New England Patriots Offer 'Guarantee' for Fans Purchasing New Jerseys

Get your transient Patriots jerseys! If they leave, you’re guaranteed!

The New England Patriots are making history this year, with a new offer for fans tired of buying a player’s jersey only to see the player leave the team before year’s end. 

According to ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell, the franchise will offer a jersey rebate if a fan buys a player’s jersey and that player is no longer under contract with the team within a year of the purchase. 

To be clear, the rebate isn’t an exchange. The franchise is offering fans who purchased a jersey from the team’s website or stadium shop a 25 percent discount on their next jersey if the aforementioned circumstances unfold. 

Fans will have a two-month window of opportunity after the player is no longer under contract with the Patriots to make their purchase and receive the discount. Fans do not have to exchange the old jersey, either. That, they can keep.

With this new deal in place, Patriots fans could ostensibly purchase a Darrelle Revis jersey this fall and receive a discount on their next buy should Revis not re-sign with the team at the end of his one-year deal.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The offer comes after a year of transience and turbulence in the franchise. New England signed Tim Tebow in June 2013 only to cut him before the regular season, leaving many who bought Tebow jerseys with an expensive dust collector to hang in their closets.

The team also lost cornerback Aqib Talib to the Denver Broncos and LeGarrette Blount to the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring in free agency.

Lastly, the Patriots lost Aaron Hernandez—to prison. The team arranged its own jersey swap in the aftermath of that revelation. 

Rovell notes that there are three different levels of jersey involved in this guarantee plan:

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There are three tiers of officially licensed NFL Nike jerseys and the discount applies to all of them. The Game Jersey, the cheapest adult-sized replica, costs $100. The Limited Jersey, which has embroidered twill numbers, will cost $150 this season, up from $135. And the Elite Jersey, which is the closest to what the players wear on the field, will retail for $295, up from $250 last season.

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While the guarantee doesn’t fully safeguard buyers against future free agency and cuts, it does take some of the financial sting out of purchasing a new jersey should your player leave the team.

This is an intelligent move by a franchise that has continued to prove its salt in matters of business and public relations over the last year. Now Pats fans can weave their Tebow-Talib-Blount jersey quilts with the solace of knowing their next purchase won’t be a complete loss.

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