Patriots News 05-31, Onwenu’s Cap Reduced By $7.5 Million

Good morning, and a happy Sunday, and here is your Patriots news for 05-31, along with this week’s NFL notes.

The Patriots held their first OTA in front of the media last week, and these are learning and passing camps, so not much can be learned; however, it was an opportunity for some of the new guys to get some play.

There are still questions about their depth at linebacker and at the edge, but those really won’t be answered until training camp begins.

One area to watch once training camp begins is the third running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Lan Larison was the favorite during the summer, but then he was placed on IR. He’ll be trying to beat out Terrell Jennings, Jam Miller, and Myles Montgomery.

One factor to monitor among those is the players’ kick return ability. Third running backs are frequently used to return kicks, so we’ll see how that plays out this summer.

There should be legitimate excitement about pairing Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson at safety this year. Byard led the league in interceptions last year, and Woodson, who came strong down the stretch, should be a dynamic pair.

Rookie CB Karon Prunty took advantage of a bad pass from Drake Maye that was well behind Kyle Williams and picked it off. It would have been a pick-six in a game situation.

Maye was rusty, which is to be expected in the first workout on the field (remember the pearl-clutching a year ago when he threw four picks?), but he should start to generate some chemistry with Romeo Doubs and the others in attendance soon.

Interesting tidbit (at least here) was that Alijah Vera-Tucker, still working his way back from a torn triceps, was held out of team drills and was replaced with Andrew Rupcich, who was on the team’s practice squad last year.

Rookie tackle Caleb Lomu split time with Morgan Moses at RT, which is not surprising. Moses’ practice time was closely monitored a year ago, and it paid off. He played in all 21 games last year.

With no contact, it is hard to see how the lines play, but Harold Landry and Gabe Jacas were not there, so this will be an area to monitor as spring gives way to summer.

Onwenu’s Contract Revised

Mike Onwenu is in the final year of his three-year, $57 million contract, but none of it was guaranteed. However, he agreed to a revised one-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $10 million.

This move shaved $7.5 million off his salary, and added it to the Patriots’ available cap space. The Patriots now have $42.5 million in cap space, which should come in handy if they make a trade with Philadelphia and extend Christian Gonzalez, a move that should have been made by now (more below).

But the $7.5 million was not really needed for A.J. Brown’s 2026 contract if the trade does happen. With Gonzalez waiting and Drake Maye’s contract coming due in the near future, the savings are a nice addition.

Onwenu’s guaranteed cash is also combined with his preexisting signing bonus proration from the original deal. In total, Onwenu will now earn $16.45 million in 2026. His cap hit for the team now is $17.5 million, down from the original $25 million cap charge.

What does this mean for the team? First of all, it saved the team a decent amount of cash, though not a game-changing amount. Onwenu, who has been the Patriots’ most consistent offensive lineman over the past few years, has his cash, though reduced, fully guaranteed.

One has to wonder if Onwenu gets traded at the deadline this year. He’s a free agent in 2027, and it certainly doesn’t appear as if he fits into their plans, or the type of OL that they seem to covet now. But his cash is now guaranteed this season, so it is a bit of a win-win for the team and the player.

Training camp will be interesting to see if they begin grooming any young guard to eventually take his place. Ben Brown is their top guard/center backup, but it would be nice if they have someone else to play as well.

Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News

Jerod Mayo: Congratulations are in order for the former Patriots player and coach. Mayo has a new gig, but it is not in football, although the company name sounds like it is.

Mayo was recently hired as the Managing Director of Fifth Down Capital, a private equity and business capital firm. Fifth Down’s website wrote about Mayo’s hire, “Jerod joined Fifth Down as Managing Director. Prior to Fifth Down, he built a distinguished career with the New England Patriots as both a player and coach.

“In parallel with his professional career, Jerod has been an active investor and advisor to private companies for over a decade. He is known for his disciplined leadership style, emphasis on preparation and accountability, and ability to build trust-based relationships. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Tennessee.”

Drake Maye: The Patriots’ quarterback had a rather awkward question thrown his way this week by Dan Roche of WBZ.

“Rude question, are you thicker with two C’s? Is that the way you’re supposed to say it? Is that kind of like the hip thing?” asked Roche.

