Don’t let the transcript fool you: Brady wants his money
Saturday, July 31, 2010
You could either skim the 2,457-word transcript of Tom Brady’s press briefing this afternoon or read the following interpretation of what the two-time Super Bowl MVP had to say regarding his current contract dispute with the Patriots:
“@#*& you, pay me.”
Brady is no different than you or I, or any other red-blooded American looking to put food on the table. He, too, puts his pants on one leg at a time, except when he’s done putting his pants on, he throws touchdown passes.
The bottom line is Brady wants a lucrative contract extension before his current deal expires at the end of the season, and although the Patriots have made it clear they want him around for years to come – assuming you believe what Bob Kraft has to say – there’s obviously a disagreement between the two sides regarding what Brady deserves and how long he should be here, otherwise a deal would be done already.
“My personal feelings are my personal feelings,” Brady said Thursday when asked to describe his mood. “I don’t want to express them with anyone except for a few people. It doesn’t do any good.”
Why not just say you’re happy, Tom? Because that would be disingenuous. Anyone with a brain knows Brady is ticked off because he hasn't gotten an extension yet. This current impasse provides a fleeting moment of conflict in what is expected to be an otherwise peaceful training camp at Gillette Stadium. Until a decision is reached one way or another, we’re going to hear about this ad nauseam, and the suspense will likely induce vomiting.
Who has the edge in this battle of titans? Kraft may come off as an incredibly loyal owner who gets caught up in nostalgia at times, but he’s a shrewd businessman, too. When the Patriots signed Brady to a six-year contract extension in 2005, he had two years left on his previous deal. The difference between then and now is in 2005 he was 28 years old coming off his second consecutive Super Bowl title and third in four years.
The Brady we listened to Thursday is now 32 and less than two years removed from major knee surgery in addition to five years removed from his last Super Bowl title. He’s also less focused on football and more focused on raising his family, as evident by his sparse attendance at offseason organized team activities (OTAs) the past few years. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s a factor any NFL owner has to consider when deciding whether it’s fiscally responsible to invest long-term dollars into a player who may or may not stick around for the duration of the contract.
Unless you’re talking about Brett Favre or Johnny Unitas, quarterbacks typically begin to decline at 32. As one of the best quarterbacks of this generation, there’s no doubt Brady could buck that trend and play at a high level well into his 30s, except the biggest difference between him and those aforementioned quarterbacks is Favre and Unitas never underwent reconstructive knee surgery during their careers.
Last season was Brady’s first year back from the surgery. He finished with 28 touchdowns and a 65.7 completion percentage – both the second highest totals of his career – yet never looked quite as sharp as he did during the prime years of New England’s dynasty.
Assuming they’re as intelligent as they seem, the Patriots are undoubtedly doing their homework as they put a price tag on Brady’s future. At first, I thought it was a no-brainer a deal would get done before camp breaks in August. Now I’m not so sure.
Are the Patriots bold enough to force Brady to play out the 2010 season without a new contract and wait until it’s over to decide what he deserves? Athletes in all sports have a habit of playing their best in the final year of their contract because they know one last push can lead to big money in the offseason, but that’s a dangerous path to travel if you’re an owner trying to gauge whether that previous season is an aberration or a sign of things to come.
The Yankees gambled on A.J. Burnett after he posted career highs in wins, starts and innings pitched in 2008. Now for the next two years they’re stuck with a hot-headed simpleton who can’t control his temper or pitch on the road. By waiting until the end of the 2010 season to make a decision on Brady’s future, the Patriots could wind up paying more if the soon-to-be free agent parlays his angst into a career year. Not that they’re going to get a discount if they sign him now (they’ll probably have to make him one of the five highest-paid players in the league), but the difference in dollars could add unnecessary stress heading into what could be an uncapped season in 2011 if the players and owners can’t rework the collective bargaining agreement.
What’s an owner to do? The Patriots are generally difficult to deal with once they set a value on a particular player, but there are exceptions. At training camp in 2005, they gave Richard Seymour a pay raise to coax him into ending his holdout; at the end of that season, they gave him the three-year contract extension he had asked for the previous year.
I don’t foresee a similar situation with Brady. They either pay him now or wait until the end of the season. We know what Brady wants. Let’s see what the Patriots decide.
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