Tom Brady Could Be Getting New Contract By March 5th

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will forever be linked as the two best quarterbacks of their generation.  While they usually compete on the field, they're expected to be competing over contracts as well.

During Super Bowl week, Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters that Manning will become the highest paid player in the game in the next round of contract talks.

Brady, on the other hand, signed a contract several years ago below market value for a three time Super Bowl winner. He's due a $3 million roster bonus on March 5th, which has a lot of folks speculating that the Patriots will lock him down to another deal before then.

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com says the Pats should get a deal done sooner, rather than later.

Sometimes those roster bonuses can create an added incentive for a team to strike a deal with a player. Instead of paying the roster bonus and then later striking a lucrative extension, there is sometimes a benefit for the team to get it all done at once from an overall cash standpoint.

Brady is expected to fetch anywhere from $15-18 million per season, which would put him among the top in all NFL contracts.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked this week about Brady's contract in relation to Manning's and said, "I'm not going there."

Since Brady's taken a below market deal before, I would expect him once again to be paid slightly less than Manning in the next go round.

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