Bedard: Tom Brady gave up millions to kick off the second dynasty - he should stick to that

Tom Brady has been an enormous value to the Patriots. On this, we can all agree. It has been especially true since 2013.

Before his extension and renegotiation that offseason, Brady was due to count $21.8 million against the cap in '13 and '14. Considering the NFL cap number was $123 million in '13 (it's $188.3 million this season), Brady was going to account for 18 percent of the Patriots' cap at the time. That's about the going rate for a top NFL quarterback so it seemed reasonable. But it wasn't to the Patriots.

In an oft-told story from Robert Kraft, the Patriots' owner and quarterback shared a plane ride to California after the 2012 AFC Championship Game loss to the Ravens. That was the eighth straight year the team that was all about titles, had failed to win another since '04.

Kraft, who desperately wanted Brady to finish his career in a Patriots uniform, told the quarterback that if he wanted to get paid what he was worth the next couple of seasons, it probably wasn't going to work for the team. The team was not going to pay a quarterback, even one as great as Brady, 18 percent of their cap, as they were set to do. Kraft told Brady that he was basically going to have to play at half price to help the team give him the supporting cast to win championships and enhance his legacy. Brady thought about it, and agreed. The extension was announced in late February 2013.

"Hopefully we'll have some fun in the next three to five years," Kraft was known to say.

Did they ever. After another AFC Championship Game loss in '13, the Patriots have won three titles the past five years and are favored to win another this season.

A large amount of credit goes to Brady, and not just for his on-field feats. Since he literally took one for the team in '13, the Patriots have never ranked higher than 13th ('14, '18) in quarterback positional spending. And they have yet to get into the double digits very often in the percentage of the adjusted cap number spent on quarterbacks.

But that's due to change this season in a big way.

The Patriots are set to lead the league in QB spending this season at $31,148,423, which would constitute a record 14.3 percent of their cap. Brady's responsible, naturally, for nearly all of that with a $27 million cap hit.

[table id=295 /]

That $31,148,423 is more than any two seasons combined of QB spending from '13-17. The Patriots are set to spend $54,192,623 at the QB position between last season and this one. That's nearly as much as the Patriots spent in four seasons from '14-17 ($59,973,607).

In other words, Brady and the Patriots need to get back to the formula that worked so well for this team if both sides want to go out on top.

Now, this isn't all on Brady, obviously. There are two sides to negotiations and Bill Belichick hasn't exactly been running to the table to hand over a long and lucrative contract extension to a quarterback who is going to be 42 in a few weeks and didn't exactly follow up his 2017 MVP season with another of the same quality. After having a passer rating of 108.6 in the '17 postseason, Brady posted an 85.9 last season — his lowest since '15 (76.6).

But this really isn't all that hard. Even if Belichick was fearful of giving an aging quarterback too much money, they could lower Brady's cap number by $6 million for this season by just handing him a signing bonus of $12,970,000. Brady would still get the $15 million he is due in cash this season. Pay him another $15 million next year and his cap number would still be way more affordable than this year at $21,485,000.

That's why I don't think this is all Belichick, either. The only reason not to get a bridge deal like that one done would be because, as has been the case since Jimmy Garoppolo was here, Brady wants to be shown some loyalty for what he's done on and off the field for this franchise. He probably thinks it's not too much to ask for a three-year extension with some guaranteed money to keep Belichick from bringing in another quarterback (like the rumored Baker Mayfield trade-up, and a possible return from Garoppolo since the 49ers could walk away from that deal after this season).

In the end, this will probably end up like all of Brady's negotiations with the team: Belichick will balk at being too wedded to an aging quarterback, the Krafts will find a way to show Brady a modicum of loyalty, and Brady will end up doing right by the Krafts and agreeing to a team-friendly deal.

And you should expect it around Aug. 10, like I've been telling you all along.