wanted to test the market through free agency," Kraft said, "he might have gotten more money than he's getting from us. Tom's commitment to the team and unselfishness has earned him credit and influence in our operation beyond that of just a player."

Through thick and thin, Brady and New England have demonstrated a strong and unique working relationship. The historic success this century of both the quarterback and franchise are inextricably linked. Sunday's news confirmed that will remain the case until at least 2022.

In other NFL news, Antonio Brown has not been practicing with his new team, the Oakland Raiders, at their training camp in Napa, Calif. due to what is said to be a minor issue. On Saturday we learned that Brown would be visiting a foot specialist. Brown recently posted an image on Instagram showing just how wrecked his feet are.

 

[Pape]

 

[Ring 6]

Tom Brady agrees to contract extension with Patriots​

By APF; What Could Have Been
Pastfans.com
•
Aug 04, 2019 at 6:14 AM



For his 42nd birthday, Tom Brady received a special gift from the New England Patriots: a long-awaited contract extension.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback agreed to terms on a two-year, $50 million contract extension with New England on Sunday, a source told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The deal raises Brady's 2019 salary from $15 million to $23 million. Brady is then scheduled to make $24 million in 2020 and $26 million in 2021, fully guaranteed, with another $9 million in potential incentives.

Such a contract is unusual for the Patriots for a player of any age, but the team ownership and management clearly recognize they aren't dealing with any ordinary player.

Already in uncharted territory, Brady is now under contract through 2021, his age-44 season. The quarterback has insisted for years that he would like to play until he's at least 45 years old. This deal keeps that goal still in the realm of possibility.

Brady was set to enter the final season of a two-year restructured deal agreed to last August before he struck an extension with the Pats this weekend. Brady was scheduled to make $15 million and carry a $27 million cap hit in 2019. The Patriots QB has still never entered a season in the final year of his deal.

The six-time Super Bowl champion was never at risk of entering the 2019 season without assurances past this campaign. Striking a deal was a matter of when not if. Brady and the Pats came to agreement on Aug. 4, nearly one year to the day when they agreed to a restructured deal in 2018 (Aug. 10), so a contract adjustment like this was not unprecedented.

Brady appeared calmly confident this week when asked whether he deserved a contract extension, joking to reporters, "Have I earned [an extension]? I don't know. That's up for talk show debate. What do you guys think? Should we take a poll?"

There's no denying Brady deserved assurances from the Patriots past this season, but negotiating extensions for players of his age is not an exact science. The QB's ability to play into his 40s at an MVP level is unprecedented, and New England does not have a succession plan yet.

For some time, Jimmy Garoppolo was thought to be the heir to the throne, but New England traded him to San Francisco during the 2017 season. Behind Brady now are journeyman backup Brian Hoyer and rookie Jarrett Stidham, not exactly world-beaters.

Brady's play has barely taken a dip. After his 2017 MVP campaign, the Patriots QB got off to a slow start but finished with 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 picks and, most importantly, one Lombardi trophy.

However, there's no telling when a quarterback, even one as limber as Brady, will see a dropoff in ability. Peyton Manning's skill memorably fell off a cliff during Denver's 2015 Super Bowl season before the Broncos QB announced his retirement. The difference: Manning had myriad injury issues, while Brady has stayed relatively healthy since he tore his ACL in 2008.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated, "We considered putting clauses in to leave Tom's options open to him after the season, but I refused to accept that. I wasn't going to treat my star player like Roger Clemens was. I simply faced reality. There's never going to be another player like Tom. Ever."

Kraft also said Brady should be remembered in Boston like Ted Williams, Bill Russell and Larry Bird, each having played his entire career in the city.

"I remember feeling sad when Bobby Orr left," Kraft said of the NHL Hall of Famer who left Boston for Chicago near the end of his career. "I saw this as an opportunity to sign the greatest Patriot for the rest of his career."

"This was an easy decision, like when we immediately restored our logo and uniforms after I bought the team. We had an identity built for over three decades and a loyal fan base, and we were recognized throughout the region, and had great players and history. Many people, most of them opponents and in the media, lost sight of that in denigrating and dismissing the team and its accomplishments before I bought it."

"As a coach," Bill Belichick said, "it's very important to know that your key players will be with you for a while. It makes it a lot easier for our planning."

"If Tom had wanted to test the market through free agency," Kraft said, "he might have gotten more money than he's getting from us."

Through thick and thin, Brady and New England have demonstrated a strong and unique working relationship. The historic success this century of both the quarterback and franchise are inextricably linked. Sunday's news confirmed that will remain the case until at least 2022.

If only that, we would have no more rings, no Qb and have missed out in half the free agents and would be rebuilding in 2022 in worse shape than we were in in 2020.
Brady leaving was ultimately best for everyone.

 

[venecol]

Unfortunately, we'll never know what could've been. It is what it is. Bringing back the logo is still possible though.

