We can all attempt to predict what Tom Brady's next move will be as he's set to become a free agent for the first time in his career. But the truth is there are far too many variables for anyone -- even Brady and the New England Patriots -- to know the answer right now.
Tom E. Curran wrote Wednesday about the impasse between Brady and the Pats, noting it's a nearly impossible puzzle to solve. He discussed the subject further with Phil Perry in the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
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Curran explains how the current situation is more complicated than years past:
Robert Kraft already did financially everything he thought he had to do to keep Tom Brady tied up ... They tacked on two more years [onto Brady's contract] in 2016, both of which the Patriots had an option on in case Jimmy Garoppolo stuck around, basically was their ripcord ...
2018 and 2019 they didn't give [Brady] any kind of a bump. When you look at the landscape of the finances, Phil, they're up against it. He got paid $23 million this year and there's bonus money that has to hit the cap.
Perry adds some context to the financials while mentioning a multi-year deal for Brady from the Patriots isn't the most likely scenario.
If he ends up sticking around and they come to an agreement before the new league year hits on March 18, he will have almost $7 million in cap space get tacked onto whatever deal it is that he signs with the team for 2020.
Now, the contract that they sign, it could come in a variety of different forms. He could sign a three-year extension, he could sign a two-year extension, he could just sign the deal that he signed last summer essentially which would just be one year.
I think it's probably pertinent for us, because we could talk about this thing for hours and all the different permutations, to just get out in front and say, Tom I don't think he's getting a multi-year deal from the Patriots. Because he didn't last summer.
New England Patriots
For more on the difficult Brady situation, other top Patriots free agents, and whether the Cleveland Browns would be the right fit for Josh McDaniels, check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, which drops every Tuesday and Thursday as a part of the NBC Sports Boston podcast network.
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