How Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins handle home grown talent
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots will rarely pay top dollar or market value for any of their players. That even includes the greatest quarterback of all time and six-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady.
Tom Brady is now forty-two years old, and is entering his twenty-first season in the NFL. Due to a disagreement in contract negotiations, Brady is set to test out free agency for the first time in his career.
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Even after all the success, it makes you wonder how the Patriots truly value their players if they’re willing to tarnish their franchise’s legacy by letting Tom Brady walk in free agency over a dollar amount against the salary cap.
The Patriots have always paid their players far less than they could receive elsewhere in order to continuously fill the roster and build winning teams. Due to their impressive track record, the Patriots have been rather successful in retaining their players despite what the contract amounts too.
Although, the Patriots have lost their fair share of players when it comes time to negotiate contracts. Bill Belichick has a history of challenging his players to test the open market and see where their value fits around the league. He did that most recently with the staple of his defense in Dont’a Hightower.
Some other players who went up against Belichick in contract talks are Jamie Collins, Danny Amendola, and Patrick Chung. All three players failed to get what they asked for from the Patriots in regards to contracts and eventually ventured off to play for other teams.
The way an athlete feels appreciated is through the contracts their team’s give to them. With that being said, an athlete only has a certain amount of time to maximize his financial earnings as the duration of their careers is truly unknown.
Tom Brady, a six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time league MVP has never been the highest paid player. Even at forty-two years old, Brady wants to feel valued and appreciated by the New England Patriots, the team he has spent his entire career with.