 

[VrabelJr]

This post took a really strange turn as soon as words got involved.

 

[Gumby]

This post took a really strange turn as soon as words got involved.

Agreed.

I do like the thoughts (agreeing emotionally with both the logo and TB), but in the real world- TB wanted #7 & he would never get it here - Team needed to reset & and him staying would have constrained them to 3+ years of hell instead of 1.5.

sad, but best for all concerned

 

[Triumph]

Brady is not retiring.

He just stated that he is not closing the door on a 2022 comeback. I dont believe that he will wait a couple years like Gronk said. Brady will be back next season for multiple reasons.

1 Tom is still performing at a post season level.
2 He was a Kooper Kupp reception away from sending the NFCD into OT. Momentum was with Tampa until Hue Jackson jinxed it.
3 That close to playing Jimmy Baby in the NFCC and Bradys going to his 11th Super Bowl if he won..
4 Losing because of a blown Hue Jackson call is not the way that Brady wants to go out. Rumor is that Arians team is not buttoned down like Belichicks.
5 More work to be done on NFL records that may never be broken.
6 1 more ring for his last finger. Nobody wears rings on thumbs.

 

[p8ryts]

Pats fans living in the past. That's a shame.

 

[Wax Frog]

 

[MahomestoKelce]

Brady is not retiring.

He just stated that he is not closing the door on a 2022 comeback. I dont believe that he will wait a couple years like Gronk said. Brady will be back next season for multiple reasons.

1 Tom is still performing at a post season level.
2 He was a Kooper Kupp reception away from sending the NFCD into OT. Momentum was with Tampa until Hue Jackson jinxed it.
3 That close to playing Jimmy Baby in the NFCC and Bradys going to his 11th Super Bowl if he won..
4 Losing because of a blown Hue Jackson call is not the way that Brady wants to go out. Rumor is that Arians team is not buttoned down like Belichicks.
5 More work to be done on NFL records that may never be broken.
6 1 more ring for his last finger. Nobody wears rings on thumbs.

Tom Brady's profession is/was an elite QB. He excelled at it better than anyone else.

But...what about family? Brady can come back and win an 8th. But what he can't do is make up lost time with kids. Those are once in a lifetime cherished moments.

For me personally, family is number one. I look at it like this. I can always apply for a different job. Or go on apps to find friends. But family is irreplaceable.

That's the thing.

We look at Tom Brady the football player. But maybe Tom Brady the man just wants to see his kids grow?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

If only that, we would have no more rings, no Qb and have missed out in half the free agents and would be rebuilding in 2022 in worse shape than we were in in 2020.
Brady leaving was ultimately best for everyone.

Agreed.

I do like the thoughts (agreeing emotionally with both the logo and TB), but in the real world- TB wanted #7 & he would never get it here - Team needed to reset & and him staying would have constrained them to 3+ years of hell instead of 1.5.

sad, but best for all concerned

Sounds like you think it's comparable to the Celtics keeping the big three and winding up with nothing. Losing Reggie too didn't help.

I know this looks a lot like simplifying, even romanticizing a bit of a more complicated issue.

Let me update this a bit.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Agreed.

I do like the thoughts (agreeing emotionally with both the logo and TB), but in the real world- TB wanted #7 & he would never get it here - Team needed to reset & and him staying would have constrained them to 3+ years of hell instead of 1.5.

sad, but best for all concerned

Similarly to the fact that Kraft's meek capitulation to DefameGate was not necessary, I believe that simple acceptance and awareness of Brady's ability and accomplishments should make anyone paying attention realize that he spent his entire educational and professional life making the best of, and getting the most out of, whatever and whoever he had to work with. It's not like the Patriots had nobody to play and nobody to coach them. Instead of just accepting Belichick's entrenched view (which despite success has failed several times) Kraft should have pulled some rank over Bill and worked with him, instead of just throwing up his hands and leaving it all in Bill's lap, and 'praying for the best', just like he threw up his hands and said "Well, Orthwein did this, I too prefer the old logo but there's nothing I can do!!! I'm only the owner!!! Its...It's above my pay grade!!! It's out of my hands!!! Everybody on Earth says the Patriots sucked forever and they're all correct!!! The flying elvis above everything else will be the cornerstone of my legacy!!!"

 

[TheRainMaker]

He would’ve rotted here with the bad roster Bill built. Tom had a chance to pick the best team and Bill the ability to reset.

 

[Ring 6]

Sounds like you think it's comparable to the Celtics keeping the big three and winding up with nothing. Losing Reggie too didn't help.

I know this looks a lot like simplifying, even romanticizing a bit of a more complicated issue.

Let me update this a bit.

