Analyzing Antonio Brown's contract with Patriots
Two days after All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown reportedly agreed to join the New England Patriots, we now get to look at the contract that convinced Brown to come to New England and compete for a championship.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Brown's contract includes a $1 million base salary, a $9 million signing bonus which is split into $5 million now and $4 million later (not exactly sure when). Brown will receive $500,000 in 46-man roster bonuses, and Not Likely to be Earned (NLTBE) incentives which include $1.5 million bonuses for each of the following: 105 catches, 1,298 yards, 16 touchdowns.
There is also a second-year option in the contract that is worth $20 million dollars, but as ESPN Insider Adam Schefter reported, New England added that option to keep Brown's cap number down for 2019.
Looking at the numbers, it looks like Brown agreed to the deal for two reasons: 1) He liked the signing bonus 2) He wants to win a championship and reset his market after the 2019 market. The incentives will be incredibly tough to reach, especially in an offense that will be spreading the ball all around to the like of Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and the running backs as well.
Playing for the Patriots in 2019, who are one of the most team-oriented and focused locker rooms in the league, could end up helping Brown receive a bigger payday in 2020 at 32 years old. He will have (hopefully) proven by then that the antics he pulled in Oakland with the Raiders were merely a product of his circumstances at the time, which in result will make his market much more valuable.
