The contract by the numbers: Brandon Browner

Term: 3 years
Total worth: $12.35 million
Incentives: $4.45 million

Year 1
Base: 1 million
Off-season bonuses: $250,000 (workout)
Roster bonus: $500,000 (for making 53 man roster at any point during the season)
$150,000 (per game he is on the 46 man roster)
Playtime incentives: up to 1.2 million

The bottom line: In the only year where any money is guaranteed for Browner, the Patriots are all but set. If catastrophe strikes, the Patriots will only be set back 1 million dollars. At the same time, the 150,000 dollars per game wrinkle allows for a much better and therefore fairer distribution of the cash in relation to playing time. If Browner goes down early in the season the Patriots will be back 3 to 5 hundrud K and if he plays a while than the deal if okay.

Year 2
Base: $1.9 million
Roster bonus: $2 million (is on the 90 man roster at the beginning of the year)
Second roster bonus: 100,000 (per game he is on the roster)
Playtime incentives: 500,000 (250K for 75% playing time, 250K for 85% playing time)

The bottom line: The Patriots are in an interesting place when it comes to the second year of this  deal. Nothing is guaranteed so they can drop Browner if next season does not work out but if they decide to pick up the option of this second year, they will owe Browner 1.9 million dollars and in all likelihood 2 more million when Browner makes the roster at the start of the year. Without even taking into account the 1.7 million he could earn by extra incentives, this seems to be a bit of a situation of overpaying between the Patriots and Browner.

Year 3
Base: $1.9 million
Roster bonus: $2 million (is on the 90 man roster at the beginning of the year)
Second roster bonus: 100,000 (per game he is on the roster)
Playtime incentives: 500,000 (250K for 75% playing time, 250K for 85% playing time)

The bottom line: Once again, this is a bit of a situation of overpaying. However, the Patriots did break the mold from the other contracts they dished out this week, basically copy and pasting their details from year 2 into year 3 of the deal. While my opinion on this year is the same as the year before, this 3rd year seems to be a bit more logical. That season might very well be one of the last that Tom Brady plays and therefore, it may be one of the last opportunities the Patriots have to win it all before what will likely be a period of rebuilding that will not be much fun. Browner might very well play a big role that season and he should be paid accordingly.