“Say that one more time?” Maye answered.

Roche asked again. “Are you thicker with two C’s? … Is that how it’s supposed to be or…?

“That’s ‘pause’ if that’s anything,” he said, laughing while other reporters in the room were heard laughing as well. “That’s not the way to put it.”

Kayshon Boutte: The Patriots’ WR has not been at voluntary OTAs, deciding to work out on his own thus far this spring. And just by the way things are going at Gillette Stadium, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boutte ask for a trade soon.

If the Patriots finalize a trade for A.J. Brown, Boutte will probably be the odd man out. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Patriots have made no attempt to sign him to a new contract.

It’s been reported that the Patriots would accept a fifth or sixth-round draft pick for Boutte, which seems kind of low. Perhaps he’ll never be a high-volume receiver, but he’s been a very reliable one. I’ve firmly been in the camp of not wanting to see him moved, but it seems inevitable now.

Look for the Chiefs, who have Rashee Rice in jail for 30 days, to kick the tires on a deal for Boutte once the trade with Philadelphia is done. Getting a receiver who contributes with big plays whenever his number is called for a sixth? A no-brainer.

Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots need to get a deal done with Gonzalez asap. The Patriots’ best defender wasn’t at OTAs last week and is entering the final year of his rookie contract, during which he is set to earn $4.8 million.

Many have stated that the Mike Onwenu restructure was done to allow the team to extend Gonzalez. That may be the case, although they have plenty of cash to work with ($42.5 million).

While OTAs are not mandatory, it is clear that Gonzalez isn’t going to risk himself until a deal is done. That probably means that the talented cornerback will “hold in” at the mandatory minicamp, which begins on June 15, rather than risk over $100,000 in fines.

The benchmark for Gonzalez will probably be tied to what the Rams paid Trent McDuffie after he was brought in from the Chiefs. LA paid McDuffie a four-year, $124 million deal, averaging $31 million per year.

One could easily make the case that Gonzalez is a better corner than McDuffie, so he should be making in the neighborhood of $32-$35 million per year.

Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike, and I took this week off because our schedules didn’t align. We’ll be back this week with talk of OTAs (and a trade?) on the PatsFans.com website. You can always check out our other podcasts on our YouTube channel.

Please check it out. And be sure to like, share, and leave us a review.

Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriots tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.

We will continue to display this in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.

The “Framework Is In Place” For An A.J. Brown Trade

On Friday night’s “Early Addition” show in Boston, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer stated that “barring anyone (New England, Philadelphia) backing out,” the long-rumored trade of A.J. Brown from the Eagles to the Patriots will happen.

“My understanding is the framework is in place for a trade to be made early next week that will make A.J. Brown a Patriot,” Breer said. “The exact terms, the details, I still think there are some things to be worked out there. But I think it would sort of take someone backing out at this point, whether it’s the Eagles or the Patriots, for it not to happen.”

“One reason why I’ve been careful in the way that I’ve talked about this over the course of the last couple of months is because that June 1 thing, which is the result of the Eagles’ salary cap situation, opens up the possibility that there is a material change with someone else’s receiver situation that makes them jump into the fray and make a better offer than the Patriots would make,” Breer said. “Weird things can happen.”

This story has a never-ending series of twists and turns, with reports of other teams jumping in at the 11th hour (Chiefs, Jaguars).

On Thursday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport said that the two sides were “not particularly close, and there’s a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future.”

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the two sides “have recently grappled over the component of the total trade compensation.” Speaking of which…

What Does A Realistic Trade Compensation Look Like For Brown

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran made an intriguing case for what the Eagles want: a first-round draft pick.

Curran says a 2028 first-round pick is “one million percent” appropriate, and “inevitable” trade compensation for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Many NFL analysts believe that New England must give up a first-round pick, while others say a 2nd-rounder is fair compensation.

“One thing the Eagles have been focused on from the very beginning is having a first-round pick involved in the deal,” Breer said. “I can tell you the centerpiece of a deal with the Rams, had that happened in March, would have been a 2028 first-round pick. That was three drafts off at that point because the ’26 draft hadn’t happened yet.

“So this idea of a first-round pick far off into the future is something the Eagles have discussed with teams over the course of the last few months. If the Patriots will go there, I think it gets done.”

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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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