Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a leader on the field and, when it comes to taking less money than he’s worth, off it, too.
Receiver Julian Edelman’s new contract -- originally leaked as a multi-year! extension -- tacks two new seasons onto the existing one, at a payout of $14 million through 2019.
Via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com, the two-year extension has a value of $11 million with $7 million fully guaranteed. Chances are that fully-guaranteed amount absorbed the $3 million non-guaranteed salary Edelman was due to earn this season.
For a guy who never leaves much on the field, he likely left plenty on the table. Last year, Edelman had 98 catches for a career-high 1,106 yards, and he continues to be a key cog in the team’s offense, a reliable option in the slot on whom Brady can always rely.
That said, Edelman is 31 -- and some believe that newcomer Brandin Cooks eventually will become the new Edelman in the offense. And so by next year Edelman may start doing the annual Amendola exercise, taking even less for the privilege of continuing to pursue championships.
On one hand, it’s admirable. On the other, those glory days that will have long passed him by won’t be paying the bills when Edelman is 85.