NFL players approved the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Sunday with a vote of 1,019 to 959. With the new CBA now in place, it would be easy for the New England Patriots to offer veteran quarterback Tom Brady a deal that would entice him to remain with the team, according to Justin Leger of NBC Sports. Leger said the new CBA greatly improved the Patriots’ chances of signing Brady to a new contract as teams won't have to deal with salary cap restrictions when signing players this offseason.
Under the new CBA, teams can include voidable contract years to make it easier to sign players with large cap hits like Brady, who will account for $13.5 million in salary cap hit next season had the latest CBA not approved.
The Patriots can also now offer Brady a more lucrative deal before he turns unrestricted free agent on March 18. Earlier, it was reported that the Patriots initially offered Brady a one-year deal with value less than the $23 million he earned last season. However, that would change now that the new CBA is in place. Earlier, it was reported that the Patriots had a hard time coming up with a new offer for Brady with the new CBA not yet approved.
Brady approved of new CBA
Some of the significant changes under the new CBA are the implementation of a 17-game regular season starting as early as 2021 and three preseason games instead of four and increase in the players’ revenue share from 47 percent to 48.5 percent.
The 42-year-old Brady signified his approval on the passing of the CBA, tweeting “Well done De”, referring to NFL Players Association president DeMaurice Smith. Brady is expected to be pursued by several teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Chargers, when he turns free agent on March 18.
Titans choose Tannehill
Jeff Darlington of ESPN reported that the Titans and Tannehill have agreed to a four-year deal worth $118 million. Darlington said the deal includes $62 million in guaranteed money and will pay Tannehill an average of $29.5 million per season. Darlington added that Tannehill is expected to receive around $91 million in total guarantees.
The Titans on Sunday announced the deal, while Tannehill confirmed it via Twitter with his "Tennessee lets run it back" tweet. Last season, Tannehill led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs. Tannehill assumed the starting quarterback position in Week 6 after Marcus Mariota struggled with putting points on the board for the Titans. Earlier, Dianna Russini of ESPN reported that there was no truth to reports that the Titans are interested in signing Brady.
