The New England Patriots just got whole lot of financial breathing room.
The Patriots have earned a total of $6.25 million in settlements from compensation grievances involving former wide receiver Antonio Brown and ex-tight end Aaron Hernandez, ESPN's Mike Reiss and Field Yates reported Saturday.
New England now has $7.79 million in cap space, per Reiss and Yates, a huge bump from the less than $500,000 in spending money the team had earlier this week.
With @FieldYates, reporting significant salary-cap news for Patriots: Settlements in compensation grievances with Antonio Brown ($4 million to team) and Aaron Hernandez ($2.55 million to team) have created space for the club. The Patriots' current cap space is $7.79 million.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 11, 2020
Brown, who spent less than two weeks with the Patriots last September, filed a grievance against the team in October 2019 following his release seeking to receive his unpaid Week 1 salary, his $1.025 million guaranteed base salary and his $9 million signing bonus.
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The Patriots will pay Brown $5 million as part of the settlement, per Reiss and Yates.
The NFL Players Association filed a grievance against the Patriots on Hernandez's behalf in October 2013 seeking over $6 million in guaranteed salary. Hernandez was arrested and later convicted for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd and died in prison in April 2017.
New England was up against the cap after squeezing free-agent quarterback Cam Newton in on a one-year contract and inking all of its 2020 NFL Draft picks to rookie deals. With nearly $8 million in cap space, however, the Patriots have more flexibility to bolster their roster via free agency or trade.
Our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran suggested tight end David Njoku could be a strong fit in New England after requesting a trade from the Cleveland Browns, and there are a number of quality free agents still on the market, as well.
NFL Rumors: Patriots free up millions in cap space from Antonio Brown, Aaron Hernandez grievances originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston