One Super Bowl MVP down, one to go.

The New England Patriots rightfully took care of the heart and soul of their offense, extending Julian Edelman two years, according to a source, and giving him a pay raise more worthy of Tom Brady’s most trusted receiver.

Next up is Brady.

The Patriots had to take care of the grossly underpaid Edelman with a year left on his deal. Ditto Brady, who will be entering the final year of his deal. He’s on deck, or should already be huddled with ownership hammering out the numbers for an extension.

Edelman’s revised pact is worth up to $19 million in new money and will pay $12 million in guaranteed money, including an $8 million signing bonus, according to a source.

Given the length of the contract, the wide receiver, who turned 33 on Wednesday, will likely finish his career in New England.

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Edelman had 10 catches for 141 yards in the 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl in February. That earned him MVP honors.

Coming off ACL surgery, he was still Brady’s go-to guy in the clutch, with 74 catches for 850 yards and six TDs during the regular season. He was even better during the postseason, with 26 catches for 388 yards in three games.

He’s been the ultimate chain-mover and clutch player for the Patriots. Now that Rob Gronkowski has retired, Edelman is the one remaining receiver who Brady consistently depends on when he absolutely needs to make a play.

The pay hike was long overdue for a guy who’s been such an important member of the offense.

So with Edelman locked up, that leaves the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, a four-time Super Bowl MVP. Like Edelman, Brady wants to finish his career in New England, and that should happen with the next deal.

It’s weird to even say Brady is in his walk year, or would even be allowed to reach that point in September.

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He currently carries a $27 million cap hit. Edelman’s new contract might help the cap a little, but Brady’s contract is the adjustment that’s needed if the Patriots really want to entertain signing Gerald McCoy, the star defensive tackle formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady continues to say he wants to play until he’s 45. During his 19 seasons, he’s always taken deals under market value to help the team stay competitive.

During his recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Brady was asked about being in the middle of the pack moneywise with the rest of the quarterbacks in the league, and if that bothered him.

“That’s a good question. That’s usually when I don’t answer a question, I always say, ‘That’s a good question,’” Brady answered. “I think the thing I’ve always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority. And my wife (model Gisele Bundchen) makes a lot of money.

“I’m a little smarter than you think. Actually, it’s a salary cap,” he went on. “You can only spend so much, and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And I think, for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me.”

The Patriots have filled holes and assembled an interesting cast around Brady. The defending Super Bowl champions are still building and making moves with an eye toward title No. 7.

They took care of Edelman with a two-year deal. As he turns 42 this season, something along those lines might work for Brady, too.


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