Pats Re-do Gronk's Contract?

[MoLewisrocks]

That Rosenhaus has denied the story is beyond interesting. Perhaps he reached some escalators or incentives that Florio's source didn't realize existed and the bump showed up on the NFLPA website where actual (as opposed to previously reported) salaries can be tracked. It's also possible they pushed a potential 4th year escalator forward for effect as they did with Seymour back in 2005 when he held out of camp (actually prepaying him some of his final year's contract value in advance prior to extending him in 2006) as a good faith gesture to insure he didn't do the math and balk at the AAV when the final year was folded in. I recall when they did their restructure with Seymour many mediots spun it as a new two year deal that tore up the old deal. When it wasn't that at all.

It's also possible they (agent driven or team driven) are talking about something but haven't actually agreed on anything yet and were just in the exploring stage. If so that source might gum up the works given how quickly Rosenhaus jumped in with his denial. It's a cut throat business and Rosenhaus has lost more clients than he's added recently so who knows who Florio's source is and what it's agenda might entail.

I would think that as thin as this kid spreads himself doing good, the team would probably prefer he not be persuing tons of lucrative endorsement work which his profile must be eliciting. Better to pay him up front and see him continue to focus on football and community as opposed to selling anything that isn't nailed down or signing on for a reality series...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Interesting move. Id imagine they may have simply made his deal similar to that of a 1st rounder rather than continuing on his 4 year deal. The would give him a raise right now and add a third year onto the deal that is a balloon payment worth more than what the projected franchise tender is for a Tight End.

If that is what they did its a great move as it gives the team more time to evaluate him and would put him as a free agent in the 2015 year, which right now is where the Pats have just about everybody. Lets them see where Brady will be at too before they go nuts paying a TE.

Your idea makes sense on one level, but it creates some problems going forward if they ultimately can't get a second full deal done due to the leverage that baloon payment would create. It would get any deal or big payday for him beyond Welker impact range and getting Brady extended range and theoretically beyond the flat cap period. And also put some distance between his contract and any Hernandez contract which they kind of have to do if they have any hope of retaining both long term. But it could also be spun by agents going forward as further precedent for revisiting other rookie deals at the first opportunity (although for most - exception being first rounders for whom the guaranteed tag $ option decision will exist anyway - that will now be not until year 4 based on the new CBA).

 

[MoLewisrocks]

LaCanfora, Breer, Rappaport and Howe are now all reporting/tweeting that their souces confirm the Patriots are in serious negotiations with Rosenhaus/Gronk on a deal to rework and extend his current deal. Not there yet, though. LaCanfora says could be as early as today.

 

[borg]

According to Florio...

"Terms of the agreement aren’t known. Under the pre-2011 CBA, rookie deals may be renegotiated after two years. As of 2011, rookie contracts cannot be re-done until the player has three years of service."

...If this is true, what do the Patriots gain by adding money to the 4th year now? Sweetening the 4th year can be done down the road. In the mean time, Gronk could shred another limb....or worse...dehabilitating STD

I love the idea that the Pats want to be fair and generous (if reports are true), but in theory, they can control him for 2 years of cheap contract, a franchise year, and a refranchise year....and it would be the bargain of the century. The guy is so much of a work horse down field and a masher on the line, injuries seem inevitable. But you know Rosenhaus will gum up the works...which he should....because the guy is that good. If adding money in year 4 can lessen the cap pain of years 5 through???.....then hell yeah. And hell yeah no matter what...he's the Gronk

 

[ScottieC]

That Rosenhaus has denied the story is beyond interesting. Perhaps he reached some escalators or incentives that Florio's source didn't realize existed and the bump showed up on the NFLPA website where actual (as opposed to previously reported) salaries can be tracked. It's also possible they pushed a potential 4th year escalator forward for effect as they did with Seymour back in 2005 when he held out of camp (actually prepaying him some of his final year's contract value in advance prior to extending him in 2006) as a good faith gesture to insure he didn't do the math and balk at the AAV when the final year was folded in. I recall when they did their restructure with Seymour many mediots spun it as a new two year deal that tore up the old deal. When it wasn't that at all.

It's also possible they (agent driven or team driven) are talking about something but haven't actually agreed on anything yet and were just in the exploring stage. If so that source might gum up the works given how quickly Rosenhaus jumped in with his denial. It's a cut throat business and Rosenhaus has lost more clients than he's added recently so who knows who Florio's source is and what it's agenda might entail.

