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The Patriots made Tom Brady the highest paid NFL player at $19 million per season.
On NBC's Thursday night NFL opener, Peter King reported that Tom Brady and the Patriots were finalizing a four-year contract extension that will keep Brady a Patriot through the 2014 season.
King says he talked to Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday evening and he told him the news. Kraft told him the deal will be finalized on Friday when the file the papers with the league office.
Exact numbers on the extension weren't available but King said Brady's deal will be in the range of $19 million per year making him the highest paid player in the league.
Peyton Manning of the Colts is also in the midst of contract negotiations and some expect his deal to be larger than Brady's.
Stay up with Tom Brady's contract extension at SB Nation Boston and Pats Pulpit.
More and more reports are circulating that Tom Brady and the Patriots are nearing a deal. The Boston Herald first reported that the two sides were nearing a three-year, $58 million extension but others have now come out to say that the extension will likely be four years.
For Brady's part, he says if he could he'd be a New England Patriot forever.
"I love being here. The thought of playing somewhere else is not a good feeling for me."
Brady went on to say "that's the way it works" when asked if he would like to have his contract extension done before the season.
It seems that both sides want to get a deal done and, by many accounts, they're getting close.
Check out Pats Pulpit for more Tom Brady news.
The Boston Herald reported on Tuesday morning that the Patriots and Tom Brady were nearing the completion of a three-year, $58 million contract extension.
ESPN's Adam Schefter says that may not be the case.
Aware of Brady-contract talk. But two knowledgeable people say reports of deal being in place are "inaccurate" and "wrong". We'll see.
SI's Don Banks is also reporting a deal is not imminent. "They're talking but have been for weeks," Banks writes.
The Herald reported that a deal could get done in the next 24 hours and used the word "imminent" so we'll find out soon whether their report was accurate.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick declined to discuss the situation on Tuesday.
Check out Pats Pulpit for more on Tom Brady's contract.
Tom Brady is entering the final year of his contract and has been negotiating with the Patriots on an extension. At times the two sides have been described as at a "growing disconnect" in the negotiation process.
That's apparently not the case anymore as Brady and the Patriots are on the verge of agreeing to a three-year, $58 million extension, according to the Boston Herald.
The contract is not yet finalized but Ian Rapoport of the Herald describes it as "imminent" and says the "principle parts have been agreed upon."
Brady would play out this year of his contract -- he's due $6.5 million -- and then the three-year, $58 million extension would kick in.
Many figured Brady would bust the bank on a contract extension since his previous contracts have generally been team-friendly. While he would be nearing that $20 million per year number, the guaranteed portion wouldn't be over $50 million as some had suggested.
There are several new developments in Tom Brady's contract situation with the Patriots.
First, Brady reported for camp on Sunday when quarterbacks were scheduled to arrive. This isn't a big one but there was some chatter in league circles that Brady might hold out a few days to make known his displeasure with his contract.
Second, and most importantly, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Brady and the Pats are working on a contract extension --- Brady is entering the final year of his deal -- and could have something done this summer.
If a deal cannot be struck, it will be primarily because of how complex the contract is and how difficult it is to complete it without knowing the specifics of the NFL's next collective bargaining agreement.
But one person familiar with the talks said there is ongoing dialogue that he described as positive and, while no deal is imminent, one now is within reach.
This goes against most of what we've heard up to this point. First, it was a "growing disconnect" between Brady and the Pats, then there was Brady's lack of attendance at the offseason program and how that would affect it all but apparently it hasn't that much.
There was some talk that the Patriots would wait for Peyton Manning to do his contract extension but, according to reports, Manning and Co. have a while to go on their new deal.
Check out Pats Pulpit for more Tom Brady contract news.
Tom Brady has never been inside two seasons away from unrestricted free agency until now. He's entering the final year of his contract and negotiations haven't progressed beyond preliminary talks.
With the uncertain labor landscape, there are a lot of factors at play.
According to Albert Breer of the Boston Globe, the possibility of the franchise tag in 2011 because a "more likely scenario with each passing day."
One of the factors at play is whether there will even be a franchise tag in 2011. It's suspected that there will be but without a CBA, there are no guarantees.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke to Sirius NFL Radio on Thursday and briefly touched on Tom Brady's contract situation.
