Patriots Could Potentially Get Out of Paying Antonio Brown His $9 Million Signing Bonus
By Parker White
Not only did the New England Patriots cut ties with wide receiver Antonio Brown after just 11 days, but they might not have to pay him, either.
Part of AB's one-year deal was a $9 million signing bonus, but it's not like he received a check from New England with that full price tag when he signed. It wasn't all due at signing, and there's a chance the Patriots don't have to pay him a cent of it, notes Tom Pelissero.
The #Patriots gave Antonio Brown a $9M signing bonus on his 1-year deal — but it wasn’t all due at signing, and there’s usually forfeiture language. As one NFL exec told me: “I don’t think he has any money yet so at least they can hold it while they fight about it.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 20, 2019
Obviously, Brown and his agent will be hooting an hollering from the rooftops for that signing bonus, but if the Patriots aren't required to pay him, it's incredible how much money AB has lost over these last couple of months.
If Antonio Brown does not wind up receiving his $9M signing bonus from the Patriots (the first $5M was due to be paid on Monday), he will go from a $30M guarantee in March to $9M guaranteed to just $158,333 made for 2019.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 20, 2019
Brown had $30 million in guaranteed money owed to him from the Oakland Raiders, but they cut ties and he didn't get any of it. He then signed with New England for $9 million, ahem, "guaranteed."
Well, there's a chance he doesn't receive any of that, so according to ESPN's Field Yates, Brown has made just $158,333 in 2019. Ouch.
Does anyone think another NFL team is going to try their luck and sign Brown? If the Patriots don't want you, good luck trying to catch on with another team from here on out.