Tom Brady - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Brady, Jets, Bills, Polian

December 29th, 2014 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after his base salaries for the next three seasons – totaling $24MM – became guaranteed over the weekend, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has agreed to rework his deal so that those salaries are now guaranteed for injury only, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). While it doesn’t change Brady’s cap hit, the move allows the Pats to free up some cash, since the team no longer has to put $24MM for Brady in escrow right away, as PatsCap.com explains (via Twitter). That could allow the team to be a little more flexible this winter when discussing extensions with a handful of free-agents-to-be.

Here’s more from out of the AFC East:

Earlier today, Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters that he’d “love” to have Darrelle Revis back in a Jets uniform in 2015. Considering Revis remains under contract with the Patriots, that comment could easily be viewed as tampering, which Johnson must have realized, since he has since backpedaled. Johnson’s latest statement, via the team: “I misspoke today when I commented on Darrelle Revis. I would never interfere in the contractual relationship of a player with another team and should not have used those words. I called [Patriots owner] Robert Kraft this afternoon to emphasize those points” (all Twitter links).
According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), the more he hears, the more he’s inclined to believe that Bill Polian will indeed return to the Bills. However, Graham cautions that there are no guarantees at this point. On Saturday, Polian refuted a report indicating that he was returning to the organization for which he was once the general manager.
On the heels of Kyle Orton‘s retirement announcement, Bills general manager Doug Whaley acknowledged that his team will have to add at least one quarterback, and maybe two. Whaley added that Buffalo will leave all its options open when it comes to acquiring a QB, so as not to put the team in a corner “or show our hand” (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

AFC East Notes: Rex, Dolphins, Patriots

December 28th, 2014 at 11:45am CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ve already passed along the news of front office executive Nick Caserio’s extension with the Patriots and a batch of Jets notes, but there’s more news from the AFC East…

As we’ve heard, the Jets are expected to fire GM John Idzik this week, but Rex Ryan might still have a chance to save his job. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Jets are open to letting the club’s next general manager decide Ryan’s fate. Ryan hasn’t been told that he’s fired, but he’s already cleared out his office. And per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), New York contacted Ryan’s agent to determine the interest of a separate client in the Jets job, so it would be a surprise to see Ryan return.
Sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s performance will be assessed after season, leading to speculation that he could be let go. Head coach Joe Philbin declined to give Coyle a vote of confidence last week after it was announced that Philbin would return to Miami in 2015. Under Coyle’s leadership, the Fins finished 10th in defensive DVOA, but 19th in weighted DVOA, meaning the unit got weaker as the year progressed. In a separate piece, Salguero speculates that Ryan could be a fit as the club’s new DC.
As Joel Corry of CBS Sports points out (on Twitter), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady‘s base salaries for 2015-17, which total $24MM, are now guaranteed for injury and skill because he’s on New England’s roster for Week 17.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe lauds the work done by Bill Belichick, noting that Patriots head man has excelled both in his coaching responsibilities and his front office role. While allowing that this year’s draft class hasn’t produced much so far, Volin writes that nearly every free agent signing or trade orchestrated by Belichick has worked out this season.
Deep into his Sunday notes piece, Volin rounds up the various performance escalators that are on the line for several key Patriots today.
After speaking with agent Brian Ayrault, Florio reports (via Twitter) that Ayrault won’t be taking a job with the Bills. Florio had speculated as much earlier in the day.

Joel Corry On Worst Salary Cap Situations

December 25th, 2014 at 10:18am CST by Rob DiRe

On Christmas Eve, Joel Corry of CBS Sports took a look at a few NFL teams who have the worst salary cap situations going into 2015. He picked out the five organizations stuck deepest in salary cap hell:

New Orleans Saints – $23.07MM over the cap
Arizona Cardinals – $6.44MM
Pittsburgh Steelers – $2.901MM
New England Patriots – $1.945MM
San Francisco 49ers – $928,000

Here are some of the highlights of actions Corry suggests that would help them get under the cap in order to have a successful offseason:

Saints

Pass rusher Junior Galette could see his contract restructured to open up $10MM, despite signing the extension this past offseason.
Another contract doled off last offseason that can be restructured is of prized free agent Jairus Byrd, which could open up $5.6MM in cap space.
A third contract from last offseason that can be restructured is that of tight end Jimmy Graham. That move could save $4.77MM in cap space.
Both of their Pro Bowl guards are suddenly highly paid luxuries as they have seen their performance drop, and Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs are candidates for release. If cut, they will free up $6.6MM and $3.6MM, respectively.
Veteran receiver Marques Colston holds a $9.7MM cap number, and has seen a sharp decline in his play. It will be a tougher cut, but is a candidate to be released.
The team could restructure Drew Brees‘ contract again, although they will only push their cap problems into the future in exchange for immediate relief.
Releasing linebacker David Hawthorne will free up $2.99MM in cap space if he is released before his $2.5MM roster bonus on the third day of the 2015 league year.

