Tom Brady’s displeasure with the New England Patriots may not be about money, but the length of his last contract.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated states that he believes Brady’s displeasure with the Patriots extends back to last summer during contract negotiations. Instead of getting a long-term deal, Brady merely received an $8 million pay bump — but no commitment beyond the 2019 season.
“My belief is that years, not dollars, were at the heart of Brady’s displeasure with last summer’s negotiations — that landed him an $8 million raise for 2019, but nothing beyond that,” Breer wrote on SI.com. “In the end, word was that Brady would’ve liked to do a reasonable deal that would take him to the end of his career. That didn’t happen.”
Could Titans or Raiders Sway Brady?
As we’re all aware, Brady will be a free agent this offseason. He’s expected to command the interest of numerous teams, including the likes of the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans.
Breer mentions in his column how the Raiders could appeal to Brady because of their offensive talent. He also states how the Titans could attract Brady due to their head coach Mike Vrabel, who was a teammate of Brady’s during the Patriots’ first three Super Bowl victories.
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Patriots Willing To Offer More Money For Brady
It had also been indicated in a recent report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that the Patriots were willing to offer Brady a deal in excess of $30 million. That would make Brady one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. While Rapoport didn’t go into detail noting the length of such a deal, he did state that New England believes Brady has one or two good years left.
If they offer him a two-year deal, that would mean they’re committing to Brady until age 44. It’s worth noting that Brady has stated in the past that he wants to play until age 45.
“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.”
According to another report, this time from Michael Giardi of NFL Network, Brady isn’t so much concerned with the money — he’s more so concerned with the team adding more weapons around him rather than making $30 million per season.
As you can see from these various reports, there are numerous reasons being attributed to Brady’s possible displeasure with the franchise.
What we can deduct from these reports on Brady and of quotes from the veteran quarterback himself is that something has to change. Whether it’s Brady’s salary, the years attached to his contract or the weapons surrounding him.
If there wasn’t something wrong with the current situation, Brady wouldn’t be testing the free agent market and he wouldn’t be teasing the idea of playing for another team.
Simply put, this is the 42-year-old quarterback’s way of forcing the Patriots’ hand.
We’ll see if it works by the time free agency rolls around in March.
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Tom Brady’s Reason For Displeasure With Patriots Revealed