The Patriots should reload.
Fortunately, the Patriots, who completed final season 4-13 and haven’t gained a playoff recreation in 5 years, are flush with wage cap area with NFL free company starting subsequent week.
With over $100 million, the Patriots have essentially the most cap room within the league and wish to begin spending money to hit the league’s spending ground. The NFL’s open tampering interval begins Monday at midday ET, when groups are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the licensed brokers of gamers who will grow to be unrestricted free brokers. The new league 12 months formally begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, when groups are capable of execute a brand new contract with free brokers.
After parting methods with Bill Belichick this offseason, they’ve new management in head coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting — and de facto normal supervisor — Eliot Wolf, who introduced on an nearly fully new employees on offense and a supplemented defensive employees.
The crew hit all-time low in 2023 and now has wants throughout a principally barren roster. To preview free company, the Herald is publishing every day tales with free brokers at key positions of want.
Quarterback
The Patriots have three quarterbacks below contract in Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke, however there’s no assure that any of these three gamers will really be on the crew’s Week 1 roster.
Sources: Patriots like Baker Mayfield, haven’t proven curiosity in Kirk Cousins
Jones is a commerce candidate after struggling for 2 straight seasons, it took Zappe, who was reduce out of coaching camp, 13 weeks to cross Jones on the quarterback depth chart for good cause, and Rourke, a CFL product, remains to be principally an unknown commodity within the NFL.
The Patriots will almost definitely discover their future quarterback within the 2024 NFL Draft, the place they maintain the No. 3 general choose, however there are beginning choices set to hit the open market, the place Wolf might additionally discover a bridge quarterback to provide a rookie time to develop.
Finding an choice who is aware of new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt can be useful because the Patriots might be putting in a brand new system. The fewer gamers it is unfamiliar to, the higher.
Baker Mayfield
Members of the Patriots’ employees like Mayfield and would need him beginning in 2024. That a lot we all know.
What we do not know is that if the sensation is mutual.
Mayfield is probably going going to money on this offseason, and the almost definitely situation is that he is going again to the Buccaneers, who simply re-signed huge receiver Mike Evans. The All-Pro huge receiver, whom the Patriots had curiosity in, preferred taking part in with Mayfield in 2023.
The connections to Mayfield on the Patriots’ employees are huge. He was drafted by a employees that included Wolf and senior personnel government Alonzo Highsmith and was coached by offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt on a training employees that additionally included quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and offensive line coach Scott Peters. Mayfield additionally hung out with the Panthers on a employees that had senior personnel advisor Pat Stewart and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo.
It’s straightforward to examine Mayfield garnering $30 million-plus per 12 months as a free agent this offseason. He had a fantastic season in 2023 however had struggled in 2021 and 2022. His greatest NFL season got here in 2020 below Van Pelt in Cleveland.
If the Patriots signed Mayfield, it could permit them to both take a large receiver or offensive deal with at No. 3 general or commerce all the way down to accumulate extra helpful draft capital. And the Patriots do have loads of wage cap area and money to throw round.
But does Mayfield need to come to New England, and if that’s the case at what price?
Jacoby Brissett
Another connection to Van Pelt, Brissett performed below the Patriots’ OC in 2022 with the Browns. The journeyman QB was chosen by the Patriots within the third spherical of the 2016 NFL Draft and spent one 12 months in New England earlier than being traded to the Colts.
Brissett can be a strong bridge if a rookie quarterback wanted one earlier than beginning. He additionally might function a reliable backup if a rookie is able to begin Week 1.
Ideally, Brissett wouldn’t enter the spring because the Patriots’ uncontested beginning QB. He’s 18-30 as a starter over eight seasons with 10,574 yards, 51 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and an 85.3 passer score.
Joe Flacco
Flacco was surprisingly efficient because the Browns’ beginning quarterback below Van Pelt over the ultimate 5 weeks of the common season, main Cleveland to the wild card spherical of the playoffs.
His efficiency earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors as he threw for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a 4-1 file. Flacco hadn’t began greater than 4 video games since 2019 and hadn’t led his crew to a beginning file since 2017.
The Super Bowl XLVII MVP, like Brissett, might function a bridge starter or strong backup to pair with a rookie QB. He brings a decrease ground than Brissett or Mayfield however ought to come cheaper than each choices.
Source: www.bostonherald.com