Getty Tom Brady is more concerned with adding receivers than making money.
Tom Brady’s main concern with re-signing with the New England Patriots has little to do with money.
According to Michael Giardi of NFL Network, Brady isn’t so much concerned with earning $30 million per season from the Patriots. His main concern is their roster personnel, mainly their “weapons.” Brady wants an assurance that New England will upgrade their personnel at the receiver positions before he re-signs.
Patriots Receivers Didn’t Produce in 2019
The lack of weapons surrounding Brady was a talking point all throughout the 2019 season. Outside of Julian Edelman, Brady had a hard time developing chemistry with his other receivers. In fact, his second-leading receiver was running back James White, who had 72 receptions for a paltry 645 yards on 9.0 yards per reception.
What that illustrates is that Brady relied heavily upon White for the sake of getting rid of the ball — that is due to a combination of a lack of separation from his actual wide receivers and a lack of time due to the offensive line.
As far as receivers are actually concerned, Phillip Dorsett was his second-best receiver with just 29 receptions on the year.
The Patriots made two different substantial efforts to upgrade their receiving core during the 2019 season. They initially signed star wideout Antonio Brown prior to the start of the season. However, that relationship didn’t work out after they released Brown after just one game.
Shortly thereafter, New England acquired Mohamed Sanu for a third-round draft selection from the Atlanta Falcons. While Sanu was expected to pick up the slack left over from released receivers Brown and Josh Gordon, that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Sanu appeared to have difficulty picking up the offense as a midseason acquisition and ended the season with just 26 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown.
Long story short, Giardi’s quote makes sense — Brady does need receivers. And it wouldn’t come as a shock if he valued acquiring better receivers more than he does earning $30 million per season.
Patriots Willing To Offer Brady $30 Million Per Season
Speaking of $30 million, the latest report from Ian Rapoport indicates that New England is willing to pay Brady in excess of $30 million.
Brady earned just $23 million during the 2019 season as the 13th-highest paid quarterback in the league.
“The Patriots are intent on keeping Brady, obviously, believing he has one or two good years left. They are willing, sources say, to pay him in excess of $30 million per year to keep him in New England — a significant commitment that would bring his salary more in line with other elite QBs.”
The same report also indicates Brady’s line of thinking that he wants New England to upgrade their receiver personnel.
Rapoport also makes sure to stress that other NFL teams are interested in signing Brady as a free agent. Most notably, the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Brady will have options. Sources say the Los Angeles Chargers are expected to be among the teams who will make a pitch to Brady. They do have what he’d require, which is a talented team that could win now. The Tennessee Titans also fit that bill, though they’d have to make a decision on whether to franchise tag Ryan Tannehill before free agency commences.
Another potential factor for Brady is his TB12 workout facility. Brady wants to continue the routine that has kept him upright and agile throughout the years, and a new team being willing to incorporate TB12 into their footprint would help. The Chargers — who will share a stadium with the Rams — would have that capability.”
It’s clear that Brady and the Patriots are both interested in continuing their 20-year relationship. However, it’s also becoming clear that Brady wants to see some improvements from New England before inking pen to paper.
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