McCourty gets a raise-how this affects the offseason
 |
| AP Photo/Stephan Savoia |
By having over 80% playing-time the last 4 years, Patriots safety Devin McCourty has increased his 2014 base salary from $920k to $3.92M
— Brian McIntyre (@brian_mcintyre) January 22, 2014
This increase in salary for McCourty will affect the Patriots in the off-season. Right now, the Patriots have $128.2 million committed to their cap, according to ESPN Boston, which isn't great as it relates bringing in new players, but that could be rectified by releasing players. ESPN Boston points to defensive tackle Issac Sopoaga (due $3.5 million next year) as someone who could be a casualty of trying to free up cap space. ESPN Boston notes that the Patriots are also awaiting word on whether they will get relief as it relates to Aaron Hernandez.
As far as McCourty goes, he could be someone who could get an extension in the near future if the Patriots can afford it, but that would involve reworking or cutting other players, according to the Providence Journal. There are teams in worse shape cap-wise then the Patriots, but the Patriots still need to tread cautiously. Stay tuned, folks - there will probably be stories coming up on the site about players getting cut or having contracts re-worked in the hopes of making a big push in free agency.
Twitter - @ConorJF1016
@PatriotsLife
