BadMoFo
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 7,672
- Reaction score
- 3,652
$16 million a year to Brandin Cooks, $11 million to Trey Flowers and $9 million to Shaq Mason.
Why'll we're at it, why not just throw $10 mill a piece to Dion and Rex to stay and give Brady and Gronk blank checks and let them have whatever they want, since money is no object.
Why'll we're at it, why not just throw $10 mill a piece to Dion and Rex to stay and give Brady and Gronk blank checks and let them have whatever they want, since money is no object.
New England Patriots
1. Pick up the fifth-year option for Malcom Brown. The Texas product hasn't grown into a star defensive lineman for the Patriots, but Brown has been a three-year starter for the Pats and serves as a valuable part of their rotation on the interior. The Patriots might not necessarily think about signing Brown to an extension this offseason, but keeping him around for 2019 is a no-brainer.
2. Clear out cap space. There are a few obvious moves for the Pats to make. Martellus Bennett won't be back at a cap number of $6.2 million, nor will backup tight end Dwayne Allen, who has a $5 million salary. New England also won't pick up Alan Branch's option after the defensive tackle fell out of the rotation, freeing up an additional $3.6 million. Finally, David Harris might retire but won't be around for 2018 at his current cap hit of $2.8 million. Cutting those four guys would free up just under $17 million and push the Pats to $34 million in free space.
3. Extend Brandin Cooks. The 24-year-old is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, and while the Patriots don't typically pay wideouts No. 1 receiver money, Cooks might be an exception. The Patriots likely will change their offense some after Rob Gronkowski retires, a move that could come as early as this offseason. In the absence of a replacement for Gronk -- and there might not be a player in football history who is similar to him -- the Pats will think about replacing their star tight end as the long-term focal point of their offense with a star wideout.
Cooks probably isn't in line to come away with the sort of top-tier deals Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans are about to sign, but he won't be far off. The five-year, $81 million extension DeAndre Hopkins signed last August should be similar to whatever deal Cooks ends up signing, whether that's in New England or elsewhere.
4. Extend Trey Flowers and Shaq Mason. The Patriots' two best selections from the 2015 draft were actually fourth-rounders. Flowers has emerged as a steady pass-rusher for the Patriots, and while he mustered only 6.5 sacks in 14 games last season, the 25 knockdowns Flowers registered suggest he has double-digit sack potential in 2018. And though Mason's final memory of the 2017 season might be getting beaten by Brandon Graham on that critical strip sack of Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, he improved noticeably over the course of the campaign and was New England's best lineman at any spot for most of the year.
Both Flowers and Mason will be unrestricted free agents after the 2018 season, and while the Patriots have them both on bargain-basement rookie contracts this year, it would make sense for them to at least try to extend both before free agency. Flowers' low sack totals might help keep his price tag down. I wonder if the Patriots might be able to secure the 24-year-old on a deal with an average annual salary of $10 million to $11 million. Mason should come in slightly cheaper, as he'll be closer to $8 million to $9 million per year.
5. Address left tackle. Mason and Marcus Cannon, whose 2017 seasons were riddled by injuries, will be manning the right side of the Patriots' line in 2018. Joe Thuney is a useful run-blocking guard on the other side. David Andrews is signed to a low-cost, long-term deal at center. Four of the five spots are set for the Pats in 2018.
Left tackle? That's wide-open. Nate Solder is a free agent, and there's a chance the 29-year-old could step away from football as his young son fights cancer. Cannon could move to the left side, but the Patriots replaced him in 2017 with a rotation of Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle, who were ineffective and are now both free agents. The Patriots drafted a possible replacement for Solder last year -- third-rounder Antonio Garcia -- but the Troy product is a project who missed his entire rookie season with an undisclosed injury. It would be risky at best to protect Brady's blind side with Garcia.
Jason Peters and Jared Veldheer would make sense as short-term options who are likely to be released by their current employers. The Patriots also might look to draft a tackle with the 31st or 43rd overall selections in this year's draft.