Will new CBA soften Belichick’s Brady stance?
The assumption is with the new CBA passing for the NFL, that’s good news with respect to a possible Tom Brady return to Foxboro.
The new CBA opens the door for the Patriots to push money into future years. That would be beneficial in Brady’s case. Instead of having all his money draining the cap this year, it can be spread out.
So in theory, that’s a huge positive. It allows the Patriots to still be in the hunt for the GOAT. They still have a chance to lure Brady back into the fold.
Once again, on paper, that would seem to be the narrative.
Now for the big but -- all of that supposition gets blown out the window, if Bill Belichick continues his hard-line stance. The newly gained flexibility with contracts won’t make a difference if Belichick still isn’t willing to bend. Even if the Hoodie is in a better position to give Brady a better deal from what was originally pitched during a recent phone call, it won’t matter if he stays the course.
According to a WEEI report, Belichick told Brady that given his dead cap hit ($13.5 million), the Patriots could only afford to give him a one-year deal at less than the $23 million he made last season.
That falls in line with information gathered from our sources in recent weeks.
As it was, prior to the CBA passing, the Patriots didn’t have a lot of cap space to work with if the intention was to sign Brady, and also gather the necessary pieces to compete for a Super Bowl.
They did, however, have some avenues if they really wanted to sign Brady. Now they have even more, even though the salary cap for 2020 ($198.2 million per club) is lower than anticipated.
According to cap guru Miguel Benzan of the Boston Sports Journal, the cap space for the Patriots with a 200 million ceiling was $25.4 million. Still not a lot.
But the Pats can now cut that dead money hit in half to $6.75 million, which would be tacked onto whatever the new cap figure would be with Brady resigning before hitting free agency.
So does Belichick make another run at Brady with a new set of rules, and the ability to maneuver a little better?
Even with some prospective teams dropping out of the running -- the Titans have reportedly agreed to terms to re-sign Ryan Tannehill to a multi-year deal -Brady probably doesn’t want to make that call back to the Patriots. After being put off by the initial dialogue with Belichick, he’s happy to wait. Or head out to free agency after the 18th, if free agency is still on, get an offer, and see what the Hoodie has in mind after that.
The Titans were a destination Brady would have strongly considered. They were a real possibility, but they’re apparently sticking with Tannehill, which is another positive toward Brady returning to Foxboro. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other teams out there willing to court the six-time Super Bowl champion. The Chargers, Raiders and Buccaneers should be in the mix, with the 49ers the wild card, although they appear to out of the Brady Sweepstakes, too.
So the ball’s in Belichick’s court.
Did he indicate to Brady or imply his initial offer was solely based on not having a new CBA, and if that would change with a new agreement passed. That’s certainly possible. Brady seemed pleased with the new agreement, applauding NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith for his work getting it done.
Will they speak again?
That’s not out of the question prior to free agency opening. The Patriots can exclusively negotiate with Brady until noon Monday, assuming free agency is still on Wednesday.
The guess here is there will be more discussion between the two GOATS. How do you let the best player in franchise history walk when there’s no viable solution as a replacement?
Maybe there’s another offer out there from Belichick. Maybe Brady will give the Patriots more latitude, given New England remains the best option for him going forward.
Or, it will be more of the same, continuing to indicate Belichick is ready to cut bait with the icon. It’s also possible Brady has already moved on from the Patriots after the previous phone call with Belichick.
We’ll know soon enough which direction it goes.