Patriots Huddle: Friday's News and Notes 7/11
 Bill Belichick making a move for receiver Andre Johnson seems unlikely. (USA TODAY Images) |
Another quiet morning, but here are some news and notes on this Friday:
DON'T COUNT ON ANDRE JOHNSON IN NEW ENGLAND:
There are plenty of fans who would love to see Andre Johnson catching passes from Tom Brady, but as it currently stands, the Patriots would have to be considered a long shot to acquire him.
Johnson has told the Texans that he no longer wants to be there and wants to be traded, which reportedly stemmed from an earlier situation where the star receiver missed the early portion of the offseason workouts and cost him a $1 million bonus. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Johnson requested the opportunity to workout extra to make up for the time he missed, but the team told him no.
That sets up where he is now, which has the two sides in a standoff and Johnson at the center of trade rumors.
Looking at the implications of him coming to New England, the numbers don't really work out too well. As our colleague Miguel Benzan points out, Per the CBA, the Patriots would have to be under the cap by $10,580,000 in order to take on Andre Johnson’s 10 million salary and 1 million roster bonus. According to Benzan, the team is currently below the salary cap by $6.4 million, which would require a series of moves to squeeze Johnson under and he goes over a series of moves to shave off the additional $4.2 million that might make it work. Some of those moves would involve extensions for Devin McCourty along releasing Dan Connolly or even Logan Mankins, among other necessary transactions.
That's a lot of work for one player and doesn't exactly fit how the Patriots have previously done business. Not to mention the fact that it leaves them without any breathing room or the ability to adjust in the event of disaster from an injury standpoint, and puts them in tough shape cap-wise heading into 2015 unless Johnson would be willing to take a pay-cut in order to make it work. Rapoport reports that Johnson is willing to restructure, but it doesn't sound like lowering his salary is something he's willing to do.
Needless to say it seems unlikely that he may end up in a Patriots uniform. Granted stranger things have happened, but the numbers don't add up and that's one of the bigger reasons why he'll probably end up elsewhere if Johnson and the Texans can't work out their issues.
CHUNG HOLDING A PEP RALLY:
According to the Boston Herald, Patrick Chung and his wife Cecelia recently threw a pep rally with JAM’N 94.5’s Maverik, crooner Louie Bello, and hip-hop dancers Phunk Phenomenon and Fame or Juliet to kick off his free summer music academy, SMART, at the Josiah Quincy School.
“We’re excited to welcome music students from all levels and backgrounds to join us once again for SMART,” Patrick Chung said in a recent press release. “Both of my parents were music professionals – my mother a singer and my father a producer. Because they followed their passions, they were able to give me the opportunities I’ve had to succeed. I’m thrilled we can offer the same opportunity for music students to follow their passions.”
The academy is designed for music students between the ages of 12-15 and from the Greater Boston area. The program is currently taking place from July 7 through August 15th, but the application process is closed.
GRONK SPENDS TIME AT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL:
It's probably only a matter of time before photos appear of Rob Gronkowski at a recent Katy Perry concert, but for now it's nice to see him giving back to the community, which is something he's spent a lot of time this offseason doing and those things don't tend to get enough press.
Gronk recently visited the Boston Children's Hospital and brought some ice cream to some of the patients there, and the Hospital tweeted a photo of him:
Thanks @RobGronkowski for bringing ice cream to kids @BostonChildrens! pic.twitter.com/pg4duD7hHh
— Boston Children's (@helpkids) July 10, 2014Good stuff.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Our friend James Christensen has a good article on how the Patriots defense will be better without Brandon Spikes - READ MORE
Nick Underhill of MassLive continues his series of ranking the Patriots, will Darrelle Revis coming in at number two - READ MORE
Erik Frenz of Boston.com looks at the battle potentially looming between Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce for the final roster spot at the receiver position heading into training camp - READ MORE
Frenz has another article on the back-up tight end position and the upcoming competition heading into training camp. - READ MORE
Have to love this title of an article on Gisele in the Daily Mail "Gisele Bundchen shows lean legs in skin-tight faded skinny jeans while shooting commercial for Falabella in Miami". Purely for clicks, but it obviously worked - READ MORE