Cardinals

If the team is not going to release Larry Fitzgerald, it could hope that he takes a modest pay cut. A deal that would see him reduce his salary to $10MM per season would create enormous cap relief.
Daryl Washington has not seen the field during his suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and he could be a cap casualty this offseason.
Carson Palmer‘s recent extension could be restructured despite him being out with injury, freeing up to $7.125MM in cap space.
The team may have to pass on retaining Antonio Cromartie, despite getting a very good year from the cornerback on a one-year deal.

Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger is in line for a new deal to keep him steady as the team’s franchise quarterback, but signing a new deal would likely bring less than $5MM in cap room.
Longtime Steeler and likely Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu may be a cap casualty if he does not retire, which would save the team $3.7MM in cap space.
Corry writes that is unusual for a team to admit a mistake so quickly, but Cortez Allen was terrible after receiving his extension in September. The team could open up a little cap space by releasing him after one season.
The team is unlikely to place the transition tag on Jason Worilds again, and could mitigate the loss of the outside linebacker if James Harrison suits up for another season with the team.

Patriots

The obvious move for the Patriots would be signing Darrelle Revis to a long-term deal, which would create substantial cap space. The team is unlikely to keep him in 2015 at his current number. They will open $20MM in cap space if they do not keep him on the roster.
The Patriots could open up $4MM in cap space by restructuring Tom Brady‘s contract.
The team will likely ask linebacker Jerod Mayo to take a pay cut, or they may release him. Corry writes that his $4.5MM injury guarantee will be the only thing that potentially saves him from being released.
Danny Amendola will be expendable, and cutting him will free up $2.1MM in cap room or $4.5MM if he is designated a post June 1st cut.
Vince Wilfork could also become a cap casualty, as the team will have to decide whether to guarantee his contract for 2015 and 2016. Releasing him will free up $7.566MM in cap room.
The team could also recoup some money from Aaron Hernandez‘ signing bonus if the grievance ruling comes back favorable for the Patriots.

49ers

The 49ers could restructure Colin Kaepernick‘s contract to lower his 2015 cap number.
Linebacker Ahmad Brooks may be released, freeing up a little over $4MM in cap room.
Another staple of the team, Vernon Davis, could be released as performance has dropped. The team would gain $4.95MM from releasing him.
If Aldon Smith‘s off-field troubles are too much for the 49ers, the team could decline his 2015 option and pick up $9.754MM in cap space.
The team could pass on re-signing Michael Crabtree, and will likely cut Stevie Johnson and save just over $6MM unless they lose Crabtree and replace him with Johnson.
The team will most likely not seek to bring Frank Gore back to the team, unless it is at an extremely reasonable number.

Patriots Notes: Salary Cap, Brady, Cannon

December 13th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Rob DiRe

The Patriots still have $5.9MM in cap space this season, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He writes that they will likely lose some of that after incentives this season, but will likely roll the rest over into next season.

Here are some more notes surrounding the Patriots financials:

Assuming the Patriots do not cut Tom Brady before Week 17 (a pretty safe assumption by Volin), his base salaries for the next three years become fully guaranteed (via Twitter). This seemed like a bigger deal in early October.
Volin also came up with a few details on Marcus Cannon‘s extension (via Twitter). He writes that the $3.2MM signing bonus will be split over three seasons, and he will have base salaries of $1.2MM and $3.4MM the next two seasons.
For those looking at a more in-depth look of the Cannon extension, Field Yates of ESPN.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of how the contract is structured.

