Patriots Paying Tom Brady Over $30 Million Next Year Would Be a Disaster and Complete Reversal of the Patriot Way
By Michael Luciano
The New England Patriots have kept a notoriously tight grip on their purse strings, as they very rarely pay top dollar on the free agency market for new additions and established Patriot stars alike.
That could all change now that Tom Brady could potentially leave New England, as he could command upwards of $30 million per year, which the Patriots would reportedly be willing to give him.
Patriots are willing to give Tom Brady 'in excess of' $30M/year to get him to stay, per @Rapsheet ? pic.twitter.com/gIVRbABV0y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2020
This...this is the New England Patriots? The team that would rather let a franchise cornerstone go than pay them anywhere near a nine-figure contract?
The Patriots have several open wounds on offense, with the holes on the interior offensive line and at wide receiver needing to be patched via either the draft or free agency. Finding a successor to Brady should also be high on the priority list. Signing a 43-year-old quarterback at an exorbitant price makes solving all of those problems on offense much more difficult. Also, isn't Brady usually the one who takes less in order to ensure his team can afford more weapons?
In this latest #Patriots QB Tom Brady update, I mention two factors: Brady’s contract and Brady’s desire for weapons. My understanding is surrounding Brady with more talent is his No. 1 priority for their resources: https://t.co/w9x0aoHVRN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2020
The organization reversing course on Brady for at most one or two more years would be a massive philosophy change that could prevent them from finding their next franchise quarterback. If the price tag is that high, the Patriots might be better off letting him play somewhere else.
Seriously.