“Look, we are so lucky to have Tom Brady,’’ Kraft said when asked about negotiations. “He’s under contract. He’s here. I’m privileged to have a pretty special relationship with him. And I think he knows how I feel about him. I think we both want to solve the problem, or the issue. I don’t know that it’s a problem . . . it’s complicated.
“We basically have had a policy that we keep all those conversations between the principals, so it’s not something we’re going to discuss or do in the media.’’
Kraft was also asked about Brady's decision to split his time in the offseason between Foxborough and California, where his family is. He reiterated that he would prefer that all players live in Foxborough full-time because "when Tom is around, things are pretty special."
So, basically yeah, Kraft wants Brady around during the offseason. However, he acknowledged that his life has changed quite a bit in the 10 years they've known each other.
Other than his comment about him preferring all players be at the facility, Kraft didn't give off the impression that Brady and the Patriots have a "growing disconnect" -- then again, that's not something that would be addressed on the radio.
For more on the Patriots, check out Pats Pulpit.
Colts personnel guru Bill Polian recently said the Colts wouldn't be paying attention to the negotiations between Tom Brady and the Patriots when he gets to the table to do Peyton Manning's next contract.
Ross Tucker of SI.com feels that the Patriots shouldn't allow the Colts to sign Manning before they sign Brady. Instead, he writes, they should work to get a deal done that's based off of recent quarterback extensions that average in the neighborhood of $15 million per year.
If I am the Patriots, I would be doing my darndest to get Brady signed to a deal before Manning inks his mega-package. Why allow Brady's representation to work off Manning's contract? Wouldn't they rather make Brady the highest paid player in league history right now by working off the pact Eli Manning recently signed with the New York Giants?
Tucker makes a good point in that the Pats can't afford to upset Brady and they certainly can't afford to move on without him. He goes on to suggest that this is the latest sign that Bill Belichick may need some help. With Scott Pioli now in Kansas City, there is no top executive with the clout that he had to be a sounding board for Belichick.
For more on the Patriots and Tom Brady, check out SB Nation's Pats Pulpit.
Colts president Bill Polian appeared on Sirius NFL Radio on Tuesday and talked about what Colts owner Jim Irsay has said will be the largest contract in the history of the NFL.
Peyton Manning's deal, which is set to expire after 2010, is expected to be part of the Tom Brady negotiations. The two players are the best in the NFL and both have contracts set to expire after this season.
So will Polian and the Colts wait on Brady to do his deal?
"No," Polian responded. "No, we're not. We really don't do much of that anyway, but we've been clearly focused here on what we do for Peyton and how he fits for us, and it really has no bearing on what anyone else does."
Like the Brady negotiations, one of the most difficult parts of this will be the uncertain labor landscape that's upon us.
In Michael Silver's Yahoo! Sports article regarding the possibility of a future rift between Tom Brady and the Patriots included a nugget about Brady's offseason habits. Previously, Brady was at every offseason practice session and even earned a parking spot for having such great attendance.
These days, Brady is splitting his time between California and Massachusetts due to the presence of his children in Los Angeles.
Bill Belichick hasn't publicly commented on the situation but Peter King SI.com takes a look back at history to determine how he might feel.
Let me give you a little history lesson here. Bill Belichick was on the Giants' coaching staff in the mid-'80s when Bill Parcells started making the off-season program sort of a voluntary, mandatory thing. Parcells would tell the players, You don't have to come to the program. But this is where the job is, and if other guys come to the program and outwork you in the offseason, the job might not be there for you when you get to training camp.
King says he wouldn't be surprised if Brady's lack of attendance at the offseason program -- even though it's with good reason -- creates a "bit of a wedge" between the two sides as contract negotiations commence.
Professional sports is one of the few jobs where spending time with your family is actually a negative.
Tom Brady is expected to be among the highest paid players in the game after he and the Patriots figure out a contract extension. The deal, however, won't be an easy.
Brady briefly spoke about his situation at the Tom Brady Flag Football Challenge at Harvard's Stadium, according to Albert Breer of the Boston Globe.
“I don’t really want to talk about it a whole lot because there’s nothing anyone can solve, other that the team & myself,” Brady said. “There’s a lot of guys on my situation. So really I just wanna focus on what’s coming up this week and I’m just excited to be. Back on the field with the guys. Things happen, some are out of your control. You just gotta go with the flow.”
