New England Patriots: Top 3 Items on Offseason Agenda
By Hal Bent
2017 FREE AGENTS:
As much as New England is focused on this current batch of free agents the team has to balance all their moves with 2017 in mind. Pending free agents in 2017 include 2012 first round draft picks linebacker Dont’a Hightower and defensive end Chandler Jones, defensive end Jabaal Sheard, linebacker Jamie Collins, and cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan.
Of the group, Sheard, Jones and Hightower will likely be approached to have their contract situation addressed this offseason. All three have high 2016 salary cap numbers (Sheard=$6.81 million 2016 salary cap charge; Jones=$7.79 million 2016 salary cap charge; and Hightower=$7.75 million 2016 salary cap charge) and the team will likely be looking to address those contracts to extend them and keep the players in New England and lower their 2016 charge. Of the three, the Patriots would be lucky to extend two of them.
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Chandler Jones looked irreplaceable early in 2015 but his play trailed off at the end of the season as he struggled with turf toe. However, his bizarre interaction with the Foxborough Police Department during the Patriots’ playoffs bye week while seemingly under the influence of synthetic marijuana. Jones’ off-field behavior may have punched his ticket out of town. If that is the case, do the Patriots try to trade him to a team hungry for an edge pass rusher for draft picks?
Sheard was a revelation after being scooped up in free agency. Giving the team the chance to rest Jones and Rob Ninkovich as well as being an inside pass rusher on third down. Sheard had eight sacks and may have replaced Jones as the long-term solution at defensive end. Sheard is the same age and if New England is counting on one of Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom, or Rufus Johnson to emerge in 2016 they may need either Sheard or Jones.
Dont’a Hightower–originally viewed by many analysts and media members as a bust following his rookie season–has emerged as one of the most important players on the defense. Hightower replaced veteran Jerod Mayo as the signal caller on defense. Hightower is an excellent blitzer and is surprisingly effective in zone coverage. His presence as a run defender was noticed particularly this season as the team was run over whenever he was on the sidelines.
In addition, both starting cornerbacks–Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler–are providing high quality play at ridiculously low rates. Ryan has a $825,000 salary cap charge in 2016 and Butler has just a $600,000 salary cap charge. For both of these cornerbacks, the Patriots should be proactive and make every attempt to lock them up to a three or four year extension. Paying a little more now makes it easier to keep the players happy and prevent another team from swooping in with a big offer after next season.
Finally, linebacker Jamie Collins is another potential free agent in 2017. The Patriots may not make a move this year as–like with Butler and Ryan–Collins has a low salary cap charge in 2016 and the team may want to take advantage of it. With a cap charge of just $1.19 million this coming season the Patriots may make the foolish long-term decision to wait rather than extend Collins. The problem with that is if he hits the open market the bidding for the explosive and athletic linebacker could end up in the $10-12 million per season range.
If forced to predict, the likeliest offseason maneuvering by the New England front office based upon their prior history would be to trade Chandler Jones, release Jerod Mayo, rework the contract of Danny Amendola, release Brandon LaFell, let Akiem Hicks and Sealver Siliga walk, keep Alan Branch and Marcus Cannon, extend Dont’a Hightower and Jabaal Sheard, and roll the dice and squeeze a year of high production at discount rates on Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler.