Kinda why I am nervouss that the pats won't be able to keep grok AND Hernandez. Those could be 2 9+mill guys a year and I dont see the pats paying two tightends that
Well, suppose the Pats were to offer a totally new deal to Gronk tomorrow. Here's his current deal:
2012: $490,000 (+ $30,000 workout bonus)
2013: $575,000 (+ $30,000 workout bonus)
Now, with Gronk getting laid out in the KC game (where he landed awkwardly on his head) and after his serious ankle injury against the Ravens, perhaps he could be persuaded that, you know, his health is no sure thing, and if he waits until 2014 to get paid, it's possible that he'll never see that season on an NFL field.
So the Pats say, look, we'll tear up 2012 and 2013 and pay you much more money than your rookie contract called for. In exchange, we'll also add a 4-year extension on top of that that will give you some guaranteed money. It won't be as much as you could *potentially* (if you continue to produce and are healthy 2 full seasons from now) get down the road as a free agent, but in a sport where the average career is 3 years, we're offering you, 2 years prior to free agency, a chance to protect yourself. So here's the offer (remember, the salary cap should go up a ton in 2014):
2012: $3 million ($3 million guaranteed)
2013: $4 million ($4 million guaranteed)
2014: $7 million ($5 million guaranteed)
2015: $7.5 million
2016: $8 million
2017: $8.5 million
That's a 6-year, $38 million deal (average of $6.3 mil per year), with $12 million guaranteed. As of now, he's due to make just $1.125 million over the next two seasons and this could set him up big-time. For Gronk, he gets WAY more security (minimum of $12 million); for the Pats, especially with the guaranteed money up front, it's a hedge against him demanding an insane contract as he becomes a free agent in 2014.
