Currently in the middle of free agency, the New England Patriots not only need to think about signing and re-signing players. There also is internal business to be taken care of – and one part of it was deciding whether or not to pay roster bonuses to two backup players: linebacker Jonathan Freeny and offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle.
Both Freeny and Waddle signed 2-year contracts with the Patriots last year. Freeny’s extension was agreed to in August, while Waddle was re-signed as an unrestricted free agent in March 2016. According to Miguel Benzan of patscap.com, their contract included roster bonuses to be paid out on the fifth day of the 2017 NFL league year:
On March 13th Jonathan Freeny is due a 240K roster bonus while LaAdrian Waddle is due a 150K roster bonus.
As Miguel noted, the fifth day of the new league year was yesterday and the Patriots have elected to pay out the roster bonuses instead of releasing the players about to receive them. While $240,000 and $150,000, respectively, are only a blip on New England’s financial radar, it shows that both players will get a chance to compete for roster spots over the course of the offseason.
Freeny was active for five games last season before being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Waddle, was on the 53-man roster all year long, but as the number four tackle played only one offensive snap.