AFC East Notes: Ayers, Brady, Jets, Pryor

October 24th, 2014 at 10:23am CST by Ben Levine

Akeem Ayers finds himself in a much different situation with the Patriots than he with his previous team, the Titans. The former second-round pick apparently fell out of favor with Ken Whisenhunt and his coaching staff, but the 25-year-old is happy for a chance to contribute in New England. Via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald…

“I’m pretty much just happy to be here. Obviously, I wasn’t playing there, and I just happened to get in a good situation here,” Ayers said. “As I’m learning the playbook, I’m trying to simplify things as much as I can and the coaches are helping me out with that. We’re trying to keep things simple and try to learn to the best I can to play as fast as I can when I’m on the field.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss believes Tom Brady will finish his career with the Patriots. However, based on the team’s previous handling of franchise players, Reiss warns that it isn’t a guarantee.
While Bill Belichick has received some criticism for releasing veteran Tommy Kelly, Reiss points out that the veteran didn’t put forth much effort in the team’s preseason opener. The writer opines that Kelly wanted out and forced Belichick’s hand.
Following an eight-win season in 2013, the Jets should have done a better job of addressing some of their weaknesses in free agency, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Entering the season with the league’s second-highest salary-cap surplus is an “embarrassing truth,” the writer opines.
Among the Jets disappointments this season has been first-rounder Calvin Pryor. Coach Rex Ryan attributed the rookie’s struggles to a missed interception earlier in the season. “Probably started with the first game when he dropped that pick-six. But, he hasn’t had the impact necessarily that I think all of us had expected, but quite honestly, our defense has been played a little differently than maybe we had anticipated,” Ryan said (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “So, I think we’ve had to make some of those adjustments along the way. It hasn’t gone according to plan so to speak.”

AFC East Notes: Smith, Ryan, Pats, Pegula

October 12th, 2014 at 8:51am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets have opened the 2014 season with a 1-4 record, a disaster at the quarterback position, and a dearth of optimism for an imminent reversal of fortunes. The two starring figures in the team’s disappointment, of course, are head coach Rex Ryan and second-year quarterback Geno Smith. However, as Conor Orr of NFL.com writes, the ultimate fate of those two men could be quite different if and when their respective tenures with the Jets are over.

Citing NFL Media’s Michael Robinson, Orr writes that “a defensively starved team would absolutely pay Ryan handsomely to return to his former role as a coordinator,” but teams would be much more hesitant to give Smith another shot. Orr adds that, unless Smith shows more comfort against top-tier defenses, it is difficult to imagine any sort of market developing for him, even among coaches with strong backgrounds in quarterback development.

Now for some more notes from around the AFC East:

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that, despite the Jets‘ woes, a midseason firing of Rex Ryan or GM John Idzik is highly unlikely and that owner Woody Johnson will reevaluate his personnel after the season. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that there is no “litmus test” for Ryan to keep his job, as the team could finish the 2014 season strong and opt to bring Ryan back. After all, the Jets worried after the 2013 season that he would be immediately rehired as a head coach elsewhere and make them pay, and that fear still exists among the team’s front office.
With the Broncos coming to town this week, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com takes a look back at the Jets-Broncos trade that brought Tim Tebow to the Meadowlands. Although the fourth-round pick that New York shipped to Denver turned out to be center Phillip Blake, who is now out of the league, the Broncos used the sixth-rounder on Danny Trevathan, their starting weakside linebacker: Advantage: Denver.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that, although the proliferation of doomsday articles concerning the Patriots‘ dynasty–which quickly disappeared after the team’s performance against the Bengals last week–contemplated a premature end to Tom Brady‘s days in New England, Brady’s contract suggests that he will remain under center for at least the 2015 season.
Despite the Patriots‘ throwback blowout of the Bengals last Sunday, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News is unimpressed by the team’s long-term prospects and believes the dynasty is indeed fading.
Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News discusses the “eerie” coincidences surrounding new Bills‘ owner Terry Pegula‘s purchase of the team, and Sullivan wonders if the symbolism will continue with a Buffalo upset of New England later today.

Extra Points: Vikings, Brady, Fitzpatrick, Cowboys

October 11th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s check out some assorted whispers from around the league on this Saturday afternoon…

The Vikings invested another $518K into stadium renovations on Friday, adding an eighth elevator and concession stands. However, they didn’t add bird-safe glass, much to the dismay of some pundits (via Rochelle Olson of the Star Tribune).
Should the relationship between Tom Brady and the Patriots sour to the point that the quarterback will look to play elsewhere, Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com suggests the Cardinals as a fit.
Even with the Texans having lost three of their last four contests, the quarterback job still belongs to Ryan Fitzpatrick, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News looks back at the Cowboys trade of Herschel Walker, remarking that nobody thought Jerry Jones knew what he was doing following the transaction.