I would think that as thin as this kid spreads himself doing good, the team would probably prefer he not be persuing tons of lucrative endorsement work which his profile must be eliciting. Better to pay him up front and see him continue to focus on football and community as opposed to selling anything that isn't nailed down or signing on for a reality series...

Drew probably did not know that Bill and Robert called Gronk into their office and had him sign a new contract.

Bill gave Gronk the Austin Powers, "One Millllllion Dollars!" - Gronk said "Hell yea"! and spiked the pen after he signed.

 

[fester]

Maybe it's not such good news after all.

"Pro Football Talk reported Gronkowski has reached a new deal with the Patriots that replaced the final two seasons on his rookie contract, though terms of the restructured deal were not known.

The report makes it sound like it was a raise, not an extension."

I think it basically has to be just a raise. The recently signed CBA forbids teams and players from extending the term of a contract past a fourth accrued year if the player has less than three accrued seasons. This is a bit of a change from the previous CBA where contracts could be extended once a players accrued their second season.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I think it basically has to be just a raise. The recently signed CBA forbids teams and players from extending the term of a contract past a fourth accrued year if the player has less than three accrued seasons. This is a bit of a change from the previous CBA where contracts could be extended once a players accrued their second season.

Gronk was drafted in 2010. He and anyone drafted before the new CBA took effect in 2011 are not limited by those rules.

 

[BradyManny]

LaCanfora, Breer, Rappaport and Howe are now all reporting/tweeting that their souces confirm the Patriots are in serious negotiations with Rosenhaus/Gronk on a deal to rework and extend his current deal. Not there yet, though. LaCanfora says could be as early as today.

That would be awesome.

Brilliant move if they can get it done.

 

[patchick]

AIf this is true, what do the Patriots gain by adding money to the 4th year now? Sweetening the 4th year can be done down the road. In the mean time, Gronk could shred another limb....or worse...dehabilitating STD

Reworking with 2 years left would certainly break with some powerful team precedent. (See: Branch, Deion.) BUT...

...if they have the cap space now

...and all evidence points to last year not being an aberration, but rather the tip of the iceberg for a kid who's only 23 years old

...then the Lawrence Taylor Rule kicks in: For that truly rare, game-changing talent, you break your other rules.

Given the impact Gronk has on virtually every play as either a blocker or receiver, is there a more dominant non-QB offensive player in the league? Who would you trade Gronk for?

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Great if they extend him for reasonable dough.

If it's only a raise then what about every other past or future draft pick who exceeds performance? That's what Mankins was upset about, others too

 

[Rob0729]

I seriously doubt the Pats would rework a deal with Gronk just to give him a raise over his final two years. When have the Pats ever done that. Even when they gave Seymour more money to end his hold out, it was a small bonus.

As Mo Lewis points out, Gronk is exempt from the new CBA rules of not being extending after two years because he was drafted prior to the new CBA. He can get a new longer term deal.

 

[Rob0729]

According to Florio...

"Terms of the agreement aren’t known. Under the pre-2011 CBA, rookie deals may be renegotiated after two years. As of 2011, rookie contracts cannot be re-done until the player has three years of service."

...If this is true, what do the Patriots gain by adding money to the 4th year now? Sweetening the 4th year can be done down the road. In the mean time, Gronk could shred another limb....or worse...dehabilitating STD

I love the idea that the Pats want to be fair and generous (if reports are true), but in theory, they can control him for 2 years of cheap contract, a franchise year, and a refranchise year....and it would be the bargain of the century. The guy is so much of a work horse down field and a masher on the line, injuries seem inevitable. But you know Rosenhaus will gum up the works...which he should....because the guy is that good. If adding money in year 4 can lessen the cap pain of years 5 through???.....then hell yeah. And hell yeah no matter what...he's the Gronk

Florio is just clueless to the fact that rule is for players drafted in 2011 and beyond. Anyone drafted in the 2010 draft class (who would have just two years of service) are exempt from that rule. The NFLPA would never have gone for not allowing players already under contract being grandfathered out of that rule.

 

[Henroc]

RT @RapSheet: Gut says extension. Patriots lock him up for 6 by coming to him early RT @CroweKnows: @RapSheet Gronk deal an extension or just a raise?

Let's hope he does get an extension because then we just have Hernandez to really worry about. Hopefully welker can work out a deal with the pats but well just have to wait n see

 

[jason423]

Your idea makes sense on one level, but it creates some problems going forward if they ultimately can't get a second full deal done due to the leverage that baloon payment would create. It would get any deal or big payday for him beyond Welker impact range and getting Brady extended range and theoretically beyond the flat cap period. And also put some distance between his contract and any Hernandez contract which they kind of have to do if they have any hope of retaining both long term. But it could also be spun by agents going forward as further precedent for revisiting other rookie deals at the first opportunity (although for most - exception being first rounders for whom the guaranteed tag $ option decision will exist anyway - that will now be not until year 4 based on the new CBA).

