Longtime Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will remain in New England after the two sides agreed to a reworked contract that reduces the veteran’s cap hit. Mike Gafarolo of Fox Sports first reported that Mayo and the Pats were finalizing a new deal, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeting that an agreement has been reached.
Mayo’s previous contract with the Pats called for a $6.25MM base salary in 2015, and cap numbers averaging about $10MM for the next three years, through 2017. According to Rapoport (Twitter links), the new pact is a one-year contract that includes $4.5MM in guaranteed money. That amount is equivalent to the injury guarantee New England would have owed the 29-year-old if the club had cut him before he was deemed healthy.
Mayo will have a chance to earn $6MM this year, while the Pats will hold a pair of option years on the deal. If New England elects to pick up those option years, the club would owe the linebacker a $4MM bonus before free agency.
After earning his second Pro Bowl berth following a 2012 campaign in which he racked up 147 tackles and forced four fumbles, Mayo battled injuries, playing just six regular season games in each of the last two years. After tearing a pectoral muscle in 2013, the former first-round pick suffered a torn patella tendon during an October game against the Bills in 2014, prematurely ending his season.