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The Patriots finished 10-7, finished 2nd in points allowed in the AFC and 4th in points scored. It is what it is. The Patriots have good to excellent players in every position group, especially RB, QB, OL, TE, DB, WR and special teams. Based on how they finished down the stretch, they need to address issues on defense that will demand some tough decisions.
They have the 13th oldest roster (avg. age 26.73), and they have $17.7 million in cap space accounting for their top 51 player salaries - good for 20th in the league. They have just $3.1 million in dead cap money (compared with $32.4 million in 2021.) New England Patriots 2022 Salary Cap
They have the 21st pick in the draft with a total of five picks. They won't get any compensatory picks this year,
They are light years ahead of last year this offseason.
The cap space will increase as they make decisions about various players and guys decide to retire or move on.
The Patriots have 20 Unrestricted Free Agents - lots of favorites - McCourty, James White, Hightower, Slater, Hoyer, etc. The must-sign guys are Nick Folk, Jakobi Meyers and JC Jackson. Bottom line is they have flexibility to keep value guys and create create cap space.
This is a far more comfortable offseason for making improvements than 2021. They have a playoff caliber team to build on, they have their QB at a bargain rate, and they only have a couple of free agents who will command serious money. My focus will be on the interior lines on both sides of the ball, slot receiver, and LB.
They have the 13th oldest roster (avg. age 26.73), and they have $17.7 million in cap space accounting for their top 51 player salaries - good for 20th in the league. They have just $3.1 million in dead cap money (compared with $32.4 million in 2021.) New England Patriots 2022 Salary Cap
They have the 21st pick in the draft with a total of five picks. They won't get any compensatory picks this year,
They are light years ahead of last year this offseason.
The cap space will increase as they make decisions about various players and guys decide to retire or move on.
The Patriots have 20 Unrestricted Free Agents - lots of favorites - McCourty, James White, Hightower, Slater, Hoyer, etc. The must-sign guys are Nick Folk, Jakobi Meyers and JC Jackson. Bottom line is they have flexibility to keep value guys and create create cap space.
This is a far more comfortable offseason for making improvements than 2021. They have a playoff caliber team to build on, they have their QB at a bargain rate, and they only have a couple of free agents who will command serious money. My focus will be on the interior lines on both sides of the ball, slot receiver, and LB.