Morning Links:

Brady Finally Gets His Mega Deal: Yesterday it was reported that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots agreed to terms on a 4 year $72 million deal. There are $48.5 million in guarantees, and will keep him locked up until after the 2014 season. The deal will average $18 million per year, making Brady the highest paid player in the NFL. While I’m sure his average, guarantees and total value will be eclipsed when Peyton Manning signs his extension, it is a major commitment for the Patriots. It will be interesting to see how this impacts their cap situation going forward (when there is a salary cap again), especially with Randy Moss a free agent next season. While the Patriots couldn’t give up or trade Brady away this is an impressive financial commitment to a quarterback who will be 37 when this deal expires.

Miles Austin Signs A Long Term Extension: Austin who wasn’t even a starter until last October, turned in a memorable performance that has now earned him a 6-year $54 million deal. With nearly $20 million in guaranteed money, Austin is now one of the highest paid receivers in the league. Not too shabby considering he was an undrafted free agent just 5 years ago. Austin just 26, is among the leagues premier wideouts and has a great combination of size and speed. He should be well worth the money for the Cowboys going forward. Another interesting side note to this deal is what it will mean for other top flight receivers looking for extensions, Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson and Reggie Wayne (Randy Moss as well, but possibly not with the Pats) are all looking for their next deal. Austin’s contract sets a bench mark that they all hope to eclipse.

Diamondbacks Close to Bringing in Kevin Towers as Their New General Manager: It has been a bad year for Arizona, one that they soon want to forget. They dealt two of their best pitchers and received a number of sub-par performances from many of their star players. In addition they failed to sign their 1st round draft pick after he failed his physical. Combine all of that up, to go along with another last place finish. This all led to both a manager and general manger change. Now The D-backs seem poised to make Kevin Towers their new G.M. Towers is a solid choice as he has put together a couple very good Padres teams over the years. What is more impressive is that Towers is used to working within a budget meaning he should be a good fit in the desert. While Towers himself won’t lead to immediate success in Arizona they will have one of the league’s most respected G.M.’s and a good start in their rebuilding process.