2013 Patriots Offseason: Is Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski on the Bubble?

January 30, 2013   ·   Samer Ismail   ·   Jump to comments

Quick quiz: Which of these Patriots has the highest salary cap hit for 2013?
(A) Defensive back Devin McCourty
(B) Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski
(C) Offensive tackle Nate Solder
(D) Tight end Rob Gronkowski
If you chose Gronkowski, that's not a bad guess, but the big money from his deal doesn't kick in until 2016.
As you might have guessed from the title of this article, the correct answer is kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
Back in 2010, when Gostkowski was on a restricted free agent deal, the Patriots, seemingly out of the blue, gave him a four-year extension averaging $3.5 million per year. At the time, it was the largest contract ever given to a kicker outside of Oakland.
As a result of that deal, Gostkowski has a cap hit of about $3.4 million for 2013, and $3.8 million for 2014. About $800,000 per year of that money is a prorated signing bonus, better known as "dead money."
As a Patriots fans, I've seen numerous references—many on...

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