Onwenu Takes Paycut for 2026

[ctpatsfan77]

Right - I think we all agree Owenu, even if you think he's been a good RG, wasn't worth a $25 million cap hit - though I suppose the way the old contract was structured, if he doesn't/can't play he doesn't get paid.

As a reminder, two of the biggest complaints during Belichick's last few years were (1) his poor drafting and (2) his unwillingness to sign the few players who did perform well to second contracts (e.g., Trey Flowers, Joe Thuney).

So, Mayo et al. did have a lot of money they had to spend. After they struck out in FA, basically the only thing they could do was extend some of their own players, which would also address one of the main BB criticisms.

 

[DaBruinz]

He's paid below the price of a good guard (non All-Pro level).

He was averaging $17m a year.

That's not in the top 10 anymore.

Mediocre guys like Zion Johnson and David Edwards are getting $15m per year now.

I think Onwenu would easily get $17m in the open market.

Onwenu's AAV was 19M prior to the restructure.

It's erroneous for OTC to say that he's at 10M AAV like they do now. It's 16.5M after the restructure. That puts him at 7th in terms of AAV for RGs. Zion Johnson is listed as a LG on OTC, but they have the same AAV. Which is ridiculous since Onwenu is a much better guard than Johnson. And it's not close.

As I pointed out in the 12 Positions thread and linked earlier, Onwenu outplayed all but 3 RGs last year and only 1 of them was paid more than he was.

 

[DaBruinz]

Please show me a legit website that tracks well founded guard stats (pff does NOT count)...spoiler alert there isn't one.

Based exclusively on 32 years of experience of being an obsessive football fan, he does not pass the eye test of an elite guard. Just a pretty good one, above average and nothing more. Gets paid like an elite guard thought and there are plenty of legit websites to confirm that metric.

As is typical of someone who can't handle being wrong, YOU make up some garbage about "well founded guard stats". Since when are Sacks Allowed, Hurries, Allowed, and QB Hits allowed not "well founded guard stats"? Because that's what I focused on. There are also sites that track how a team does in the run game when running behind players.

Here is a FACT for you. Onwenu outplayed in pass protection every Guard paid higher than him other than Quentin Nelson. Onwenu was 4th in Snaps per pressures allowed. So, your claim that he's only above average is garbage and shows that your eyes don't know what they're looking at.

Just because you don't like reality, doesn't mean it's not the truth.

 

[Wozzy]

Onwenu's AAV was 19M prior to the restructure.

It's erroneous for OTC to say that he's at 10M AAV like they do now. It's 16.5M after the restructure. That puts him at 7th in terms of AAV for RGs. Zion Johnson is listed as a LG on OTC, but they have the same AAV. Which is ridiculous since Onwenu is a much better guard than Johnson. And it's not close.

As I pointed out in the 12 Positions thread and linked earlier, Onwenu outplayed all but 3 RGs last year and only 1 of them was paid more than he was.

16.5 AAV is correct and what I got as well. I’d also add that prior to signing his large deal with NE, Onwenu made 41 starts at tackle. Currently it doesn’t look like he’ll be asked to do that again. He’s still has a good contract for this season.

 

[DaBruinz]

the Pats just shaved off $7.5m dollars of cap. that is $7.5m dollars that does not have to be paid.
if they loved Brown, or Lomu at RG, they could have shaved $16m off the cap, that would not have to be paid.
learn the game, please

Incorrect. They shaved off 7.5M in salary because Onwenu agreed to a restructured contract.

His salary was reduced from 16.5M to 2.95 Million. Do you understand that is a 13.55 million reduction in pay?
They offset part of that with the 6M in signing bonus and the 1.05M in other guarantees.

YOU shouldn't be telling anyone to "learn the game" when you have no clue WTF you are talking about.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yeah, he's now guaranteed $10m this year, instead of $17.5m that wasn't guaranteed. One thing I'm wondering about is why have the $6m as a signing bonus instead of salary? It's not amortized so it all counts against the 2026 cap.

Because it's money that hits his bank account now vs. waiting for game checks.

 

[DaBruinz]

You're projecting again, Patsfan2.

