Brady should be next man up
Time to take care of QB with new deal
One Super Bowl MVP down, one to go.
The Patriots rightfully took care of the heart and soul of their offense, extending Julian Edelman two years , according to a source, and giving him a pay raise more worthy of Tom Brady’s most trusted receiver. Next up is Brady.
The Patriots had to take care of the grossly underpaid Edelman with a year left on his deal. Ditto Brady, who will be entering the final year of his deal. He’s on deck, or should already be huddled with ownership hammering out the numbers for an extension.
Edelman’s revised pact is worth up to $19 million in new money and will pay $12 million in guaranteed money, including an $8 million signing bonus, according to a source.
Given the length of the contract, the wide receiver, who turns 33 today, will likely finish his career in New England. So it’s a win-win for both sides.
Edelman had 10 catches for 141 yards in the 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. That earned him MVP honors.
Coming off ACL surgery, he still proved Brady’s go-toguy in the clutch with 74 catches for 850 yards with six TDs during the regular season. He was even better during the postseason, with 26 catches for 388 yards during the three games.
He’s been the ultimate chain-mover and clutch player for the Patriots. Along with the now-retired Rob Gronkowski, Edelman is the one guy Brady consistently depends on when he absolutely needs to make a play.
The pay hike was long overdue for a guy who’s been such an important member of the offense, and someone who will always fight to be Brady’s binkie going forward.
So with Edelman locked up, that leaves the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, a four-time Super Bowl MVP. Like Edelman, Brady wants to finish his career in New England, and that should happen with the next deal.
It’s weird to even say Brady is in his walk year, or would even be allowed to reach that point in September.
He currently carries a $27 million cap hit. Adjusting Edelman might help the cap a little, but Brady is the adjustment that’s needed if the Pats really want to entertain signing the newly freed up Gerald McCoy, the star defensive tackle formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady continues to say he wants to play until he’s 45. During his 19 seasons, he’s always taken under market value deals to help the team stay competitive.
During his recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Brady was asked about being in the middle of the pack money-wise with the rest of the quarterbacks in the league, and if that bothered him.
“That’s a good question. That’s usually when I don’t answer a question, I always say, ‘That’s a good question,'” Brady answered. “I think the thing I’ve always felt for me in my life, winning has always been a priority. And my wife (model Gisele Bundchen) makes a lot of money.
“I’m a little smarter than you think. Actually, it’s a salary cap,” he went on. “You can only spend so much and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And I think, for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me.”
The Patriots have filled holes and assembled an interesting cast around Brady. They’re still building and making moves.
They took care of Edelman with a two-year deal. As he turns 42 this season, something along those lines might work for Brady, too.
To this point, there hasn’t been any real discussion toward an extension. There was an adjustment made last year in August in terms of adding a few sweeteners to his current deal. The last extension came in 2016. That was a two-year, $41 million re-up for the quarterback.
So Brady’s up next. It’s time to take care of the quarterback, especially if you have your sights on McCoy. It’s time to get busy on one last deal for the GOAT.