All right, everyone: It's time to admit I was wrong.
In January, I predicted Stephen Gostkowski would sign a four-year deal with the Patriots before the start of free agency. That has not happened. So what now?
First, some background information:
Current placekickers ranked by new money average per year:
- Robbie Gould (tagged) - $4,971,000
- Graham Gano - $4,250,000
- Chris Boswell - $4,201,500
- Justin Tucker - $4,200,000
- Wil Lutz - $4,200,000
So where does that leave Gostkowski? If the Patriots had tagged him earlier this offseason, his number would have been $5.98 million. (The difference between Gostkowski and Gould? A player's tag number is the higher of two numbers -- 20 percent over the prior year's cap number or the league cap number. That why Gostkowski's tag number would have been higher than Gould's.)
Gostkowski signed his last deal in 2015, a four-year contract that totaled $17.2 million. Going forward, I think a much smaller deal is in his future. Here's what I think would make sense for both sides:
Terms: Two years, $7 million; signing bonus: $2 million; total guarantee: $3.4 million.
2019 – Base salary: $1.2 million (fully guaranteed); roster bonus: $200,000 ($12,500 per game if active); cap charge: $2.4 million.
2020 – Base salary: $3.4 million; roster bonus: $200,000 ($12,500 per game if active); cap charge: $4.6 million.
This deal will still fit under the Patriots cap because Gostkowski would remove Ja'Whaun Bentley's $570,000 salary from the Top 51 list.
You will notice Gostkowski's 2019 cash compensation is $3.4 million, which exactly matches his 2018 compensation. Why the match? The Patriots just signed Ryan Allen to a one-year deal, and Allen's 2019 compensation matched his 2018 compensation of $1.5 million.
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