BSJ Daily Briefing 02.09.18: More Patriots drama with Brady's contract? (It is a hard no)

Good morning!

A few random thoughts while I stop wondering when the Patriots will next be in the news:

• In case you haven't heard, Ron Borges of the Herald reported late last night that, according to sources close to Tom Brady, that the quarterback "is ready to sit out all of this year’s offseason organized team activities unless he receives a contract extension that carries with it up-front money similar to what his former protege, Jimmy Garoppolo, will receive from the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo yesterday signed a five-year, $137.4 million deal with $74 million guaranteed."


• Borges also reported that Brady had basically orchestrated Josh McDaniels being retained as the successor to Belchick.


• Borges also reported, according to another source, that Patriots ownership told Bill Belichick before the trade deadline that Brady couldn't be traded or released, and that Garoppolo couldn't be franchised.


• Since that time, Tom Curran and Doug Kyed have refuted the Herald report.

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• Nobody answered me at that late an hour, so I don't have anything concrete on Brady's reported mandate.


• I would be very surprised if a) Brady has even thought about his contract this soon after the season, and b) made that type of request;


• As I laid out in 2015 at SI, and again here at BSJ, Robert Kraft and Brady struck a deal where he agreed to basically play at half the price in order to stay with the Patriots. Brady's contract is due to rise in 2018, but not all that much when you consider the overall cap. Why would Brady suddenly change his mind about that and, basically, stick it to the team and the Krafts? Doesn't make any sense.


• Now, as I have reported, Brady has been irritated that he had not received an extension going back to last offseason, but it's not like the Patriots are going to ditch him now that Garoppolo is gone.


• The only rumblings I have heard on Brady's contract is that as part of his irritation with Belichick, he doesn't have much an interest to renegotiate his final two years to help the team. That was during the season. Things may have changed.


• Borges' account of the Garoppolo trade could be true. I reported Kraft told Belichick to trade Garoppolo. If you say Brady isn't going anywhere, and Garoppolo can't even be tagged and traded (Belichick's likely final move after not dealing Garoppolo in the offseason) then you're telling Belichick to trade Garoppolo. He's not just going to keep him and get a third-round comp pick in return. Belichick's not an idiot. He tagged Matt Cassel and traded him immediately. Belichick would do it again, and today's setup with the legal tampering period makes it even easier. Belichick wasn't given that option.


• I don't doubt that Brady had a hand in McDaniels' return — or at least the Krafts had Brady's comfort in mind when they did it (Brady's comfort has been paramount for a while) — but it would surprise me if he strong-armed anybody.