The reason a lot of players want long-term extensions is because the possibility of an injury always exists. If Brady has another injury like he did to start the 2008 season then his future with the Patriots would certainly be in doubt.
“Really, I haven’t been thinking about [an injury] a whole lot,” Brady said. “It’s just part of process. I love being out on the field with the guys, playing and that’s really where my focus is.”
For more on Brady and the Patriots, check out SB Nation's Pats Pulpit.
Further complicating things with the Tom Brady contract extension is that Peyton Manning is also up for an extension. Brady and Manning have been linked throughout their career and this is one more example of it.
According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, Brady is likely to wait until Manning completes his extension with the Colts before he and the Patriots get down to business. LaCanfora calls the Manning deal the "template" for Brady and the Patriots.
Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed this offseason that Manning's next contract would make him the highest paid player in the game. With that template set, how much can Brady command?
The question with Tom Brady, is will he take a cap friendly or team friendly deal. He's set ot make $5 million this year while premium quarterbacks are making $15 milllion and above.
Brady's last contract has been perceived as team friendly so it's possible he's looking to get repaid with this contract.
Manning and the Colts haven't had any serious discussions, La Canfora reports, so the timing of the Brady deal may be tough.
This is just another reason the Brady extension will not be easy in any way, shape or form.
The report from Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports regarding Tom Brady and contract talks with the Patriots is causing a little stir around the NFL world.
Brady attended the Patriots OTAs on Wednesday and declined comment regarding Silver's report, according to the Boston Globe. Brady reportedly said he was "uncomfortable" talking about his contract.
If a deal isn't done by September, this will be the first time Brady has entered a contract year.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe spoke with Patriots owner Robert Kraft last week and he expressed optimism in getting a Brady extension done.
Kraft told the Globe last week the Patriots “are very lucky to have him as our quarterback and we want him to be our quarterback for a long time into the future. Everything he represents is pretty special. He’s a winner. We’re privileged to have him a part of the New England Patriots organization.’’
As Silver's report stated, it's a lot easier to have a desire to get a deal done versus actually getting one done.
Keep up with the Brady extension over at SB Nation's Pats Pulpit who has extensive thoughts on the subject.
Five years ago Tom Brady signed a contract with the Patriots worth roughly $60 million over six years. The deal was below-market because, as some say, Brady wanted to ensure that the Patriots had enough money to play with in order to field a competitive team well into the future.
After that contract was signed -- and he received over $30 million in the first two years -- Brady spent the bulk of the offseason in Los Angeles with his newborn son and not in Foxboro with his New England teammates.
Brady is currently participating in the Patriots offseason program though he's not expected to stick around after the final minicamp from June 15-17.
Because of that -- and that Brady's reps and the Patriots have had "no substantial talks" -- Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reports there is a "growing disconnect" between the two sides when it comes to negotiating a new contract as Brady enters the final year of his contract.
However, wanting something to happen and making it so financially are two different animals, and some people close to Brady feel the organization isn’t displaying much urgency toward ensuring the latter. Conversely, the Patriots’ brass, now experiencing a third consecutive offseason in which their California-raised quarterback has spent a sizeable chunk of time away from the team’s facility, would probably welcome some assurances that the quarterback is content to remain on the East Coast.
Silver points to the uneasy landscape of the NFL's labor situation as a possible reason for the "disconnect" between the two sides. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is one of the most influential owners while Brady is a player rep for the union. The Patriots have shown at times this offseason that they may be more inclined to spend less on player costs because of the possibility of a work-stoppage.
Ultimately, Silver concludes, there is no hard evidence to suggest a deal won't get done. Kraft and Brady -- despite being in prominent roles on opposite sides of the negotiating table -- have had a good relationship.
While this isn't quite a full blown concern, it's a situation to keep an eye on.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Comments On Tom Brady's $72 Million Extension
Patriots owner Robert Kraft confirmed to Peter King of NBC on Thursday night that they were close to finalizing a four-year extension with quarterback Tom Brady.
The Boston Herald reports the extension is worth $72 million and includes $48.5 million guaranteed.
Kraft said there were doubts that a deal would get done at times.
Brady's extension will keep him in New England through 2014.
Check out Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston for more on Tom Brady's extension.
Sep 10 10:42a by Joel Thorman - 0 comments