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Patriots Internal Free Agents: Defense Edition

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Coming off their fifth Super Bowl victory, the New England Patriots are in tremendous shape cap-wise, as they have right around 62 million dollars in cap space heading into the 2017 offseason. This cap room gives the Patriots incredible financial flexibility, and lets Bill Belichick, Nick Caserio, and co be as aggressive as they please in free agency. Of course, the Patriots do have several important free agents of their own that need new contracts, with many of them falling on the defensive side of the ball, including essential pieces in Dont’a Hightower and Malcolm Butler (although Butler is a restricted free agent), so lets take a look at the Patriots defensive free agents.

Dont’a Hightower 

  • Age: 26
  • Projected contract (via Spotrac): 4 years, 40 million
  • Other notable free agent inside linebackers: Lawrence Timmons, Malcolm Smith, D’Qwell Jackson

In nearly every Patriot fans mind, locking up defensive captain Dont’a Hightower is the Patriots #1 priority entering free agency, and if Jeff Howe is correct, it appears the Patriots organization feels the same way. Yesterday, Howe, on 98.5 the Sports Hub, said, “[The Patriots] definitely want to keep [Hightower]. He is their priority”. That is a good sign, but this situation does not appear to be one in which Hightower would be willing to take a home-town discount to remain in New England. Howe went on to say, “Hightower wants to stay, but the Patriots aren’t going to be able to really skimp on his contract. They’re going to have to pay him top dollar.”

Hightower will surely be looking for a contract that exceeds the one former teammate Jamie Collins signed with Cleveland in January. The Brown inked Collins to a four year, 50 million dollar deal, with 26.4 million of that guaranteed, so it seems like any contract discussion with Hightower will probably begin at that figure and work its way up. I see Hightower signing a contract in the range of 4-5 years for 60 or so million dollars, with at least 30 million of that guaranteed; those amounts are nearly exactly the same as the ones in the contract Luke Kuechly, the NFL’s premier inside linebacker, signed prior to the 2015 season for 5 years, 62 million, and 35 million guaranteed. Luckily, the Patriots have the financial flexibility to make this sort of contract work without compromising the rest of the roster, so I would be really surprised if Belichick let Hightower leave New England.

Similar to the contract discussions with Devin McCourty two offseason’s ago, I think Hightower is the type of player Belichick and the Patriots will do whatever it takes to keep in a Patriot uniform, whether it be by a long-term extension or via the franchise tag, which would cost the Patriots about 15 million to retain Hightower and would allow the two sides another year to negotiate a new contract.

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Linkage: The MMQB Podcast with Tom Brady

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Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Peter King, The MMQB Podcast by Sports Illustrated for free.

Source: Peter King, The MMQB Podcast by Sports Illustrated on iTunes

It isn’t often you get an in-depth breakdown from Brady about much of anything, much less one of his epic performances, but here it is. Fascinating to hear Brady’s perspective on one of the craziest comebacks we’ve ever seen.

Just hearing him talk football like this was awesome.

One of the most interesting points by Brady is how in every Super Bowl he’s played the defenses have had trouble stopping the offenses at the end. Never really put that together before but it’s so true.

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Time to Put Out the Blount

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This is the first in a series of Patriots internal free agent posts. You can find the full offseason plan here.

LeGarrette Blount is coming off the best season of his career. At 30 years old he put up 1,161 yards and a Patriots team record 18 touchdowns. However Blount was once again a total non-factor in the playoffs, putting up his worst playoff numbers in his three trips to the post-season with the Pats.

Blount didn’t draw much interest on the open market last season, re-signing with New England on a one-year, $1 million deal. He was coming off a season-ending hip injury which might’ve scared away some potential bidders.

Now, Blount’s deal is up again and despite his record-setting 2016, I think it’s time to let the veteran running back go and throw some youth at the position.

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Patriots Internal Free Agents: Offensive Addition

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Coming off their fifth Super Bowl victory, the New England Patriots are in tremendous shape cap-wise, as they have right around 62 million dollars in cap space heading into the 2017 offseason. This cap room gives the Patriots incredible financial flexibility, and lets Bill Belichick, Nick Caserio, and co be as aggressive as they please in free agency. Of course, the Patriots do have several important free agents of their own that need new contracts, and while the majority of those names fall on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots still have a couple question marks regarding free agents on the offensive side of the ball. Lets take a look at those notable free agents-to-be.

Martellus Bennett: 

  • Age: 30
  • Projected contract (via Spotrac): 3 years, 18 million (6 million average annual salary)
  • Other notable free agent tight end: Jared Cook, Jack Doyle

In a very weak free agent class at tight end, Bennett’s first priority for this offseason is probably getting paid. This narrative is definitely aided by Bennett’s comments following the Super Bowl, in which he jubilantly declared “You know they overpay Super Bowl Champions!” (he did later clarified on Twitter that he was joking, but I don’t know about that). Another quote from Bennett that is rather indicative of what he is thinking regarding his upcoming free agency is, “You come to New England to win, not for the checks.” The pessimist in me thinks that because Bennett got his ring, he is now looking for the major payday that comes following winning the Super Bowl. While it is impossible to tell where Bennett will end up, it sure seems like he is looking to cash in, and it also seems like the Patriots will not be the team to give him the hefty contract he seeks, despite growing concerns over the long-term health of Rob Gronkowski.

Gronkowski counts nearly 30 million against the cap in the next three seasons, so it is hard to imagine a scenario in which the Patriots dole out a contract with an average annual value of around 6 million dollars to another tight end. That just seems like too high of a price for Gronk insurance, especially when considering the stacked pool of tight ends in the 2017 draft, with players like OJ Howard, David Njoku, and Evan Engram all drawing comparisons to current elite NFL tight ends in Greg Olsen and Jordan Reed.

