Eleven days ago [url=http://www.patriotsfansclub.com/byron-cowart-jersey/]Byron Cowart Jersey Draft[/url] , the Patriots gave Antonio Brown a $9 million signing bonus. But they’ve yet to actually give him any of it.The contract requires the team to pay the first installment of $5 million on or before Monday, September 23. Per a league source, that payment has not yet been made. Brown will now wait to see whether the money arrives in three days.If it doesn’t, Brown would have to file a grievance seeking payment. Under the labor deal, the team incurs no risk by refusing to pay it. If the Patriots lose, they simply owe him the money, without attorneys’ fees [url=http://www.patriotsfansclub.com/byron-cowart-jersey/]Byron Cowart NFL Jersey[/url] , liquidated damages, or even interest.So would New England’s case to keep the money hold water? Based on the plain terms of the labor deal, Brown did not commit a “forfeitable breach” that would permit recovery of any portion of his signing bonus. That said, the Patriots could attempt to resist payment based on the notion that Brown and his representatives knew that Brown faced a potential civil lawsuit that would trigger NFL scrutiny and a possible suspension.It would be a creative and unprecedented argument, but the Patriots have nothing to lose. That said, if there were any shenanigans associated with Brown’s efforts to gain his freedom from the Raiders — some believe he knew the Patriots were waiting to pounce — the Patriots may not want to give Brown any motivation to blow the whistle. But if the Patriots aren’t concerned about any such collateral consequences, there’s simply nothing to lose by refusing to pay the $9 million [url=http://www.patriotsfansclub.com/byron-cowart-jersey/]Byron Cowart NFL Draft[/url] , forcing Brown to fight for it, and arguing that if Brown had disclosed the threatened litigation they never would have signed him.Brown also has a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1.025 million. The same argument that could be made to avoid paying the signing bonus could, in theory, be used to avoid paying the balance of the salary. The team also could attempt to void the remaining guarantees. (Brown’s worst-case scenario would seem to be the recovery of four weeks of game checks as Termination Pay; he wouldn’t get the full year’s worth of salary because he wasn’t on the Week One roster.)If the Patriots decide to take an aggressive stance with Brown, who knows what will happen? Given that he has become anything but a sympathetic figure in recent weeks, an arbitrator could be inclined to find a way to prevent Brown from profiting from his own apparent wrongdoing. The Patriots’ quarterback opened up about his new deal after today’s practice." NFL training campPatriots Training Camp CoveragePatriots Offseason CoveragePatriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks contract extension, acknowledges that he is entering uncharted territoryNew [url=http://www.patriotsfansclub.com/byron-cowart-jersey/]Byron Cowart Buffalo Bills Jersey[/url] ,27commentsRelated: What Tom Brady’s contract extension means for the PatriotsEDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks contract extension, acknowledges that he is entering uncharted territoryTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesWhile the New England Patriots opened up their three-day joint practice stretch with the Detroit Lions today, the biggest story surrounding the team these days is the new two-year, $70 million contract extension Tom Brady signed this weekend. On paper, the deal will keep the greatest quarterback of all time in the fold through 2021 but the devil is in the details: the contract will likely be renegotiated next offseason.Brady, however, does not seem concerned about his future as he said during a press conference following today’s practice: “The focus is this year and what we’ve got to do. So that’s where I’m focused [url=http://www.Patriotsjerseyproshop.com/jacob-bailey-jersey/]Infant Jacob Bailey Jersey[/url] , that’s all that really matters in the end, and that’s what this team expects me: to put everything in it, like I always have. [...] I’m really not worried about it, I’m secure for this year — I think, at least I get some first-team reps out there.”The Patriot Nation Podcast on Tom Brady’s extensionClick here if you are visiting via Apple News.Essentially confirming that the two sides will have to work on Brady’s contract situation again at one point further down the line — his salary cap hits during the two extension seasons are currently scheduled to be $30 million and $32 million — the 42-year-old also pointed out that he is well aware of his status: he is the oldest starting quarterback in the NFL and sailing towards waters that have never been explored before.“Football’s a tough business, it’s a production business. I’m ready to go this year, and that’s really what matters; that’s where my focus is [url=http://www.Patriotsjerseyproshop.com/jacob-bailey-jersey/]Jacob Bailey Jersey Draft[/url] ,” he pointed out before acknowledging that he finds himself in what he called a unique situation. “Twentieth year with the same team, 42 years old. Pretty much uncharted territory for everybody. I’m going to go out there and do the best I can this year and see what happens.”Whatever happens, the most accomplished quarterback the NFL has ever seen seems willing to let his contract situation — and by extension his future in the organization that drafted him in the sixth-round nineteen years ago — play out: “It is what it is. That’s a good line. Whoever said it, it’s very pertinent. [...] There are a lot of guys who have one year left on their contract. So the situation... I have one year to go, we’ll see what happens.”