Thread: Tom Brady frees up $24M for Pats

Originally Posted by Northman

If that were true Denver would of never needed to let Decker walk. Having room to spare does not say a lot except that Denver was able to squeeze in what they could. To pretend that Denver couldnt use more help on this team is ridiculous.

Denver, from all reports, had no interest in bringing Decker back. They didn't even offer him a contract. They knew he was going to command way more money than he was worth, and even if they could afford to sign him, it would not be a smart move. They, instead, made the very smart move of bringing in a better player in Sanders for a smaller cost. Even had Manning taken a paycut, I see no reason why Denver wouldn't have made the same move there.

It's just comical really. We are freaking loaded with talent, probably the most talented team in the NFL as we led the league in pro bowlers. And we had two guys on top of that who probably should have been pro bowlers and were snubbed. We are just oozing with all of this talent yet Manning is a bad guy for holding this team back with his massive contract that doesn't let us sign anybody. Give. Me. A. Break. There are a lot of very valid things to criticize Peyton Manning for, such as his play in the cold, or in big games, or his audibling to weird plays. But this is just not one of them. If we lose guys like DT, Knighton, and JT this offseason, then MAYBE we can talk. But I just don't see it happening.

This is a completely manufactured non-story for no other reason than what Brady is doing. Until Denver needs Manning to do the same, which there is no indication that they have needed that at any point, it's grade A dumb to criticize Manning for it.

Nobody said Manning was a bad guy, only that it would be nice for him to restructure ala Brady. Just seems a lot of you guys are getting overly defensive about it. SMH

Manning is a bad guy when he shits the bed in big games

Originally Posted by Northman

Nobody said Manning was a bad guy, only that it would be nice for him to restructure ala Brady. Just seems a lot of you guys are getting overly defensive about it. SMH

The Pats are in a worse cap situation than Denver and need Brady to restructure. Denver is in very good cap situation. Just because the Pats need Brady to restructure doesn't mean Denver needs Manning to. This isn't hard.

Originally Posted by Nomad

Manning is a bad guy when he shits the bed in big games

Not possible, he is our $100 mil man.

Too bad Brady wouldn't float me about a mil, he'd be my all time favorite QB.

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

It's just comical really. We are freaking loaded with talent, probably the most talented team in the NFL as we led the league in pro bowlers. And we had two guys on top of that who probably should have been pro bowlers and were snubbed. We are just oozing with all of this talent yet Manning is a bad guy for holding this team back with his massive contract that doesn't let us sign anybody. Give. Me. A. Break. There are a lot of very valid things to criticize Peyton Manning for, such as his play in the cold, or in big games, or his audibling to weird plays. But this is just not one of them. If we lose guys like DT, Knighton, and JT this offseason, then MAYBE we can talk. But I just don't see it happening.

This is a completely manufactured non-story for no other reason than what Brady is doing. Until Denver needs Manning to do the same, which there is no indication that they have needed that at any point, it's grade A dumb to criticize Manning for it.

You miss everything. Nobody called him a bad person, or greedy, for that point. We have a ton of guys to re-sign who could demand big contracts. There are other free agents who will want to come here, etc., Has nothing to do wilth being mad at the guy or criticizing him. Relax, man.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-new-contract/

Hell.....Brady's getting a raise

Originally Posted by Bronco9798

You miss everything. Nobody called him a bad person, or greedy, for that point. We have a ton of guys to re-sign who could demand big contracts. There are other free agents who will want to come here, etc., Has nothing to do wilth being mad at the guy or criticizing him. Relax, man.

There have been quite a few people in this thread criticize Manning for not restructuring. If we get into this offseason and lose some of those key guys, then this can be a valid gripe perhaps. But not now.

Originally Posted by Nomad

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-new-contract/

Hell.....Brady's getting a raise

What a guy!

Originally Posted by Nomad

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-new-contract/

Hell.....Brady's getting a raise

But this is the important part and why its good for the Pats.

The relatively small bump in base salaries gives Brady something in return for giving up the fully-guaranteed nature of the $24 million he was due to earn. In return for $3 million in money guaranteed for injury only, he’s accepting the risk that the Patriots will decide between now and September 2017 that he isn’t worth the money he’s due to make.


Meanwhile, it’s important to remember that the deal currently gives the Patriots not a penny of cap space. Instead, it frees up $24 million that would have been placed in escrow to fund the remainder of Brady’s base salaries.


If, however, the Patriots decide to cut Brady after 2015, they’ll now save $19 million in cash and cap space. If they decide to move on after 2016, they’ll save $10 million in cash and cap space. It seems unlikely that they’ll chose to do that; Brady’s base salaries for the next three years are a bargain in comparison to contracts given to lesser players.

So the Patriots were having trouble cash-flowing his contract and changed it, essentially giving him a raise, and removing some future guarantees. But anyone that thinks Brady is at risk of being cut before 2017 for anything besides an injury (which is still guaranteed) is a couple cards short of a full deck.

Originally Posted by Northman

Nobody said Manning was a bad guy, only that it would be nice for him to restructure ala Brady. Just seems a lot of you guys are getting overly defensive about it. SMH

Let's be honest here, though, North - you've made no secret of the fact that you've always liked Brady better than Manning. That's your opinion and that's fine, but in most threads about the two of them, you side with Brady. Is that fair to say?

I posted a bunch of links earlier, but Barnwell has a good take on this today:

It’s been written up as a move of superstar largesse, a deal designed to make it easier for the Patriots to retain their stars and win another Super Bowl with Brady at the helm. That just simply isn’t the case. If anything, this is a move designed to make exactly one thing easier: Brady’s eventual departure from the Patriots.

This is being painted, again, as an unselfish move by Brady to make it easier for the Patriots to retain their star talent. This time, though, the logic doesn’t pass the smell test. Brady’s cap hit over the next three seasons isn’t reduced by a single penny by making this decision; in fact, with the $1 million raise, he’s actually taking up slightly more cap space than he would have before this renegotiation. It will not be any easier for the Patriots to retain Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty, or any of the other players for whom this new Brady deal is supposed to facilitate easier contract extensions.

Is Kraft really so cash poor that he would need to convince Brady to let him pay his guarantee off in what amounts to installments? Does he really not have the cash on hand to pay Brady’s guarantees in advance while also paying another $40 million in signing bonuses for the likes of Revis and McCourty? I find it extremely hard to believe that Kraft is that desperate for cash flow, and if he is, that’s a far bigger story than Brady’s restructuring. I also strongly doubt that Brady and his agent are so naive as to think that New England’s spending is an either-or situation, that Kraft would be unable to pay Revis if he gives Brady the money the quarterback’s been waiting to receive for two years.

Furthermore, Brady isn’t actually saving the Patriots any money from their apparently dwindling reserves. They’re just not putting that money up as collateral up front. If he’s still on the roster, Brady still gets paid each season. The only way he doesn’t get paid and the Patriots save money is if he gets cut for no longer having the skills to play quarterback for New England. It’s hard to reconcile the idea that Brady is clearing out cap space for his teammates with the fact that the only way he’ll actually clear out additional space is by remaining in the NFL without being on the Patriots active roster. He wants the Patriots to win so bad that he’ll go clog up somebody else’s cap.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/to...iots-contract/