LeGarrette Blount:

  • Age: 30
  • Projected contract (via Spotrac): 3 years, 13 million (4.4 million average annual salary)
  • Other notable free agent running backs: Leveon Bell, Latavius Murray, Eddie Lacy

Blount is an incredibly interesting case to consider. Last offseason, he essentially had no interest whatsoever on the free agent market, and ended up signing with the Patriots on April 12th, 34 days after free agency opened. The Patriots were able to resign Blount for a base salary of just 1 million, an absolute steal considering the season he had in 2016, in which he led all RB’s in touchdowns and finished 8th in rushing yards in the NFL. Because of his success this season, Blount figures to garner far more interest in free agency this season, but the Patriots will most likely not be one of the teams in pursuit. Combine Blount’s age (30) with the lack of value Belichick places on the running back position in free agency (especially aging backs) and the current backfield situation with both James White and Dion Lewis returning in 2017, and it sure seems like unless Blount is willing to take a rather large pay-cut, his time in New England is done.

James Develin: 

Develin resigned with the Patriots last offseason on a one year deal worth up to 750,000 with incentives, and it seems like a similar, albeit slightly more lucrative, contract should be enough for Develin to remain a Patriot. Currently, there are only 6 fullbacks in the NFL that count more than a million against their team’s salary caps, with the highest paid fullbacks in the league, Anthony Sherman and Ryan Hewitt, earning around 2.3 million in average annual salary. With arguably the three best fullbacks in the league hitting free agency in 2017 (Juszczyk, DiMarco, and Develin), it would not be surprising if those numbers are surpassed, so Develin’s potential contract is probably going to rely mostly on the type of contracts Juszczyk and DiMarco sign. Despite this, it certainly appears likely Develin will end up in New England again because of the importance he has in the Patriots running game.

 

Michael Floyd: 

Floyd has been vocal about his desire to return to New England, saying in the days leading up to the Super Bowl,  “I love it here. I hope to be back in Foxborough. I hope that I can make that happen, for sure.’’ Floyd was inactive for both the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game due to a crowded depth chart at receiver, with the coaching staff opting for Malcolm Mitchell over Floyd. However, because of the good possibility that Danny Amendola will be cut, seeing as he counts nearly 8 million against the 2017, Floyd might have a spot in the receiving corps in 2017. Floyd has shown his ability to be a productive NFL receiver, as he has racked up at least 800 yards every year since his rookie year (not including this season), highlighted by his 1,041 yard sophomore season. With his value severely diminished due to his DUI arrest, it appears a return to New England for Floyd is likely.

Crafting a Patriots Offseason Plan

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The last year has had some crazy Patriots personnel moves and there’s no reason to think this spring will be any different. The Patriots have a bunch of free agents and a bunch of cap space that has to go somewhere.

Will this be another soft defensive reset if they were to lose Logan Ryan, Dont’a Hightower, Alan Branch, Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard? Will those who have now won two Super Bowls seek to maximize their leverage?

As is always the case when we enter a Patriots offseason, anything goes. It might be exciting. It also might hurt. It might be a little scary. That’s the NFL in the free agency age. Especially with cold-hearted Bill Belichick.

Here’s a jumping off point for my views on the Patriots offseason. I’ll expand on each in then coming weeks. Perhaps my feelings will change, but right now, here’s what I think.

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Pats Posits: Patriots 2017 Offseason Primer

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It is time to turn the page to the Patriots 2017 offseason, the relaxed portion of the football cycle where it’s all about team building. I reserve the right to dive back into 2016 without notice, but now the door to 2017 is fully open and there’s plenty of work to do.

Many blogs jump right into the draft but over the years I’ve tried to keep focused on the task at hand,  so I will start with internal free agents, then external free agents and then finally, the draft.

I’m going to avoid getting too analytical in this kickoff post. This will just be more of a general overview of what’s to come in the next few months. It’s about information gathering and getting a feel for where the holes are and, most importantly, how the Pats can stay ahead of the curve. That often means making hard decisions on players we all love.

First, let’s start with the depth chart, with all the free agents (restricted and unrestricted) removed. Those highlighted in light red are entering the last years of their deals and could be extension candidates. Those highlighted in green are possible cut/restructure candidates. Those in red are dealing with injuries from the season. Starters are bolded.

Note – Sebastian Vollmer spent the season on the PUP list so he should still be under contract, though it’s expected he could retire.

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Boston Sports Doc: How does Hightower’s injury history affect his contract negotiations?

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Hightower’s injuries are most likely not going to get better. If anything, they could worsen. He has proven that he can play through the injuries, for now, but the Patriots did treat his playing time differently toward the end of the season this season than in years past. Does that signal worsening symptoms, the Patriots’ recent improvements in the realm of injury prevention/management, or a blossoming leadership role for the 26 yo ILB and increased attention to his health?

Source: How does Hightower’s injury history affect his contract negotiations? – BOSTON SPORTS DOC

I’m kicking off the offseason on Monday, but I couldn’t resist sharing this piece from Boston Sports Doc because Hightower is the biggest piece of the offseason puzzle.

This was a really balanced piece that went out of its way to praise Hightower’s toughness. We don’t need to rehash what Hightower has meant to last two Super Bowl teams, the huge clutch plays he made. There wouldn’t be two more Lombardi Trophies in the Patriots Hall if it wasn’t for Hightower. But his injury history is going to be a factor for the Patriots, and that’s even more true when you read how Dr. Flynn breaks down what’s been breaking down in Hightower’s body.

Solely as a football player I want Hightower to be on the Patriots until he retires. It’s not an accident that he’s wearing number 54 and has a respected spot in the locker room. The Patriots seemingly have been actively grooming Hightower to be the defensive captain, but there has seemed to be something missing at times.

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