The New England Patriots are likely to want an answer from Tom Brady before free agency.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained why he anticipates New England and Brady will have made up their minds about the quarterback’s extension — or lack thereof — before the tampering period begins on March 16 ahead of the 2020 league year.
“Here’s the situation: I don’t believe the New England Patriots are waiting until March 16 to get an answer from Tom Brady,” Schefter said on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday. “Last year, Rob Gronkowski wound up retiring in late March. I don’t know the conversations they did and didn’t have before, but New England missed the window on free-agent tight ends. So, I don’t think they’re going to let Tom Brady go to free agency, all of a sudden, sign with Team X, and then on March 20, say ‘Well, what do we do at quarterback now?’ That’s not the way that organization operates.”
What’s more, the Patriots will have to work to accommodate Brady’s contract on their cap, along with the free agents they attempt to retain and add. Because New England has just $45 million to spend this offseason, they wouldn’t want to save cap space for Brady — only to find he isn’t coming. Similarly, they wouldn’t want to spend on other players, only to find they can’t appease Brady’s contract demands.
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