Win or lose, the New England Patriots will have some important decisions to make after they play in the Super Bowl this weekend. Bill Belichick will have to decide which summer-wear shirts of his he wants to cut the sleeves off of. Tom Brady will have to decide what lavish gift he should get for his supermodel wife. And owner Bob Kraft will have to decide who to fire as a scapegoat for Deflate Gate.
The Patriots will also have to decide what to do with safety Devin McCourty. McCourty's five-year, $10 million rookie contract is up and he is set to hit the open market.
In five seasons, McCourty made an All-Pro team at both cornerback and safety while racking up 271 tackles and 17 interceptions. He's about to play in his second Super Bowl and is only 27 years old.
It's unclear what both sides are thinking when it comes to next season. McCourty surely took notice of the free agent deals handed out to safeties last year. The New Orleans Saints coughed up a whopping $26.3 million in guarantees for Jairus Byrd. The Denver Broncos gave T.J. Ward $14 million guaranteed. Both Antoine Bethea and Malcolm Jenkins received at least $8.5 million in guarantees from their new teams. It's completely within McCourty's right to expect similar compensation.
But New England also has to figure out what they're going to do with cornerback Darrelle Revis. Inking him to a long-term deal may not leave much cap room for a McCourty extension.
"McCourty...could be placed under the franchise tag (which was $8.433 million guaranteed last year) by the Patriots," wrote Ryan O'Halloran of Jacksonville.com. "That's how much the Patriots think of McCourty and how many teams would bid for him."
If McCourty hits free agency, he won't be unemployed for long. New England will have to be decisive about committing to him long-term or slapping him with the franchise tag. Either way, McCourty is set to get paid.
