I really don’t think it’s about the money. I mean, I think he wants to be paid somewhere near his market value which is around $30M. And I think he’s right to do this. My speculation/educated guess is that the Patriots could have avoided this if they’d extended him last year.
I believe Tom thinks he deserves a 2-3 year extension. He wants to solidify his family’s plans and have some long-term security.
When it comes to actual value for production, the Spurs might have overpaid for Tim Duncan towards the end of his career; the Yankees overpaid for Derek Jeter, and the Lakers overpaid for Kobe Bryant. I can guarantee you not one of these franchises regret doing what they did, both ownership and fans. It would be one thing if the Patriots had the Jimmy G. decision to make right now or if they truly believe they would be missing the opportunity land their long-term elite QB. That seems unlikely. I don’t care what people say about my fandom (been a Pats fan since late 80s when I was about 7), but unless the Patriots truly believe they are missing out on a Lombardi by keeping Brady, I’d rather they kept him for two more years before starting a total rebuild. It’s that important for me as a fan to see this guy retire in a Pats uniform. What I’ve seen over the last 20 years is something that I never expected as a sports fan, and saying you’re a Brady fan does not mean you aren’t a Patriots fan, even if there appears to be some potential schism between the two.
To everyone who is trying to separate people like myself into “Brady fans” who aren’t true Patriots fans, I’d just ask how you feel about Adam Vinatieri now. Do you feel great re-watching his highlight kicks with the Pats? Are you making it must-see TV to watch his Canton induction? Feeling like you need to get to Foxboro to see him inducted to Pats Hall of Fame?
Sure, it won’t be the same situation with Brady because of his sheer longevity, but any time a player goes somewhere else this high degree of sensitivity comes into play and things seem a little more bittersweet. He will inevitably say/do something and a bunch of fans will “lose respect” for him or say “I’ll always like Brady the player, but Brady the person is a different story.” Heck, you already have a fairly significant number of fans who are up Gronk’s ass doe some comments. At worst it can become something truly ugly like what happened with Favre, going to a direct rival and really causing a horrific fan experience. The value of keeping Brady goes beyond cap/football economics and that’s what Kraft understood in 2017 when he ordered the Jimmy G. trade. You really don’t want him to get away.