 

[DaBruinz]

This time last year, I was torn between Cardona, Dugger, Jennings, and Onwenu for a jersey choice. Ended up with a Vrabel jersey.

With Onwenu’s pay cut, I am getting his jersey now. We are not cutting a guy who has 10M guaranteed.

Really looking forward to a lineup of: Campbell, Vera-Tucker, Wilson?, Onwenu, and Lomu?

Think that along with the new blocking TE and a true FB in Gilliam….. Henderson should be taking it to the house 10x…..

Moses is the starting RT. Lomu isn't taking that unless Moses goes down with injury.

Moses has 4.5M in guarantees this year. So he's unlikely to be cut.

 

[DaBruinz]

What’s more, no contract or a guaranteed contract for this year?

He wasn’t going to play without some guaranteed money. You think people will show up and play just because a piece of paper says they should… pull your head from your rear.

There are plenty of players who play out their contract with no guarantee. That's how we get Free Agents every year.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin just did it. And there are plenty of others. Including AVT, Morgan Moses, Robert Spillane, Mack Hollins, etc.

 

[DaBruinz]

Onwenu's bill was wiped clean. not coming due
you are mixing up cap is crap with poor management decisions, which in 2019, Bill made in spades.
you dont have to pay everyone to be good, only the right ones.
and draft well, which is where Bill failed, and so far, Wolf is thriving

*ROFLMAO* You telling PFK that HE'S mixing things up shows just how little you know.

 

[Wozzy]

There are plenty of players who play out their contract with no guarantee. That's how we get Free Agents every year.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin just did it. And there are plenty of others. Including AVT, Morgan Moses, Robert Spillane, Mack Hollins, etc.

Onwenu will be a free agent after this year also. It wasn’t about playing out his prior contract, it was about playing this year with little to nothing guaranteed.

Many final year of contracts get reworked to ensure the final year, which is usually a book keeping year to begin with, is guaranteed.

 

[DaBruinz]

There is plenty of 2026 and 2027 cap money to sign Brown, extend Gonzalez AND sign someone else.

No. There isn't. Just because you claim it doesn't make it true.

 

[DaBruinz]

The cap is over $300M, and will keep going up. $15-20M AAV is now a mid-level contract.

The reality right now is that top QBs get around $55M AAV, top WRs and EDGE players $40M, CBs > $30M. OTs have not yet broken the $30M AAV barrier, maxxing out around $28M. I expect that to change soon. Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell and the likes are relative bargains.

Onwenu's $19M AAV was a massive overpay in 2024, far less so today. As of right now:

Tyler Linderbaum: 3/$81M, $27 AAV
Tyler Smith: 4/$96M, $24 AAV
Trey Smith: 4/$94M, $23.5 AAV
Chris Lindstrom: 5/$102.5M, $20.5 AAV
Quenton Nelson: 4/$80M, $20 AAV
Robert Hunt: 5/$100M, $20 AAV
Aaron Banks: 4/$77M, $19.25 AAV
Sam Cosmi: 4/$74M, $18.5 AAV
Quinn Meinerz: 4/$72M, $18 AAV
Creed Humphrey: 4/$72M, $18 AAV
Joe Thuney: 2/$35M, $17.5 AAV
Will Fries: 5/$87.5, $17.5 AAV
AVT: 3/$42M, $14M AAV

AVT is a massive bargain if he works well, his contract allows an easy out if he doesn't. Just over half of Tyler Linderbaum's deal.

Obviously this is very crude and the details matter, but it gives some idea of the IOL direction.

I expect Peter Skoronski ($19M 5th year option for 2027) to get upwards for 4/$100M. He could possibly become the first $30M AAV IOL. By that time the cap will probably be upwards of $350M. After Jeffery Simmons, he is the best player currently on Tennessee 's roster.

I expect Aaron Brewer to get $24M AAV or more when he gets a new deal.

The Pats have Will Campbell, Caleb Lomu (once signed), Jared Wilson and AVT under low cost. They will have an above-average OL at below-average cost.

