Top 50 upcoming FAs

[One-If-By-Sea]

PatsFans2's posting philosophy:

1. Argue with One-if for a month or two
2. All of a sudden stop arguing with no explanation
3. A week later, morph into Socrates and start rewriting One-if's ideas in long multi-paragraph posts
4. Post a GIF of Antonio Banderas

 

[DaBruinz]

They can release him if he plans to retire, as they did with Edelman, and process that as a post-June 1 cut [which, as a reminder, provides no actual relief until June 2].

The other "money-saving" option is to declare him in breach of contract and demand repayment of the remaining signing bonus in his contract.

He wouldn't be in breach if he is going to retire.

 

[Toofy]

I heard linderbaum is a pretty poor pass protection and a stud at run blocking. If we are as run heavy as ravens it might make sense , but with maye's play ability we might need studs in pass protection .

20 million for a center seems exorbitant and might handicap us for future. We need an above average center than bradberry who can actually push people so that our tush push works and some gaps are created for running. It might not be as big as linderbaum but we might be able to find that in FA or draft .

Is Wilson really a LG or does he solve the problem at center . If he moves to center , it solves the issue .

I think we should try Ben Brown at LG and see how he pairs with Campbell at LT .

Campbell - Brown - Wilson - Onwenu - Moses

I think caeden wallace experiment is over and he is cut .

I Would really want us to sign Lowe for one season and see if he is above average and test out

Lowe - Campbell - Wilson combo.

He has the tools and he got some decent coaching . If he has improved upon his errors we might already have the solution in house. He needs not be all pro .

If we get linderbaum , it means we are giving up on Wilson as I definitely don't see Wilson as answer to LG.

LG is the most critical need - Ben Brown or draft or FA.

Resign chaisson if we can get him for less than 12-13 AAV.

Restructure Diggs and Onwenu and make contract incentive driven. I doubt they get anything higher than what pats can offer. We should be able to increase 10-15 million in cap space with those moves.

Only DE for whom I am willing to trade assets would be Myles garrett . Otherwise I am holding on to my assets.

 

[DaBruinz]

I see people talking about Rasheed Walker. Considering his run in with the Police in NY and the draconian laws that NY has in regards to firearms (BTW, it was a legally owned firearm that was being transported in his suitcase in accordance to Federal Laws), he may not be available. Also, last year showed that any decent Tackle is going to be re-signed.

Rico Dowdle isn't going to come here to be the 3rd RB.. Not after back to back 1000 yard seasons. If Rhamondre hadn't improved his ball security and turned into one of the best RBs in the league down the stretch, maybe, but not now. Kenneth Gainwell would be more likely but even he is likely going to be looking for #2 snaps with the year he had with Pittsburgh.


Isaiah Likely showed why he wouldn't be a good fit for the Patriots during the Pats/Ravens game. He's not dependable when the chips are down.


People talk about Diggs having 54.2 YPG. That completely ignores 2 big things. The first is that the Pats had 4 receivers with over 500 yards and 7 receivers with 30+ catches. The 2nd is that Diggs was coming off an ACL injury that takes 18 months to fully recover from.

I mentioned Landry retiring. Diggs and Moses could ALSO retire.

The only way I see the Pats adding a WR is MAYBE if Diggs retires.

I see them retaining Munford because he's a Swing tackle and I expect Vederian Lowe to get Middle of the Road Starting LT money (12M-18M). I also think that Munford would be adequate at RT in the event that Moses retired.

 

[fnordcircle]

I would think so. The Titans have over 100 million in cap space, plus Daboll and a Ward at QB. Taxes now become an issue, yet again.

Sure, but so is legal weed. And the quality of team because that sets the stage for another contract after this one being a flyer on a guy who had a good year in New England and then went to a struggling program or a Super Bowl program.

Ultimately, I wouldn't begrudge him - I've exclusively lived in zero income tax states for like 30 years. I won't pretend to know the tax implications of these kinds of deals vs. my meager IT salary (when I had a job, **** this economy) but maybe there is a creative answer involving a place of residence in New Hampshire and a girlfriend renting an apartment in Foxboro...

