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On Thursday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss provided the details on punter Ryan Allen’s new one-year contract with the Patriots.
Punter Ryan Allen: 1 year, $1.55 million
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 21, 2019
Signing bonus: $100k
Base salary: $900k
Roster bonus: $500k ($31,250 per game)
Incentives: $50,000 (Pro Bowl)
ANALYSIS: Modest deal that sets Allen up for increase on open market in 2020 if he performs well. Coming off great SB53.
As Reiss stated, the deal is modest. Its its $1.5 million 2019 cash total falls short of the $2,033,333 average per-year value Allen received on the three-year extension he just completed — a deal that was signed in 2015. The figure signifies a lack of leverage for the veteran specialist, as New England’s bevy of 2019 draft capital and current position tight to the salary cap increased the likelihood that they would seek a cheaper replacement at the punter position through the draft, or during the chaotic hours immediately following when teams make a mad dash for priority undrafted free agents.
Allen’s $50,000 Pro Bowl incentive bonus will be considered not likely to be earned this season, and if he is voted to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, a $50,000 negative adjustment will be made towards the Patriots’ 2020 adjusted team cap calculation. Should he miss any regular season games in 2019 while a member of the 53-man roster, the team would be credited with $31,250 in 2020 for each one.
Allen’s 2019 cap hit is $1.5 million, and it accounts for .76% of New England’s adjusted team cap, ranking 32nd on the current roster. To date, the former undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech has earned $7,014,835 in his six seasons in Foxborough.
The Patriots will lose $930,000 in cap space with the signing, as Allen replaces a $570,000-salaried player in the top-51. This brings the team’s estimated current cap space figure to $2,466,097 with 67 players signed.