I can see an emotional advantage to having kept Brady around until he retired.
I just don’t see where the football team would be better off. If we paid him what the Bucs paid him, which is the best guess of what it would take, we have less than no money to work with in 2020, so that team definitely would have gone backward. Then all the money we spent to rebuild in 2021 wouldn’t have been there so there wouldn’t have been much if any upgrading then.
We would be sitting on a big dead money hit this year with ni qb and little money to spend.
Effectively 2022 would be what 2020 was and we had nothing to show for it but the emotional gain, which would be drowned about by all the fans *****ing about the team.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I can see an emotional advantage to having kept Brady around until he retired.
I just don’t see where the football team would be better off. If we paid him what the Bucs paid him, which is the best guess of what it would take, we have less than no money to work with in 2020, so that team definitely would have gone backward. Then all the money we spent to rebuild in 2021 wouldn’t have been there so there wouldn’t have been much if any upgrading then.
We would be sitting on a big dead money hit this year with ni qb and little money to spend.
Effectively 2022 would be what 2020 was and we had nothing to show for it but the emotional gain, which would be drowned about by all the fans *****ing about the team.

A distinct possibility.

But there were alternative approaches - and attitudes.

The "Well, there's nothing we can do" mentality is restrictive - you paint yourself into a corner.

The experience and resources were there to work and look for help.

Can we at least agree that Brady is exceptional. Perhaps even unique. There was overwhelming evidence and indication that Brady was able - and highly motivated - to win and play well. Locking him up - acknowledging, from a tangible, financial standpoint what he'd earned a thousand times over for eighteen years - and then giving the player the leeway to have his personal trainer at least involved without treating Tom like some bum - he's sadly very familiar with that, and understandably had never liked it - and giving him some credit when he backs up a teammate with a history of problems, to the point of letting the man live at his house with his family - would have shown some reciprocal commitment on the part of ownership and management.

Having a bit of a drop off in performance after Tom left was always likely. Letting him walk earlier than necessary cost much more than anything the team has gained.

 

[Ring 6]

A distinct possibility.

But there were alternative approaches - and attitudes.

The "Well, there's nothing we can do" mentality is restrictive - you paint yourself into a corner.

The experience and resources were there to work and look for help.

Can we at least agree that Brady is exceptional. Perhaps even unique. There was overwhelming evidence and indication that Brady was able - and highly motivated - to win and play well. Locking him up - acknowledging, from a tangible, financial standpoint what he'd earned a thousand times over for eighteen years - and then giving the player the leeway to have his personal trainer at least involved without treating Tom like some bum - he's sadly very familiar with that, and understandably had never liked it - and giving him some credit when he backs up a teammate with a history of problems, to the point of letting the man live at his house with his family - would have shown some reciprocal commitment on the part of ownership and management.

Having a bit of a drop off in performance after Tom left was always likely. Letting him walk earlier than necessary cost much more than anything the team has gained.

Any team in the NFL has a better chance of winning a SB with Tom Brady at QB than anyone else.
The problem was we were not in a position to win a SB in the narrow window he had left.
Sooner or later there was going to be no Brady. Having that be 2 years earlier got the rebuild started sooner and delaying it further really wasn’t bringing any championships because it was time to pay up for the 3 championships and 4 SBs in 5 years. That doesn’t just happen and you come out the other side without issues having built up.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Any team in the NFL has a better chance of winning a SB with Tom Brady at QB than anyone else.
The problem was we were not in a position to win a SB in the narrow window he had left.
Sooner or later there was going to be no Brady. Having that be 2 years earlier got the rebuild started sooner and delaying it further really wasn’t bringing any championships because it was time to pay up for the 3 championships and 4 SBs in 5 years. That doesn’t just happen and you come out the other side without issues having built up.

The specific actions and decisions made by Kraft and Belichick ensured that your assessment was correct.

They made it simple and easy for Brady to leave.

The 1968-69 Celtics had an old roster. Despite being defending champions, there was little expectation of success by analysts.

But Russell was still there.

I do not agree that accelerating an inevitable rebuild is worth dumping the chance to win a title and keep a once in a lifetime player until retirement.

 

[1960Pats]

Tom Brady's profession is/was an elite QB. He excelled at it better than anyone else.

But...what about family? Brady can come back and win an 8th. But what he can't do is make up lost time with kids. Those are once in a lifetime cherished moments.

For me personally, family is number one. I look at it like this. I can always apply for a different job. Or go on apps to find friends. But family is irreplaceable.

That's the thing.

We look at Tom Brady the football player. But maybe Tom Brady the man just wants to see his kids grow?

Tom Brady sees his family far more than the average guy. The woe-is-me angle doesn't work.

 

[1960Pats]

The specific actions and decisions made by Kraft and Belichick ensured that your assessment was correct.

They made it simple and easy for Brady to leave.

The 1968-69 Celtics had an old roster. Despite being defending champions, there was little expectation of success by analysts.

But Russell was still there.

I do not agree that accelerating an inevitable rebuild is worth dumping the chance to win a title and keep a once in a lifetime player until retirement.

If there's a choice between Brady and Belichick I'm taking Brady every single time.