Patriots: Antonio Brown and Aaron Hernandez Grievances Give Team Way More Cap Space

The Patriots saved a ton of cap space as a result of their grievances with Antonio Brown and Aaron Hernandez.

Thanks to their limited financial flexibility, the New England Patriots have been pretty quiet on the free agency front this offseason. At one point in time, they were working with less than $300,000, which makes it all the more impressive that they pulled off the signing of Cam Newton.

A minor tweak to the contract of Rex Burkhead created a little more breathing room, but it was certainly nothing to write home about.

Well, Patriots fans will be pleased to hear that the outstanding compensation grievances of Antonio Brown and the late Aaron Hernandez have resulted in the franchise recouping close to $7 million in cap space.

Brown was cut just less than two weeks after signing a one-year, $15 million contract with New England on the heels of sexual assault and rape allegations. Hernandez, on the other hand, was cut a year after inking a five-year, $39.58 million deal with the organization. As we know, the former Florida star committed suicide in prison after he was convicted of murder.

It’s unsettling to think that the Patriots are profiting in the wake of his death, but it’s worth noting that the grievance was in play long before his conviction.

The Patriots now have $7.79 million to work with in cap space, so they could easily make another marquee signing before training camp. After all, we know how much work Belichick would be able to pull off with that much money. He’s used to having much less over the last few years.

And while Brown is dreaming of a reunion with the Pats, his former team is recouping money from his one-game tenure that caused nothing but distraction in the team’s worst season since 2009.