New England Patriots links 7/08/20 - Will Rex Burkhead’s restructured deal protect his roster spot?

TEAM TALK

• Mike Dussault passes along a report that Rex Burkhead reworks his contract.
• Paul Perillo tackles this week’s Patriots Unfiltered Q&A: Will Newton start, who will he throw to, and More.
• Mike Dussault takes a look back at one play from every Super Bowl run that shouldn’t be forgotten, without which New England wouldn’t have made it to the big game to secure another title.
• Patriots Unfiltered 7/7: Cam Newton vs. Jarrett Stidham; More. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) 2020 Patriots 53-man roster projection 1.0: Tough time for UDFAs. Burkhead cut.
• Robert Marcello (FullPressCoverage) Retaining Rex? Patriots restructure Burkhead’s contract.
• Sean T. McGuire explains Rex Burkhead’s contract restructure exponentially increased his chances of being a member of the 2020 Patriots.
• Andrew Calllahan has the details on Rex Burkhead’s reworked contract. ‘Burkhead led all Pats RBs with a 4.6 yards per carry average, totaling 302 rushing yards and 279 yards receiving - both single-season highs for his New England tenure.’
• Dakota Randall says it’s looking as if Joe Thuney will play this season under the franchise tag.
• Nick Goss points out this stat from PFF: Cam Newton easily leads every NFL QB in ‘most rushing yards after contact‘ since 2011.
• Tom E. Curran explains how Patrick Mahomes’ record-setting deal may ultimately get in the way of the dynasty-chasing Chiefs.
• David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Why the Patrick Mahomes contract is different from other 10-year deals.
• Sravan Gannavarapu (LastWordOnSports) 21st century NFL 10-year deals: Which ones panned out?
• Lauren Campbell notes Cam Newton’s latest Instagram has him quoting Julian Edelman.
• Ryan Hannable finds Cam Newton on Instagram, wasting no time getting into the Patriots playbook and comparing it to calculus (in his own special way).
• Adam London notes former NFL CB DeAngelo Hall admits his biggest career regret was not signing with the Patriots 11 years ago.
• Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) Cam Newton celebrates two of his sons birthdays.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Danny Kelly (The Ringer) Cam Newton isn’t the NFL’s only injury returnee ready to shake up 2020.
• Andrew Brandt (SI) Business of Football Mailbag: Players opting out, Washington’s name, Dak Prescott’s tender and More.
• Andrew Brandt (SI) That $500 Million number may look big, but Patrick Mahomes Is actually giving up a lot.
• Robert Mays (The Ringer) The ripple effects of Patrick Mahomes’s massive 10-year extension.
• Kevin Clark (The Ringer) Patrick Mahomes breaks all the NFL’s rules—again.
• Tadd Haislop (Sporting News) The NFL’s 25 highest-paid players in 2020.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) One week left for Dak Prescott, Cowboys to do a long-term deal.
• Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates.
• Bryan DeArdo (CBS Sports) NFL’s top rivalries of the 2010s: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady take top spot again.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL, NFLPA reach agreement on team travel protocol for training camp and preseason.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL, NFLPA strike deal on team facilities for training camp.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Opt outs are one of the unresolved issues between NFL, NFL Players Association.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: NFL asks for 35 percent of player salaries to be placed in escrow. /Puh-leeze, NFL could pay a year’s worth of salaries with player fine money alone.
• Bryan DeArdo (CBS Sports) Players react to NFL reportedly proposing an escrow for player salary during 2020 season. “Kick rocks.”
• JC Tretter (NFLPA.com) Prioritizing player safety in a pandemic.
• Jenna West (SI) NFLPA President JC Tretter says NFL ‘is unwilling to prioritize player safety.’
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Peyton Manning somehow leads all players in NFLPA-related marketing and royalty earnings.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) The Eagles set a flawed precedent with Riley Cooper. Now they have to honor it with DeSean Jackson.
• Charean Williams (ProFootballTalk) DeSean Jackson apologizes again, vows to show “it’s more than just words.”
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Money could be a factor in the DeSean Jackson decision. “As Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Tuesday, the decision on DeSean’s future ultimately could hinge on whether the Eagles can escape $4.8 million in guaranteed salary for 2020.”