Death. Taxes. Tom Brady contract extensions.
There are few things guaranteed in life, but those three are at the top of the list. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht brought up the possibility of a contract extension for Brady a couple of weeks ago and now ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that there has been “good momentum” on both sides when it comes to negotiations.
.@AdamSchefter says Tom Brady and the Bucs have "good momentum" toward a contract extension "that would tie him to Tampa for an even longer period of time." pic.twitter.com/Lf1r4vO1xV
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 8, 2021
Brady threw 50 touchdown passes (including the postseason) in his first season with the Buccaneers, so why wouldn’t they keep him around? Plus, it’s likely that more cap room becomes available with a longer extension. In all, it makes sense.
Timing is important, however, because the window to use the franchise tag at at 4PM EST on Tuesday, March 9. If Brady and the Buccaneers can’t come to an agreement, then it could prevent the Bucs from using the tag on Chris Godwin. Tampa Bay currently has around $11.9 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap. The franchise tag for wide receivers -at the moment- costs a little over $15.7 million.
But there is a chance that the window remains open past the deadline. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that there is a chance the deadline could be extended since the NFL has yet to set an official cap for 2021.
Either way, an extension is currently a win-win for both sides. The Steelers were able to free up close to $15 million in cap space by re-working Ben Roethlisberger’s deal, so it’s not unrealistic to think a Brady extension could do the same.
Stay tuned for updates.