 

[DaBruinz]

I heard linderbaum is a pretty poor pass protection and a stud at run blocking. If we are as run heavy as ravens it might make sense , but with maye's play ability we might need studs in pass protection .

Linderbaum is above average as a pass protector.

20 million for a center seems exorbitant and might handicap us for future. We need an above average center than bradberry who can actually push people so that our tush push works and some gaps are created for running. It might not be as big as linderbaum but we might be able to find that in FA or draft .

The $20M is an unconfirmed number that has been bandied around by the pundits. Linderbaum's 5th year option would have been $23.4M because of making the Pro-Bowl twice during his first 3 years.

Creed Humphrey of the Chiefs is currently the highest paid center in the league. He's making $18M AAV. So the Ravens balked because they felt the $23.4M would have thrown the whole pay scale out of whack.. Not to mention that Linderbaum isn't as good as Humphrey.. He's still an excellent center, but not as good as Humphrey.

Resign chaisson if we can get him for less than 12-13 AAV.

Chaisson is likely going to get an offer in the 18M-20M range. Look at the guys who are already making that and what they did this year:
Greg Rousseau, Arik Armstead, Bryce Huff, Bradley Chubb, etc.

I know that Chaisson says he wants to stay, but Money talks. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out. I'm just not convinced he'll take 33% less to stay..

Restructure Diggs and Onwenu and make contract incentive driven. I doubt they get anything higher than what pats can offer. We should be able to increase 10-15 million in cap space with those moves.

Only DE for whom I am willing to trade assets would be Myles garrett . Otherwise I am holding on to my assets.

The Pats have a projected $39M in cap space with 50 players under contract. I would expect them to free some cap space up, but it's not mandatory at this point.

One thing to keep in mind. Diggs had incentives in this year's contract. If they were NLTBE, they automatically become LTBE and have to be accounted for immediately. The pats would get a credit for 2027 if Diggs failed to meet them.

The same would go for Onwenu. If any of the incentives that are put in are ones that he would have earned if they were applied to this year, then they are LTBE and have to be accounted for immediately.

Something people haven't mentioned is that, if they sign Linderbaum, Bradbury would likely be cut. Which would free up 5.7M.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

He wouldn't be in breach if he is going to retire.

According to the CBA, yes, he would be, if he voluntarily retired and the team chooses to pursue it [see p. 12].

 

[Zuma]

Landry - will be 30 and his knee may be a problem going forward. It may need surgery. Probably not a popular opinion but I'd rather re-sign Chaisson (former 1st round pick) to a starting level contract then lose him over a 30 yo Landry coming off knee surgery. Sign Chaisson and draft in the mid-rounds.

Linderbaum - cut Bradbury at C, start Brown at LG, let Wilson backup both (Wilson BTW is the 2nd youngest player on the roster behind Campbell. He will improve).

Devin Lloyd - sign him. He's more of a coverage guy then Quay Walker.

Onwenu - keep him at current contract

A. Jennings - keep him at current contract

Lowe - re-sign him now...hopefully he'll take a team friendly to remain backup at LT. I'm not sure Lowe has the stones to be a full-time starter. I have a hunch he's not overly ambitious and knows he will get clobbered elsewhere starting. IMO he will think hard about staying put in a comfortable situation for less $ then get burned starting elsewhere for more $. I'm hoping that is the case.

Their is no need to sign or draft a WR for the 2026 season

Draft: RT, LB/DE, TE in 1st 4 rounds

Swinson was a miss

I expect Landry to retire with the Pats designating him as a June 1st retirement to spread the hit and free up money. Ponder and Jennings I expect will be in the rotation at Edge.

Agree...if we win the Super Bowl

 

[Hugepatsfan]

You don't spend a 2nd round pick on a guy and hope that he's just the 4th or 5h WR. That's just a ridiculous thought process.


The offense has struggled because of the O-line. Not because of the receivers. And god forbid that Youngsters like Williams and Chism have growing pains.


People had the same attitude when the Pats have Edelman, Amendola and Hogan. Then there was injuries and people were whining about the WR depth. You can only have so many people on the roster.

Not sure where you're getting your Contract info, but it's inaccurate. Diggs contract is not set up "year-to-year". Diggs is here for next year unless the Pats designate him as a June 1st cut. Which would be very bad considering the Veteran presence he brings.