Poll: Will The Patriots Trade Tom Brady?

October 10th, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by Rob DiRe

The tension between Tom Brady and the Patriots’ coaching staff has become one of the strange ongoing stories of this NFL season. If it continues it could influence whether he finishes his career with the team. The Patriots have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was drafted in the second round and could serve as Brady’s successor.

Now the word is that the move could happen as early as this offseason. Some have gone as far as to say that the Patriots will shop Brady around this offseason. Brady remains committed to the team.

“I love all those guys, my coaches,” said Bady. “I’ve never had any tension with them, truthfully. It’s unfortunate that some things get said and talked about, especially when they don’t come from me, and I think that’s the — when you’re in the middle of an especially tough week with our team to deal with things that are really outside football that are very personal — very personal relationships that I’ve built up for a long time.”

The team just came off a big win against the Bengals, and despite some struggles, are still looking to be a powerhouse in the AFC. However, if a team comes to the Patriots with a huge trade offer, some think the team would entertain a deal.

With all that being said, it is hard to imagine Brady ever playing with another franchise. He has said he wants to play another four or five years, and it would be a surprise if he didn’t remain with the team he won three Super Bowls with for the entirety of his career. Still, head coach Bill Belichick has a reputation for getting rid of star players before they decline, but Brady would probably like to think he is the exception to that rule.

Extra Points: Brady, Cowboys, Oliver

October 10th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Even after the Patriots‘ 43-17 throttling of the previously undefeated Bengals, stories persist of the ongoing tensions between Tom Brady and the team. Kirk Minihane and Gary Tanguay joined Arbella Early Edition to discuss the chances that the recent rift will lead to a split.

They came to a surprising conclusion, both figuring that there is a more likely than not chance that Brady could finish his career with another franchise. They can see the team considering trading him if the right offer came along.

“If I’m Belichick I say… ‘Tom, thanks for the memories, swell, here’s the watch, goodbye,’” says Minihane. “You’d be insane not to do it. They’re going to at least explore trading Brady in this offseason. I’m convinced of that.”

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

The Cowboys are 4-1, and most of the credit has gone to the offensive line, but not forgotten are the team’s two stars, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. Both players will be free agents at season’s end, but the team is not worried about getting extensions signed during the season, writes Jon Machota of DallasNews.com. The team has already targeted both players as pieces moving forward, making their pursuits known.
Chargers‘ running back Branden Oliver had a breakout game Sunday against the Jets, racking up 182 yards and two touchdowns rushing and receiving. The electric rookie went undrafted, and considered signing with the Colts before joining the Chargers, reports Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
Finally, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel spent some time with Packers‘ first-round pick Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Dunne got to know a lot about the future star safety and his life off-the-field.

Tension Between Patriots, Tom Brady

October 6th, 2014 at 8:02am CST by Zachary Links

There’s palpable tension between Tom Brady and the Patriots’ coaching staff and multiple sources told Chris Mortensen of ESPN they believe it could influence whether he finishes his career with the team. Meanwhile, two sources say that rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted as Brady’s successor and the move could happen “sooner than later,” though none of the sources suggested that change could happen during the 2014 season. For his part, Brady refuted the notion of a rift between him and management after last night’s game.

“I love all those guys, my coaches,” Brady insisted. “I’ve never had any tension with them, truthfully. It’s unfortunate that some things get said and talked about, especially when they don’t come from me, and I think that’s the — when you’re in the middle of an especially tough week with our team to deal with things that are really outside football that are very personal — very personal relationships that I’ve built up for a long time.”

Meanwhile Mortensen writes that Brady is upset over the questionable personnel decisions that led to the downsizing of the Pats offense and the retirement of longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia after the 2013 season. With Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins being traded before the season, Brady’s input into game plans and pre-snap adjustments has significantly diminished in favor of a more conservative approach that’s easier to follow for the novice linemen. Internally, a source says some have cited Brady’s declining performance as the reason for the conservative line strategy.

The Patriots are now 3-2 after last night’s 43-17 win over the Bengals, which may help to ease tensions all around.