Jeremy Fowler said the Patriots won't try to resign Onwenu

[PowerRunRevival]

Given the prevalence of injuries, seems like depth is more important than ever. High-priced players kill your salary cap and then your team when they get injured. What's more valuable -- a really good player with a crappy backup or two pretty good players?

This line of thinking was exactly how the Pats came away with Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff as the answer to the tackle position in free agency last year.

Building a team via a strong middle class hasn’t worked for the Patriots in the last 5 years. I want to see top of the market long term contracts that borrow from future years’ cap space with this new regime.

 

[Ivan]

Tag him and draft a replacement. This gives them this draft, as well as free agency and the draft next offseason to find a new right tackle. This offseason they need to address too much to include RT.

 

[upstater1]

This line of thinking was exactly how the Pats came away with Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff as the answer to the tackle position in free agency last year.

Building a team via a strong middle class hasn’t worked for the Patriots in the last 5 years. I want to see top of the market long term contracts that borrow from future years’ cap space with this new regime.

It would have been even worse if we signed McGlinchey or Taylor or Brown to $87.5m over 4 years with $60m guaranteed. McGlinchey is considered a bust by Broncos fans, a turnstile. Imagine having $80m of your cap going to him. If someone could point out a Tackle we missed in free agency who had a good season, I'd love to hear it. Teams don't seem to let go of the good ones. In fact, Trent Brown is the best LT available this year.

 

[UrbanCowboy]

This line of thinking was exactly how the Pats came away with Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff as the answer to the tackle position in free agency last year.

Building a team via a strong middle class hasn’t worked for the Patriots in the last 5 years. I want to see top of the market long term contracts that borrow from future years’ cap space with this new regime.

Different ways of team building. Rams took the borrow from the future approach, won it, and crashed, but they do seem to be coming back faster than [at least I] expected. I prefer a more balanced approached of always in the hunt (rather than all in), but it's a fair point that it has not gone too well here the last few years.

 

[upstater1]

Different ways of team building. Rams took the borrow from the future approach, won it, and crashed, but they do seem to be coming back faster than [at least I] expected. I prefer a more balanced approached of always in the hunt (rather than all in), but it's a fair point that it has not gone too well here the last few years.

Great drafting has brought the Rams right back into it, but they'll need a new QB sooner rather than later. By that time, Aaron Donald will also be gone.

 

[venecol]

Good point. I thought $20 mill would be an overpay for a guard but the table @venecol provided shows it is not -- assuming Mike is one of the top 3. Given that he can also play tackle, seems like he is worth it. Even if it is a little more, better to give it to home grown than free agents. Let players know if they produce, the team will reward them kind of thing.

I would like to keep him through a negotiated contract, not a tag. He has value being a top RG and above avg RT. It'll be up to Mayo/GM to hopefully get him to agree to something reasonable, maybe something in the 16 to 17M AAV. You can add void years to the end to lower his '24 cap hit, to free up space for WR, TE, RB, QB, etc. Other teams have done this succesfully.

 

[venecol]

Tag him and draft a replacement. This gives them this draft, as well as free agency and the draft next offseason to find a new right tackle. This offseason they need to address too much to include RT.

The issue with the tag aside from the 21.7M is that it goes 100% against the cap. Look at Thuney, tagged in '20 and walked in '21.

I don't believe the report that Pats won't pursue him. Mayo/GM need to try to negotiate something reasonable. If not, then let him walk, as much as I don't want that to happen.

 

[venecol]

Different ways of team building. Rams took the borrow from the future approach, won it, and crashed, but they do seem to be coming back faster than [at least I] expected. I prefer a more balanced approached of always in the hunt (rather than all in), but it's a fair point that it has not gone too well here the last few years.

Rams aren't the only ones. Look at the Bucs going All In for a SB. Now, they cleared their cap and are still in contention. They're #8 in cap space in '24.

Of course, the key is hitting on top talent in the draft, which they did and we utterly failed at it. Need to hit a HR in this draft.

 

[FCB02062]

they'll let him go and use losing Onwenu as an excuse to draft a lineman at #3

 

[Ian]

they'll let him go and use losing Onwenu as an excuse to draft a lineman at #3

I think if they can structure something reasonable in terms of the overall guaranteed $$ total, they'll keep him, provided he wants to be here.

Have to say, watching that game yesterday, I'm not overly disappointed Shaq Mason moved on. Made some mental errors in key moments yesterday, which was upsetting.

 

[reflexblue]

The team not resigning one of their best o lineman, i thought BB left a few weeks ago.

 

[JohnJH]

We have got to draft a LT. Brown is considered one of the best LTs in free agency. That should tell you everything you need to know about free agency.

Agreed. But, we don't have to draft an OT or OT's in the first round. Matt Light, Sebastian Vollmer, Onwenu, even Trent Brown and Orlando Brown Jr. were all drafted from the 2nd round and later. As much as we need better players on the O-Line, we need superior O-Line Coaching.

 

[JohnJH]

Good point. I thought $20 mill would be an overpay for a guard but the table @venecol provided shows it is not -- assuming Mike is one of the top 3. Given that he can also play tackle, seems like he is worth it. Even if it is a little more, better to give it to home grown than free agents. Let players know if they produce, the team will reward them kind of thing.

