AFC East Rumors: Patriots, Brady, Jets

The Tom Brady extension is smart, but also risky for the Patriots, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports opines. With the new deal, the Patriots will be able to lower Brady’s 2019 cap hit and gain flexibility in the coming year. And, with voidable salaries, the new pact will allow the team to avoid committing to an age-43 Tom Brady before seeing what he looks like at the age of 42.

On the flipside, the deal cancels out the team’s ability to franchise tag the quarterback in February. So, if Brady continues to perform at a high level, he’ll have lots of leverage with the Patriots, as well as interest from a boatload of teams in free agency.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Some league executives are suspicious of the new deal between the Brady and the Patriots, given the fact that Brady punted on a fully-guaranteed salary in 2014 that was on the verge of vesting, Mike Sando of The Athletic writes. Sando points to the Broncos’ mini-scandal of yesteryear when John Elway and Terrell Davis deferred $29MM in salary to lessen the team’s immediate cap hit in exchange for receiving the money with interest at a later date. To be clear – there’s no concrete proof of misdeeds between the Pats and Brady, but some folks in the football world are raising their eyebrows.
  • After the Jets lured Ryan Kalil out of retirement, could they swing another big offensive line move by acquiring Redskins left tackle Trent Williams? That’s what many fans are wondering, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com would be surprised if that happens. The Jets, he feels, should save their bullets for improving the cornerback situation, rather than upgrading from Kelvin Beachum.
  • The Dolphins have a closer-than-expected quarterback race between Ryan Fitzpatrick and newcomer Josh Rosen.
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