Tom Brady is gone from New England, but he definitely won’t be forgotten. Especially on the books.
Past Brady contracts are triggering a $13.5 million cap charge under his name for 2020. As noted by Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Patriots have nearly $23 million in charges for 2020 tied to players no longer on the team.
That’s more than 10 percent of the team’s total cap allotment for 2020.
Reiss explains that the dead-money situation coupled with the exodus of Brady and other veterans (Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Ted Karras, for example) plunges the team into a two-year reboot (not rebuild), laying the foundation for 2021. Which concedes that the expectations should be low for 2020.
Still, Bill Belichick remains the head coach, which counts for something. Whichever 53 men make it to the final roster, Belichick will find a way to get the most out of them. Which makes it a good idea to not write off the Patriots in 2020, dead money and roster turnover be damned.