FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — While the New England Patriots are focusing on a run to this year’s Super Bowl, Tom Brady made a move Monday to help the future of the franchise.
According to multiple reports, the quarterback restructured his contract so the team will have an additional $24 million to pursue free agents in the offseason.
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According to ESPN, Brady changed the $24 million in “skill” guarantee to only “injury” guarantee, meaning that Brady now would get the guaranteed money only if he were injured. The Patriots now can also release Brady without any liability, but he then would become an unrestricted free agent, free to command the type of guaranteed money he has agreed to surrender.
ESPN also reports that Brady will receive a $1 million bump in each of the three remaining years of the deal. His base salaries will now be $8 million in 2016, $9 million in 2016 and $10 million in 2018.
This new contract will help the future of the Patriots, but there are also some here-and-now Patriots with some unfinished business. The team is moving on from a game it didn’t have to win to one it can’t lose.
New England’s 17-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday had no bearing on its status as the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Key starters didn’t play and subdued fans rested their voices for the postseason.
Any momentum gained by a victory would disappear by the time New England plays its next game at home on Jan. 10.
“I don’t really believe that you can get bad habits in football,” safety Devin McCourty said. “I think everything is all about preparation each week. You do everything great one week, it doesn’t mean next week you created good habits and it’ll happen again.”
Not knowing their next opponent, the Patriots (12-4) will spend this week scouting themselves, figuring out where they can improve as individuals and a team and then practicing to do that.
Their division-round foe will be determined this coming weekend. It would be No. 6 Baltimore if the Ravens beats No. 3 Pittsburgh on Saturday. If Pittsburgh wins, the Patriots will play the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 4 Indianapolis and No. 5. Cincinnati.
The Patriots beat Indianapolis (42-20) and Cincinnati (43-17) this season. Against Baltimore, they lost in the playoffs in the 2009 and 2012 seasons and won in the 2011 season, but the Ravens’ roster has changed substantially the past two seasons.
“We’ll have to be ready for the different possibilities,” Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “Certain members of our staff will be doing the forward preparation on them. But we know where we’ll be playing. … We know the potential for some of the conditions that we’ll be playing in.”
Winter in New England brings cold, wind and snow that can take a toll on the body.
Belichick said Monday he’s “fine” after meeting with club medical personnel about his health immediately after Sunday’s game.
His team should be rested and relatively healthy for the playoff game with some regulars playing for the first time in at least three weeks.
Once the Patriots know their opponent, the emphasis will be on devising a game plan.
“No matter who we play, there are things that we’re going to need to work on” this week, Belichick said.
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