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Tom Brady agrees to contract extension with Patriots
By APF; What Could Have BeenPastfans.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.
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