If the Patriots offer him the money that satisfies both him and the team, and he still signs elsewhere, I wonder how much his going elsewhere is possibly due to his lack of faith in the O-Line Coaching.

 

[JohnJH]

This line of thinking was exactly how the Pats came away with Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff as the answer to the tackle position in free agency last year.

Building a team via a strong middle class hasn’t worked for the Patriots in the last 5 years. I want to see top of the market long term contracts that borrow from future years’ cap space with this new regime.

The strong middle class approach only worked when they had solid starters and excellent coaching for those players.

 

[Real fan 02]

If they just let him walk and didn’t trade him at the deadline, it’s the same-old same-old formula that’s now failing.

Onwenu is the top OL on the market and the Pats OL is missing two tackles, with an aging center.

Are they going with Draft-Strange-Andrews(1or2)-Mafi-Sow?

Sign him. He’s rarely hurt, is versatile. and is very, very good. They’re flush with cash. This really isn’t rocket science.

Playing cheap here puts the Pats in mediocrity- in the good years.

Absolutely agree. Adding that David Andrews is no lock to even play he could retire leaving us in a huge bind. Jake Andrews is next but is he really ready? We Need LT, RT for sure. This would be a terrible decision if we didn't try to retain ownenu guys tough as nails. I mean tag him even!

 

[Real fan 02]

I added an edit - move to Right Tackle

The salaries for RT

Right Tackle Contracts and Salaries | Over The Cap

Ranking the top NFL Right Tackle contracts and salaries in the NFL

overthecap.com

We already need a LT, this would be disappointing if it's true.

 

[PowerRunRevival]

It would have been even worse if we signed McGlinchey or Taylor or Brown to $87.5m over 4 years with $60m guaranteed. McGlinchey is considered a bust by Broncos fans, a turnstile. Imagine having $80m of your cap going to him. If someone could point out a Tackle we missed in free agency who had a good season, I'd love to hear it. Teams don't seem to let go of the good ones. In fact, Trent Brown is the best LT available this year.

Donovan Smith had a pretty good year for Kansas City.

Also, give me Brown Jr., at a $10 mm cap hit, or Taylor with his $5 mm cap hit this year over Reiff and Calvin Andersons’ $7.5 mm cap hit this year. Maybe the top tier free agent tackles didn’t’ perform at an elite level but they provided a lot more value than those two.

Even if the top tier guys didn’t excel I’m not sure how you can look at the Pats line this past year and think their free agent/draft strategy at the position worked.

 

[upstater1]

Donovan Smith had a pretty good year for Kansas City.

Also, give me Brown Jr., at a $10 mm cap hit, or Taylor with his $5 mm cap hit this year over Reiff and Calvin Andersons’ $7.5 mm cap hit this year. Maybe the top tier free agent tackles didn’t’ perform at an elite level but they provided a lot more value than those two.

Even if the top tier guys didn’t excel I’m not sure how you can look at the Pats line this past year and think their free agent/draft strategy at the position worked.

Donovan Smith had a good year. He has been horribly bad for many years before that. Don't know what changed.

That being said, just because someone has a smaller cap hit now, the guaranteed money means they will have huge cap hits in the future

 

[skinnydog]

It would have been even worse if we signed McGlinchey or Taylor or Brown to $87.5m over 4 years with $60m guaranteed. McGlinchey is considered a bust by Broncos fans, a turnstile. Imagine having $80m of your cap going to him. If someone could point out a Tackle we missed in free agency who had a good season, I'd love to hear it. Teams don't seem to let go of the good ones. In fact, Trent Brown is the best LT available this year.

McGlinchey started poorly, but according to someone who watched the film he played well by the end of the season.

Broncos Film Review: Mike McGlinchey vs the Lions

How did McGlinchy’s play affect Denver’s passing game?

www.milehighreport.com

so I don’t take take your statement as gospel As to his play. And you VASTLY overstate the cap hit on that contract. According to over the cap, only 35 million of the original contract was fully guaranteed. His cap hit next year is 18.5 and after 2024 he can be cut with a dead cap hit of 10 million. So yes, that’s a tackle they missed on at a contract for a good, not great tackle that is being paid what looks like the going rate.

 

[upstater1]

McGlinchey started poorly, but according to someone who watched the film he played well by the end of the season.

Broncos Film Review: Mike McGlinchey vs the Lions

How did McGlinchy’s play affect Denver’s passing game?

www.milehighreport.com

so I don’t take take your statement as gospel As to his play. And you VASTLY overstate the cap hit on that contract. According to over the cap, only 35 million of the original contract was fully guaranteed. His cap hit next year is 18.5 and after 2024 he can be cut with a dead cap hit of 10 million. So yes, that’s a tackle they missed on at a contract for a good, not great tackle that is being paid what looks like the going rate.

It's $52.5 guaranteed after 3 years. That is simply a guarantee and it's after 2025 that he can be cut with a dead cap hit of $10m. Look again.

As for your own link, read it again: it's one game where he made a lot of mistakes. When you say "end the season" you were referring to marginal play in one game? How about the fact that Barmore and Keion White destroyed him in our game?

Sorry, since you got the year wrong and our talking up his play in one game, when the Broncos line broke down and he made several mistakes, I'm not taking your word as gospel.