It will be interesting to see what they do. Unless they go nutty to make his agent (who has had some bad days lately and is in a tough spot right now so he may be looking for good press) happy they wont go beyond a 3 year extension (meaning the deal ends in 2016) since that is the furthest that they can prorate with a signing bonus this year. That could mean something if they look to do Hernandez early since they will set their own precedent with Gronkowski.

As for the second point about the other rookie deals I dont think its a factor since, as you said, he isnt in the new system. He falls in with the 2010 and before class and this was somewhat common for good players, though usually it was after 3 years. The 2011 class Im guess will be watching Newton closely since he will be the first to get an extension. I always thought the rookies should have gotten true options within their current contracts around year 3 rather than the current system of year 5.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Florio is just clueless to the fact that rule is for players drafted in 2011 and beyond. Anyone drafted in the 2010 draft class (who would have just two years of service) are exempt from that rule. The NFLPA would never have gone for not allowing players already under contract being grandfathered out of that rule.

To give credit where credit is due, Florio wasn't trying to say, "OMG!!! Cheatriots!!!" He was trying to explain why the Patriots CAN do this, despite the new CBA.

 

[JackBauer]

Given the impact Gronk has on virtually every play as either a blocker or receiver, is there a more dominant non-QB offensive player in the league? Who would you trade Gronk for?

Calvin Johnson. That might be it, though.

 

[Don_the_patfan]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet

Oh it's getting done. Nearly done now RT @nishvyas: @RapSheet if they get Gronk done, its going to be a huge relief next yr and surprising..

Asked Ian if he cared to expand on that , he responded:

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet

@originalDB It will be done soon, if it's not already done?

He seems to think it's in the bag this is huge for the pats to get Gronk locked up now. Allows them to keep Hernandez as well down the line.

 

[mayoclinic]

Reworking with 2 years left would certainly break with some powerful team precedent. (See: Branch, Deion.) BUT...

...if they have the cap space now

...and all evidence points to last year not being an aberration, but rather the tip of the iceberg for a kid who's only 23 years old

...then the Lawrence Taylor Rule kicks in: For that truly rare, game-changing talent, you break your other rules.

Given the impact Gronk has on virtually every play as either a blocker or receiver, is there a more dominant non-QB offensive player in the league? Who would you trade Gronk for?

This.

I've been arguing for a while that Gronk is a special enough players that regular contract rules don't apply. I think you can make an argument that Gronk is the biggest impact player of BB's tenure with the Pats apart from Brady. He is a Lawrency Taylor kind of "truly rare, game-changing talent", and 31 teams would be clamoring for his services if he hit the open market.

Even if this is just a "good faith" move to augment the last 2 years of his contract, it's a good move. If it's anything more than that, it's a great move.

IF (and it's still a huge "if") the Pats could figure out a way to extend Gronk beyond 2013, I think there's a good chance that a long term deal with Welker would follow shortly. Consider where the Pats currently stand with their key offensive players:

- Brady: signed through 2014
- Gronk: signed through 2013; and extension would lock him up through 2014 or longer
- Hernandez: signed through 2013; if Gronk gets signed long term then the Pats can use the franchise tag on Hernandez to keep him at least through 2014
- Fells: signed through 2014
- Welker: signed through 2012, but if Gronk gets locked up then a long term extension becomes easier to deal with
- Lloyd: signed through 2014
- Vereen: signed through 2014
- Ridley: signed through 2014
- Mankins: signed through 2016
- Connolly: signed through 2014
- Solder: signed through 2014, with an option year for 2015
- Vollmer: signed through 2012
- Cannon: signed through 2014

Almost every key member of the offense is signed through 2014. If Gronk can be extended another year or longer, which would free up the franchise tag to be used on Hernandez, and if Welker's and Solder's contracts can be addressed, the Pats would have their current offense locked up for the next 3 years.

 

[JackBauer]

This would be a stroke of genius on the part of the FO, almost entirely regardless of the terms.

 

[Rob0729]

Asked Ian if he cared to expand on that , he responded:



He seems to think it's in the bag this is huge for the pats to get Gronk locked up now. Allows them to keep Hernandez as well down the line.

These things typically don't get leaked like this unless they are close to being done. Remember when SMY reported that Lloyd was just about signed and everyone denied it and he was signed either later that day or the next.