NFL Betting News – Patriots Finally Pay Brady; Moss, Mankins Next?

Any mixed feeling about the Patriots and Tom Brady’s strained relationship can finally rest at ease, which only serves to bolster their 2010 NFL betting season hopes. Robert Kraft finally opened up his wallet to one of the best quarterbacks in history, extending Brady’s contract with a 4-year, $72 million extension that is worth $48.5 in guaranteed money. The contract kicks in next year, and will make Brady the highest paid quarterback in the league.

And that status as the “highest paid quarterback” probably won’t last long, especially with Peyton Manning entering the final year of his epic 7-year, $98-million deal. Bill Polian has emphasized that Manning deserves to be the highest paid quarterback for a while now, and look at what it’s done to the Colts: every year, they’re in the playoffs and contending for the Super Bowl.

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The Patriots have been contending for the Lombardi Trophy as well, but have refused to unlock the vault for their best players. That penny pinching was beginning to create a seething rift between the 3-time Super Bowl champ and the Patriots. Brady was slated to make $6.5 million this year and then become a free agent next season, and that’s something the Pats couldn’t risk.

Getting the deal done before the season starts is a bold step for the Patriots, and not just because they open against the Cincinnati Bengals as home favorites in NFL betting with a -4.5 line and a 44.5 point total. Now that they’ve handed Brady a lucrative deal, other players who need contract extensions will also be waiting for their pay day.

Give a homeless guy a $20 bill, and all of a sudden you’ll be swarmed.

The two stars in New England waiting to be paid are as crucial to Brady’s success in the coming years against the NFL betting line. Randy Moss is still waiting to see if he’ll be extended, and I don’t think there’s any argument that he deserves one. He may be 33-years old, but he’s been a team player and a constant threat for the Patriots. What would help Moss’s case is a Super Bowl victory this year.

More importantly is the status of Logan Mankins, the Pro Bowl left guard who hasn’t reported to the team since playing with them last season. By all accounts, Mankins and Brady have very different approaches to getting new deals. Brady showed up every day for work, smiled for the cameras and said all the right things.

All Mankins did was kick and scream like a spoiled brat (albeit a deserving spoiled brat to some degree). The Patriots have never been one to be held hostage by players, and I doubt that they’ll cave in to Mankins, even if Brady gets pummeled against the Bengals in Week 1.

It’s one thing to finally spend the money necessary to keep a team together for a player who plays be the team’s rules. It’s completely different for them to cave in to a holdout candidate who isn’t going about it the right away. Mankins’ tactics would work on the 31 other teams in the league. Just not the Patriots.

Still, with Brady under contract any silent worries that people have about the Patriots’ upcoming NFL betting season can somewhat rest. This team needs Mankins more than they’re letting on, but they also need to stick to their ideals. You can’t give up so many parts of what made you a dynasty (i.e. saving salary costs, never giving in to players) as a management team all in one preseason.

Let’s just see if sticking to a company mantra is worth it for the Patriots and their NFL betting faithful.

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