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They flipped late round draft picks (not sure which ones), but NE gains $4.25 million in cap space. That should bring them to $13 million and change in cap space.
Stidham takes over for Brady. I will take abuse for this, but that could actually be an upgrade (not saying it ill, only suggesting it could).
It is not just the main difference...it is the difference...Brady's play and salary allowed BB the GM to have flexibility that probably no other GM has ever had...he also had a ton of players willing to come here on cut-rate deals because #12 was the QB...that may not be the case anymore...I don't expect BB to totally revamp how he does things (and he shouldn't) but I also don't think it is business as usual...it is a new era.
Clearly life starts anew without Brady. The only thing I think gets a little overblown is "how little" Brady played for. Along the way, he opted for big upfront signing bonuses and would also convert salary to bonuses . . . making his actual yearly salary way lower than most quarterbacks. But his cap hits were way higher than his salary. At one point in one of the NE threads we (the figurative we) went over Brady's career and compensation vs. his peers. Over his 20 year career, I believe his actual "discount" worked out to $3 or 4 million a year. That certainly is nice to have to add a decent back up player or role player on the roster somewhere, but it is not the $15-20 million perceived savings each year that some folks talk about.
Too soon to tell until we get a better idea of what they are going to do roster wise.
LB climbing up the ranks of needs now that free agency has hit...Roberts, Collins and Van Noys all gone.
I am not totally sure, but I think the most NE can get is a 5th rounder for Brady (veteran with more than 10 years in the league). And a team can only get a max of 4 comp picks.
Anarchy99 said:
Even though Harmon is gone the fact this guy can play LB means he could be more of a potential Chung replacement.
Sounds like someone that can cover TE's and RB's .... much needed.
It will be beyond interesting to see how they use that $114...due to some subpar drafting there really isn’t too much on the current roster you have to use it on...there a few guys like JC Jackson iwho will deserve a nice bump but next offseason is one they should be real active.NE now sitting with $10 million in cap space for 2020. But $114 million in cap space for 2021.
Which brings up an interesting hypothetical. If the 2020 season never happens, would 2021 start fresh or would they honor everything as if it were 2020? Would there be another draft? Another round of free agency? Another round of compensatory picks?
With Brady vs. Belichick now a real thing, I think Brady has a better chance of looking like the winner in the short term, having gone to a team with a ton of talent that just needs consistent QB play to be a playoff team, but he likely only has one or two years left, while Belichick strikes me as a guy who will coach for as long as his health allows him to do so, and I have no doubt that he will have the Patriots contending again sooner rather than later; it just might take a year or two depending on what he does at QB. Even with Brady's decline last year, he was still better than what they are likely to get in 2020.
I hope they at least draft a legit prospect...a lot of issues are solved if Stidham is the real deal but I would hate to not have another possibility.
They would save another $910K by releasing Kessler. I would guess they would draft someone else, the question is will they try to make a move early and move up, hope someone falls to them, or wait and get a midround guy to develop.
Wish they still had that #2...with three #3's they would have even more flexibility.
Pats have had two kickers since 1996 and two QBs since 1993...the times are a changing.
Bill may not be effusive with praise when guys are playing, but his eulogies are usually exemplary.
