Contract negotiations are underway — sort of.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke to quarterback Tom Brady on Tuesday about his expiring deal, according to multiple reports. The conversation wasn’t particularly productive, per NBC Sports Boston. It did not go well, according to the Boston Herald.
Brady’s contract is set to expire on March 18 when the 2020 league year begins. At that point, he will be free to negotiate with all 32 NFL teams. It would be the first time he’s ever hit free agency. The tampering window opens on Match 16. And until that point, the Patriots have exclusive negotiating rights to Brady.
Brady and Belichick’s relationship was in a good place heading into the offseason, even with the quarterback’s contract set to expire. However, there’s a chance these negotiations could strain their relationship, especially after their reported spat in 2017. Belichick is a notoriously tough negotiator. Retired linebacker Ted Johnson spoke about his interaction with Belichick while talking contracts, which might ring true,
“When I first was being coached by Bill and had my first kind of issue with my contract, Bill reached out to me personally which usually does not happen. I was like, ‘Woah, OK, I have an agent.’ He was like, ‘Yeah I was going to call him,’” Johnson said, via on NBC Sports Boston’s “Arbella Early Edition.”
“… It is hardball, he doesn’t care, he will use the stats against you, and won’t factor in all the things that went into those poor stats. He’s not going to blow you away with an offer. He’s going to make you sweat it out and make you think, ‘Do I really want to leave what I’m comfortable with, or stay here and take less than what other people would offer?’”
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