I disagree that 19M AAV was a massive Over-pay. It made Onwenu the 3rd highest paid guard. And he'd been playing like it at that point.

I'm going to disagree on Skoronski. If he puts up another year like he did, he won't be going over 20M AAV let alone $30M.

I agree with the rest.

 

[DaBruinz]

Onwenu will be a free agent after this year also. It wasn’t about playing out his prior contract, it was about playing this year with little to nothing guaranteed.

Many final year of contracts get reworked to ensure the final year, which is usually a book keeping year to begin with, is guaranteed.

It would only have been guaratneed if he was on the 53-man roster after week 1.

I understand that some contracts get re-worked in their final year, but it's not as many as you'd have us believe. That's all I was saying.

 

[Wozzy]

It would only have been guaratneed if he was on the 53-man roster after week 1.

I understand that some contracts get re-worked in their final year, but it's not as many as you'd have us believe. That's all I was saying.

I didn’t give you a number. I said players hate to play the final year of their deals with no guarantees or a safety net. That’s just a fact. It’s actually the subplot of Jerry McGuire.

A similar though not exact situation happened In August 2023, Matt Judon and the Patriots agreed to a revised deal that substantially increased his guaranteed money for that season. The adjustment raised his fully guaranteed salary from $2 million to $14 million for the 2023 season. Additionally, the restructured deal allowed him to earn up to $18 million total for the year through incentives.

This move effectively ended his hold-in, which had seen him skip team drills during the first week of training camp. Despite the financial increase, the contract expiration date remained unchanged, set to conclude after the 2024 season.

 

[Urgent]

Besides the debate about how good he is relative to other guards, there is a significant benefit to continuity on an offensive line. The Patriots are adjusting the LG and C. Good to have the stability at RG.
Last year the Patriots changed OL coaches and the OC, as well as head coach, and changed four of five OL starters. Now they have four of five OL starters returning, with Wilson shifting, and continuity at coaching. So there is some premium value to that - beyond the fact that those comparison guards aren’t available.

Now longer term, the Patriots seem to be remaking the OL to focus on athleticism over size. Looking to 2027, Campbell, Vera Tucker, Wilson, and Lomu are all elite athletes at their positions - but smaller than the “road grader” OLs. Onwenu would be the outlier.

I think it makes plenty of sense to retain Onwenu for 2026 for continuity, just as it makes sense to look for a more athletic RG for 2027.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

That said, if a Pro Bowl caliber guard pops up in our draft slot, you take that guy. I think the biggest value propositions in the NFL draft right now are the guys in the trenches. They act as stabilizers/equalizers when your 'skill' players aren't that skilled or when you have guys like Maye and Gonzalez who will be eating up significant chunks of the cap. The extra half second of pass protection or the extra half yard of space for a running back on the OL... making QBs have to make their reads quicker, closing running lanes quicker give DBs and LBs less time they have to stay in coverage and potentially get beat.

 

[imahobgoblin]

Owenu was terrible at T and too stiff in his movement to take on edge rushers.

This is a lie. If anything, the opposite is closer to the truth. He posted a 78.6 PFF grade at RT over 656 snaps. For comparison, that was substantially higher than his grade at guard that season.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Onwenu's AAV was 19M prior to the restructure.

It's erroneous for OTC to say that he's at 10M AAV like they do now. It's 16.5M after the restructure. That puts him at 7th in terms of AAV for RGs. Zion Johnson is listed as a LG on OTC, but they have the same AAV. Which is ridiculous since Onwenu is a much better guard than Johnson. And it's not close.

As I pointed out in the 12 Positions thread and linked earlier, Onwenu outplayed all but 3 RGs last year and only 1 of them was paid more than he was.

For "apples-to-apples" comparisons, they do contract value divided by stated years for AAV; in other words, the average amount of cash they get paid each year. Maybe it's not how they should do it, but that's how they do it.

 

[captain stone]

...The team will also get to explore the free agent market if any better options come up, or will be able to pivot to a younger cheaper player if one proves themselves during the course of this season. They could draft one next year, though that might be tough with Wilson still being relatively inexperienced and Lomu probably being the new LT at that point...

fify