Patriots offensive lineman Mike Onwenu tasks to be one of many staff’s most coveted free brokers this spring.
The 26-year-old has began greater than 20 video games at proper guard and proper sort out and brought snaps at left guard. Onwenu’s midseason change from proper guard to proper sort out final 12 months helped stabilize a place the teaching employees couldn’t plug with out him. In three of his 4 years as a starter, Onwenu has ranked among the many highest-graded gamers at his place at Pro Football Focus.
Despite that, the Patriots “essentially know Onwenu isn’t coming back, and he will have high bidders,” in accordance with a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Onwenu has beforehand expressed a want to remain in New England, as he heads into free company for the primary time. Fowler cites Onwenu’s expertise and standing as probably the greatest offensive tackles available on the market as why he’s prone to depart in mid-March.
The Patriots are presently projected to carry the fourth-most cap area in free company at simply shy of $68 million. The entrance workplace, presently being run by director of participant personnel Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf, can have a number of in-house free brokers to deal with. In addition to Onwenu, large receiver Kendrick Bourne, tight finish Hunter Henry, security Kyle Dugger, offensive sort out Trent Brown and go rusher Josh Uche are scheduled to hit free company.
According to a supply, the Patriots have already approached Bourne about an extension, whereas he rehabs from the torn ACL that ended his season final October. Nothing between the edges is imminent, per supply.
If the Patriots selected to maintain Onwenu by way of the franchise tag — a 1-year, totally assured contract that retains the participant at a set value — he would earn $21.2 million, per Over The Cap projections. Of all of the staff’s in-house free brokers, Dugger is seen because the most probably candidate to obtain the franchise tags with security projections coming in at $17.2 million for subsequent season.
Onwenu entered the league as a sixth-round select of Michigan in 2020.
Source: www.bostonherald.com