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The New England Patriots are “irritated” by a recent report on their possible contract offer to Tom Brady.
According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston, the Patriots are bothered by Ian Rapoport’s report that New England is willing to offer the veteran quarterback north of $30 million to keep him around.
Curran also states that head coach Bill Belichick will receive no edict from team owner Robert Kraft on what to do.
“And while my understanding is that the Patriots are willing to extend themselves financially to keep him, Belichick will receive no edict from the owner on what to do.
The Sunday report that the Patriots were willing to go north of $30M (presumably for one-year’s salary) to keep Brady, which came from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, has been a source of irritation for the team this week.
My understanding is no parameters have been set. That number is now an albatross to the proceedings. The proceedings themselves? They will have to get underway soon, because the timeline for negotiations is a huge wrench in this process.”
Report Could Influence Negotiations
While the Patriots could be irritated by the potentially false notion that they’re willing to offer Brady at least $30 million per season, they could also be irritated by the idea that it leaked — and that it’s possibly true.
Obviously, if Rapoport’s report is true, that $30 million figure could influence negotiations with the 42-year-old quarterback.
Conflicting Reports on Brady Situation
There seem to be conflicting reports on what exactly is going on behind the scenes in New England. While Curran indicates that Belichick will receive no edict from Kraft on what to do with Brady — that would indicate they aren’t on the same page — Rapoport gives a contrasting report on the situation, saying that both Belichick and Kraft are on the same page when it comes to Brady.
“To me, this is not a situation where they’re gonna go, ‘Alright, the most we’ve paid you is $22.5 million or whatever it is, we’re sticking to that.’ This is something where they want Tom Brady to return, they think they can get him back, and they’re willing to go where they have not gone to do it.”
” … I don’t believe that Belichick and Kraft are on different pages as far as what they’d be willing to pay Tom Brady. I have not heard that. It would be a surprise to me if that was true,” Rapoport said Thursday. “I also know that — look, we’ve seen Brady deal with his contract situation in the past. He has never demanded top dollar. He’s always wanted to make whatever money he makes, but to make sure they have weapons. It seems to me like making sure the team is better is as important, if not more important, to Brady than maximizing every dollar.”
At this point in time, there is nothing certain regarding how Belichick feels towards Brady’s future in New England. In fact, there is nothing certain on where Brady is leaning towards playing for the 2020 season.
As frustrating as it may be for Patriots fans, they’re just going to have to wait until March 18 comes around for an official decision from Brady.
That date would mark the first day of free agency.
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Patriots Irritated by Latest Tom Brady Contract Rumor: Report