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(PHOTO: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports) Some news and notes for this morning:
One of the things that Eliot Wolf told reporters ahead of the Scouting Combine is that he’s a big proponent of keeping homegrown talent in the fold, and so far through free agency, that’s certainly held true.
The Patriots have re-signed a total of 11 players so far, with players like Mike Onwenu, Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings among several of their own young players who have been extended. The hope is that number will become four at some point, with safety Kyle Dugger having received the transition tag, but they’ve said repeatedly that they’d like to have him here for the long-haul.
Here’s a quick rundown of where they currently stand in terms of players they’ve re-signed overall so far, which is taken from our 2024 Patriots Free Agents tracker:
Staying (11):
OL Mike Onwenu – Agreed to 3-year Deal
WR Kendrick Bourne – Agreed to 3-year deal
WR Jalen Reagor – Agreed to 1-year deal
OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. – Received Exclusive Rights Tender
DB Alex Austin – Received Exclusive Rights Tender
TE Hunter Henry – Agreed to 3-year deal
S Kyle Dugger – Given Transition Tag
QB Nathan Rourke – Received Exclusive Rights Tender
LB Josh Uche – Agreed to 1-year deal.
LB Christian Elliss – Received Exclusive Rights Tender
LB Anfernee Jennings – Agreed to 3-year deal
After a busy couple of days, the Patriots have seen five players among those not returning. Those names include Mack Wilson Sr (Arizona), DeVante Parker (Eagles), Chris Board (Released), Mike Gesicki (Bengals), and Pharaoh Brown (Seahawks). Wilson reportedly was someone they made an effort to retain but he opted to head to the Cardinals. It’s unknown if any of the others – outside of Parker and Board – were made an offer to stay.
Wolf’s philosophy stems from his days in Green Bay, with the Director of Scouting talking about extending core players, which is something he truly believes in.
“Yeah, the Packer Way, to me, is just sort of draft and develop, extend your core performers from within,” said Wolf last month. “And again it’s about honesty, respect, and treating people the right way.”
So far, he’s been a man of his word.
To this point, the Patriots have made moves to clear out their receiver room and start working toward revamping their offense, and it appears there’s potentially one player who they’re hoping to get a deal done with.
Several reports on Tuesday linked New England to Jaguars free agent Calvin Ridley, with the Patriots and Jaguars as the final two teams in contention for his services.
According to Adam Schefter, the Patriots have made a significant push to land Ridley, but so far it sounds like the veteran would prefer to stay with the Jaguars. Albert Breer reported last night that it’s reaching a point where New England is even “a bit leery of being used” when it comes to driving up Ridley’s price tag, but so far, they remain in the running.
As it currently stands, the Patriots have already brought back two productive players, wideout Kendrick Bourne and tight end Hunter Henry. The club also added Raiders free agent tight end Austin Hooper on Tuesday night.
There appears to be a wrinkle with Ridley that may have been what was holding things up heading into last night. Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub pointed out on Tuesday that “If the Jaguars sign him to an *extension* they owe the Falcons a 2nd round pick as part of that trade agreement. If they wait for the new league year and sign him as a ‘free agent’ that pick becomes a 3rd.” As a result, it will be interesting to follow the timeline on this as the negotiations ultimately play out.
Meanwhile, if the Patriots were to add Ridley, it would certainly give them a boost. Adding Ridley along with Bourne and Demario Douglas would give the Patriots a trio of solid receivers, giving them a pretty good foundation. Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and recently re-signed Jalen Reagor currently round out the bottom of the current depth chart ahead of the draft and whoever else they might add.
Several reports seem to indicate that the club will potentially move on from JuJu Smith-Schuster, whether it’s via a trade or if they simply opt to bite the bullet and just move on. But the rumors so far seem to infer that he’s not part of their plans in 2024.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see how things continue to play out as the league year officially begins this afternoon at 4pm ET.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported last night that it appears Uche took a hometown discount to come back to New England.
The free-agent linebacker reportedly had several offers ahead of the one-year deal worth up to $8 million he signed to come back to the Patriots. Pelissero reports that one of those offers was worth $15 million over two years, including $11 million guaranteed.
Instead, Uche opted to stay in New England with head coach Jerod Mayo and he’ll continue his NFL journey here through 2024.
The Patriots had scouts in Oregon on Tuesday getting a look at quarterback Bo Nix. They also reportedly had scouts in attendance for the University of South Carolina’s pro day, with Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette among those who worked out, with Rattler looking impressive as he tries to make a case for himself next month. When asked what teams would be getting if they selected him, he wasn’t short of confidence. “An elite guy,” said Rattler via SI. “A guy that’s very knowledgeable within [the game of] football. Been in three different offenses, two different conferences. Proven player. Very accurate passer. Fast learner. Quick Processor. A guy that can create and extend [plays], and make others around him better, and mainly getting a leader. A guy that’s on time, shows his work ethic, puts [the work] in everyday.” As for Legette, he showed terrific speed during the workout and put together a strong performance. He also showed pretty good strength, putting up 225 pounds 25 times, which as Kevin Miller of GarnetandCocky.com pointed out would be among the Top-12 players in the last 25 years. … The Patriots are reportedly in Athens today for Gerogia’s Pro Day. Tight end Brock Bowers and Offensive tackle Amarius Mims reportedly won’t be among those working out, with both of those players expected to go in round one. The two are reportedly coming off ankle injuries suffered last season and also sat out the school’s Orange Bowl 63-3 beatdown of Florida State back on December 30th. … Be sure to follow our 2024 free agent tracker, along with our new QuickSnaps news page, which is updated frequently throughout the day with the latest Patriots player news.
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