Aaron Hernandez' murder case is severely impacting the New England Patriot's offseason moves as his crippling contract limits the football team from signing a marquee player.

The Patriots owes the star tight end $40 million plus $12.5 million signing bonus after giving him a contract extension in August 2012. The signing bonus was supposed to be spread over five years to avoid incurring a penalty due to salary cap.

The problem, according to BostInno, the three bonus payments amounting to $7.5 million will be entered into the books this upcoming year, which will severely cripple the Patriots from signing a star.

But there's a way around the issue, said BostInno quoting Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the Patriots can clean their books if Aaron Hernandez is found guilty for his 2012 murder case because in that scenario, "he wouldn't have signed his extension in good faith:"

As Fitzgerald explained: "The other option they have is if [Hernandez] is also found to be involved with a murder that pre-dated his contract the Patriots will likely have a legal claim to state that his contract was invalid because Hernandez misrepresented himself at the time he signed it."

Aaron Hernandez was arrested on June 26, 2013 in North Attleborough, Mass. for his alleged involvement in the June 26, 2013 death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player whose body was found about a mile of the home he shares with girlfriend, Shayanna Jenkins.

Fitzerald added that the Patriots are more interested in another case that Aaron Hernandez was supposedly involved in, apart from his double murder case, because that would mean he represented himself when he signed the contract extension.

Earlier this month, the Superior Court in Bristol, Conn. issued a warrant after Aaron Hernandez was linked to a double homicide case involving Daniel Abreau, 29, and Safiro Furtado, 28, of Dorchester, Mass. who were shot dead in a drive-by attack on July 16, 2012 after having just left Cure Lounge along with three friends.

Witnesses saw a silver SUV speeding away from the scene. According to the report by the CBS, CCTV footage showed that Aaron Hernandez was on board the SUV on the night the crime was committed.