I understand this is a hypothetical you posed. That said the Reiss article (who is one of the most plugged in guys around) was pretty clear that both sides have a general sense of trust and expectations with each other. The Patriots are trusting Brady when he says he wants to be here, doesn't want top dollar because he wants to build a team around him, but just wants to be reasonably compensated. Brady is trusting the Patriots when they say they want him here, they just can't afford to take the risk of a long-term deal on a 42 year old QB, but that if he does play well at age 42 they will reasonably compensate him for 2020. And as a sign of that faith, the Patriots agreed to let Brady have equal say in the decision going forward by eliminating any leverage the Patriots could have (franchise tag).
Your hypothetical? We'll see if it happens, but whether a $2M raise from 2019 is considered "reasonable" or not is up for discussion, but leaving for by-far the largest single year contract in NFL history definitely doesn't sound like what the actions of someone who doesn't care about top dollar, just wants to be reasonably compensated so he can have a good team around him. I'm not saying Brady doesn't deserve that money. Just saying it's not consistent with the views stated.
Finally, as noted, Drew Brees has been in a similar situation for the last few years with the Saints and they always seem to work it out before he hits the market. Given the past history and what we've heard from a few plugged in sources, why would we expect anything different in Brady's case? Yes, it *could* happen. That's the risk the Pats are taking (and Brady too, for believing the Pats would pay him reasonably). The Jets *could* win the Super Bowl this year too. But why would we expect it to happen, and get all worked up about it at this point?
