Who deserves a bump in pay on Patriots?

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Even before Rob Gronkowski emoji’d his way into a discussion of whether he’s getting the shaft on payday, I’ve been thinking about who needed pay bumps from the Patriots and who was doing just fine. Determining the top five most underpaid players is tough because it’s a feel thing. For instance, Tom Brady is – compared to other quarterbacks – tremendously underpaid. But he’s accepted that for years and does it by choice. And it’s hard to include a guy who just signed a $40 million extension on this list. In other words, this is a feel thing. In my opinion, these are the five Patriots who haven’t made enough for what they’ve done/will do. My longtime friend/cap crutch Miguel Benzan over at Patscap.com is relied upon for the numbers.

Malcolm Butler

2016 salary: $600K
2016 cap hit: $600K
Money earned on deal: $930Khttp://www.patscap.com/butler.html#butler
Look, when you’re an undrafted player who doesn’t get invited to the Combine, you’re not going to get a fat deal if a team takes a flier on you. Butler didn’t when he made the Patriots in 2014. In the two years since, he’s made one of the most memorable plays in NFL history and secured a Super Bowl win and made the Pro Bowl. Last week, free agent Janoris Jenkins – who hasn’t made a Pro Bowl or secured a Super Bowl win – signed a five-year, $62.5M deal. Buzz around Butler needing a bump is growing.http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/malcolm-butler-reacts-to-chandler-jones-trade-its-business . It should be noted that he did receive a performance-based payout of $317K last week but that was a league-based reward. Will the Patriots pay him what the market is bearing or look to get him done for lower numbers with more security? And will Butler feel loyal to New England for giving him his shot?

Jamie Collins

2016 salary: $917,865
2016 cap hit: $1,196,863
Money earned on deal: $3.758Mhttp://www.patscap.com/collins.html#collins
Brilliant though Collins’ measurables were at the 2013 Combine, teams were wary of a player whose college team was winless in his final season there and who’d not established a true position. The Patriots, though, made the move to draft Collins in the second round and it was a shrewd move. He’s one of the most breathtaking athletes in the league, able to be a force against the run, in pass rush and in coverage. Even when the raw spots show – like the AFC Championship Game when he was beaten twice by tight end Owen Daniels for touchdowns – Collins was still arguably the Patriots best defender in the final 30 minutes. He’s a game-changer. He could command a huge contract as an outside linebacker. As rich as Justin Houston’s $101M deal? No. But he could be sniffing around something that’s in the $12 to $15M year neighborhood. If the Patriots disagree, he could be a franchise candidate in 2017. That tag cost will be a little more than $15M.

Julian Edelman

2016 salary: $2.25M
2016 cap hit: $4.421M
Money earned on deal: $19Mhttp://patscap.com/edelman.html#edelman
Edelman’s made 258 receptions in 39 games over the past three seasons and scored 17 touchdowns. In the playoffs, he’s made 59 more catches in just six games. While the deal he got in 2014 was very good from the standpoint of guarantees and real money, Edelman’s import to the offense was well-demonstrated this season. There are lesser players with different physical attributes and skill sets that make way more money than Edelman. Vincent Jackson’s five-year deal averages $11M. Marvin Jones’ new five-year deal will pay him $40M. Is either player “better” than Edelman or more productive? Could they do what he does? The timing of Edelman’s rise to prominence was not ideal. He didn’t get really good until he was 27. As a result, he may never be paid what he’s really been worth as the most impactful slot receiver and one of the 10 best wide receivers in the NFL.

Rob Gronkowski

2016 salary: $3.65M
2016 cap number: $6.618M
Money earned on deal: $54M
Gronk’s deal was constructed in 2012 so that it was really two four-year contracts.http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/06/12/details-revealed-rob-gronkowski-deal/2x5iBoi3oT48kMMqi7C6IM/story.html The team just picked up the back half of Gronk’s deal by paying him $10M. He’ll earn $37M over the final four years of this deal which runs through 2019. Is that enough for the best tight end in football who is on his way to being a generational player? Does Gronk have a point when he tweets – jokingly or not – about being underpaid? Yes he does. He’s one of the 10 or 15 best players in the NFL, period. But the deal he signed worked to his advantage in 2012 and ’13 when he dealt with injuries that sidelined him for half of the Patriots possible games. Now, for a period, it will work to the Patriots advantage. I believe he should – and will – get his contract reworked. But he has to wait until his teammates get theirs and the Patriots will have to veer from custom if they’re going to rework a deal with more than two years on it.

Rob Ninkovich

2016 salary: $1.5M
2016 cap hit: $4.75M
Money earned on deal: $13.65M
In 2013, Ninkovich’s 2013 salary was bumped and three years were added to his expiring deal. So , to keep it simple here, we’re viewing the 32-year-old’s deal as three years, $13.65. When we talk about Ninkovich being underpaid it’s in the context of his contributions and durability.http://patscap.com/ninkovich.html#ninkovich. He played 1,105 snaps in 2013, 1,029 in ’14 and 888 in 2015. Is he one of the 10 best in the league at his position? Naaahhh. But he’s been an ironman, smart, dependable and has turned in as many big plays on this defense in the past six seasons as anyone. Maybe more. You could also make a case for Logan Ryan here as well, I wouldn’t argue.

 

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