New England Patriots: Predicting who stays and goes on offense

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots walks off the field after his teams 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Tight-End

47 – Jacob Hollister – Staying

Entering his second year of a 3-year deal, there is little reason for Hollister to be cut before camp. On a $500k deal per year, his cap hit is minimal. Whilst he did spend some games inactive, he also contributed on special teams and on offense to the tune of four catches. He might struggle to make the final 53 but he stuck around on the roster all season, so there is something that the coaching staff sees in him.

83 – Dwayne Allen – Going

When Allen was brought in at the start of the season via trade, the hope was that he would be an ample replacement for Martellus Bennett given that he is as suited to blocking as he is catching. Unfortunately, Allen never became the catching threat many hoped he would be. There was talk from the Patriots beat-writers that Allen looked “beat-up” throughout the year and his body looked like it was failing him. Not a great situation for a 27-year old. The biggest deciding factor in Allen not being back next year is his cap number, $5m in 2018 and $7.4m in 2019. While he was a good blocker, he will need to tear up the existing deal to have any hope of being back next year, which seems highly unlikely.

87 – Rob Gronkowski – Staying

Ignore the noise, ignore the reports, and ignore the quotes. Rob Gronkowski will be playing football next year and I am 99.9% sure that will be in New England. Gronk has a huge cap number next year of $10.9m but he deserves to be paid every penny. There will probably be a restructuring of the deal in some fashion in this offseason. In short, nothing to see here lets move on.

88 – Martellus Bennett – Going

In a similar fashion to Allen, if Bennett wants to stick around in New England he will need to restructure. His cap number in 2018 is $6.2m and with his injury history and age being taken into account, Bennett will need to be realistic with himself. If he wants to stay in New England then the contract will need to come down to a more realistic figure. It really depends on Bennett himself. He could probably make a little more than he will be offered in New England elsewhere but the question is does he want an extra bit of cash or to win?

Futures Contracts:

82 – Will Tye

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