2027 is 2 years from now. Maybe you haven't been paying attention, but the PLAN is for Williams to take over from Diggs on the outside.


Does Pierce BLOCK well? Does Pierce have the ability to learn the play-book? You might be able to answer the first, but you won't be able to answer the 2nd. So how can you say that Pierce "fits really well". FIT is about personality and attitude as much as it is about learning the play-book. Wanna know who Pierce reminds me of? Donald Hayes. Not sure if you know who he is.. Maybe look him up.

FWIW, Kyle Williams was drafted in the 3rd round, not the 2nd. And normally I wouldn't care to correct something trivial like that because it doesn't change your larger point. BUT for someone like you who decides to post so condescendingly telling people to "maybe look him" up, it's pretty rich that you can't even get such recent and basic facts right.

If you want to post like an a-hole, that's fine, that's your prerogative. But know that everyone hates a-holes and they REALLY hate uninformed a-holes. So you if you want to post like an a-hole the least you can to is take the time to be more informed yourself. Take your own advice and look things up before you post.

 

[p8ryts]

Pitts is the most overrated player in football and adding Pickens is like willfully contracting a venereal disease.

They should spend their money on Lindebaum and maybe Jaelen Philips. Then draft more OL.

Philips injury history is concerning. I'm warming to Edwards, the Bills left guard. I saw an article from Musket Fire citing the potential of Patrick Ricard as a Pats FA acquisition. Apologies to the Brock Lampe family but Ricard is a bruiser at FB. He's also from the Worcester area, I think Grafton, so he is probably already a Pats fan.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Didn't we have rumored interest in Bofe Maye at the deadline? His snap count by year since drafted in 2022 - 37%, 72%, 60%, 50% this past year. So this is a guy who's fallen out of favor to some degree. His snap count have trended down as this season has gone on as well. Seems like a guy SEA will move on from. Pass rush is ALWAYS in demand so possibly he still gets paid, but if his market falls to more of a prove it deal, maybe he could be this year's Chaisson type signing? He has more production to date so my guess would be maybe it'd be more money than Chaisson signed for, but same general idea.

I'm sure in an ideal world Vrabel would love to go two deep on each edge. So keep Chaisson, add a guy like Bofe Maye and then maybe draft a guy highly to join Landry in the rotation with his role reduced as he ages.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Philips injury history is concerning. I'm warming to Edwards, the Bills left guard. I saw an article from Musket Fire citing the potential of Patrick Ricard as a Pats FA acquisition. Apologies to the Brock Lampe family but Ricard is a bruiser at FB. He's also from the Worcester area, I think Grafton, so he is probably already a Pats fan.

Edwards would be a good signing for LG. Presumably move Wilson inside to Center and potentially upgrade at 2 spots if Wilson takes better to center than LG like so many people project.

Ricard seems kind of gimmicky. Not sure he fits as well in our offense as he does BAL's with all those read options and such.

 

[DaBruinz]

FWIW, Kyle Williams was drafted in the 3rd round, not the 2nd. And normally I wouldn't care to correct something trivial like that because it doesn't change your larger point. BUT for someone like you who decides to post so condescendingly telling people to "maybe look him" up, it's pretty rich that you can't even get such recent and basic facts right.

If you want to post like an a-hole, that's fine, that's your prerogative. But know that everyone hates a-holes and they REALLY hate uninformed a-holes. So you if you want to post like an a-hole the least you can to is take the time to be more informed yourself. Take your own advice and look things up before you post.

I normally DO look things up before I post. Unlike a-holes such as you who go around thinking your s**t don't stink. The difference between YOU and people like me is that I can ADMIT to making a mistake. Yes. I mistook what round Williams was in. I called him a 2nd round instead of a HIGH 3rd. You act like I called him a UDFA or claimed that he was signed as a free agent.

The LARGER point is you getting your panties in a wad because someone called out your BS remarks. You can't handle that someone called you out on your unsubstantiated claims that "Pierce fits really well and addresses a deficiency". Which is why you got upset and deflected to attacking me for a simple mistake.

Telling you to Look up Donald Hayes wasn't being condescending. It was me telling someone who posts like their in their mid 20s to reference a player whom they likely have never heard of. You thinking I was being condescending speaks more about you than anything.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Pitts is the most overrated player in football and adding Pickens is like willfully contracting a venereal disease.

They should spend their money on Lindebaum and maybe Jaelen Philips. Then draft more OL.

Love this approach in general of signing 2 big players like that, even if it's not those two specific players. I think that's a realistic approach. Our roster is pretty full. Keep Chaisson, Tonga and Hawkins and spend on two players towards the top of the market. They have cap for that with how those players would all have lower year 1 cap hits.

Next year the cap hits would jump, but a lot of the guys they signed last season become players they can move on from to make up for the space. Guys like Landry, Diggs, Spillane, Carlton Davis, Moses all signed 3 year deals but history says older players like that don't always see the last year of their contracts. They're all set up where the Pats can cut those guys with minimal dead money charges to accommodate a younger wave of players they sign. Not saying all would be cut, but some inevitably will be.

The overall depth of this team is very good. Maybe a little weak in the secondary but overall I think they're deep at most positions already, and they can always add to that through the draft. In FA, I hope they supplement the top of the roster with a couple of guys they really like, akin to Milton Williams last year. Maybe not quiiiiiiiiite that high on the FA ranking list, but you get the idea.

 

[TommyD4207]

Patriots Edge Rusher Has Simple But Big Free Agency Outlook

The New England Patriots got a steal last offseason when they inked edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson to a one-year deal worth $3 million. Now, with the team soon to

www.si.com

 

[PatsFan2]

PatsFans2's posting philosophy:

1. Argue with One-if for a month or two
2. All of a sudden stop arguing with no explanation
3. A week later, morph into Socrates and start rewriting One-if's ideas in long multi-paragraph posts
4. Post a GIF of Antonio Banderas

 

[realtime]

What does that have to do with anything? You said Belichick wouldn't have passed up Lindebaum when that's exactly what he actually did.

I was making the same point about Tyler Smith. Thought you were in on the joke.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

I would keep doing what they did this year. Sign one guy you're counting on continuing their upward trajectory, like Milton. Sign a few biggish names perhaps on the precipice of their respective cliffs (Diggs, Davis III), and a bunch of steady contributors (Spillane, Landry, Bradbury, Moses, et al), and a few fliers like Chiasson.

In the draft, hit both lines hard and heavy. Aside from Campbell, you either have guys who are REALLY in need of experience (and one could argue Campbell still needs a bunch of experience himself) or are on the downswings of their careers.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

I would keep doing what they did this year. Sign one guy you're counting on continuing their upward trajectory, like Milton. Sign a few biggish names perhaps on the precipice of their respective cliffs (Diggs, Davis III), and a bunch of steady contributors (Spillane, Landry, Bradbury, Moses, et al), and a few fliers like Chiasson.

In the draft, hit both lines hard and heavy. Aside from Campbell, you either have guys who are REALLY in need of experience (and one could argue Campbell still needs a bunch of experience himself) or are on the downswings of their careers.

Just to level set, they started last year with about $125M in cap space if my memory serves me right. This year they'll open with about a third of that at about $40M. So on your points of signing "a few" biggish names and "a bunch" of steady contributors. Sure they can open up a ton of cap space by restructuring everyone's deals but that seems unlikely and probably bad long term strategy. So the volume of players they could sign in those groups of players is going to be much lower.

Also, last year's roster was such a blank slate. They have most of it locked in now. Very few contributors from the current team are FAs. It's really just Chaisson as far big ticket guys and then Hawkins/Hooper/Gibbens on the lower tiers of free agency. So I think they're an argument for more quality over quantity this year. I think they might be better off with 2 Milton Williams types this year vs. one such player and a collection of lower tier guys like you suggest.

Certainly no inherently right or wrong way to look at it though, so either approach can work.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

As well as they performed this year, I think they got extraordinarily lucky on the injury front.

Obviously, the numbers would change in terms of money and number of players with less cap space, but the general idea remains the same. At least one guy demonstrably on the upswing, some solid depth pieces, and some fliers. I wasn't referring to doing PRECISELY the same in terms of number of players and spending amounts I am aware of financial considerations