The New England Patriots now have almost $8 million in cap space and Bill Belichick needs to spend it wisely.
On Saturday, the New England Patriots settled their compensation grievances with Antonio Brown and Aaron Hernandez, which allowed them to recoup $6.55 million in cap space, bringing their total for 2020 to almost $8 million.
That’s not a whole lot, but the work head coach Bill Belichick has done with less is notable. This is the equivalent of like $15 million for him. And when you look at the current crop of free agents, there’s a lot of opportunity, especially after the signing of Cam Newton, which has propelled the Pats back into the Super Bowl conversation.
So what’s Belichick to do? Let’s explore three moves (both big and small) that would greatly benefit New England in 2020.
3. Sign Jason Peters for OL Depth
The Patriots should consider bringing former All-Pro Jason Peters to NE.
Too much offensive line help can never hurt, especially when you have a mobile quarterback like Newton entering the fold. Jason Peters may be old (this will be his age-38 season), but he still started 13 games on a playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles team in 2019. The value he can bring to the table in terms of knowledge and experience is enough to justify this.
Peters has expressed that he still wants to play and has posted a few workout videos this offseason to prove he’s ready. After all, the Pats could use reliable help behind Isaiah Wynn, who has just eight NFL games under his belt after missing his entire rookie year and enduring injuries in 2019.
A seasoned vet like Peters, who started 29 games the last two seasons, would be a great addition to New England’s offensive front.
2. Add Everson Griffen to Pass Rush
Does Everson Griffen joining the Patriots not sound like a classic Belichick move?
Can someone explain how Everson Griffen is still a free agent? After talks with the Minnesota Vikings stalled and he expressed his desire to play elsewhere, no team has capitalized on the opportunity to sign the four-time Pro Bowler, who earned all those bids in the last five seasons.
The Vikings botched their offseason, to say the least, and further fractured their relationship with Griffen. At this point, he’s probably not going to get the exact deal he wants, so why not sign with a revamped Super Bowl contender? A Griffen-Patriots union just seems like classic Patriots — a disgruntled veteran looking for greener pastures on a defense-first team.
Since 2014, Griffen has registered 57 sacks, 138 QB hits and 65 tackles for loss in 88 games. Think that won’t play on New England’s defense? Put him on the defensive line or as a standup outside linebacker and watch the pass rush terrorize the opposition.
Griffen’s only gotten better with age, so there’s no reason Belichick shouldn’t dip into that cap space and coax the 32-year-old to join the Pats. They can’t offer him a whole lot, but perhaps an incentive-laden deal, a la Newton’s, could get the job done.
This move almost seems too easy and characteristic.
1. Sign Jadeveon Clowney and Larry Warford, Trade Joe Thuney
Jadeveon Clowney wants to sign with a contender, so now’s his chance.
This one’s a stretch, but we can’t put any potential magic past Belichick. At this juncture, it’s clear the Patriots are having trouble inking star guard Joe Thuney to a long-term extension. The solution? Lower the asking price on the trade market (maybe a second-round pick?), move Thuney and his $14.78 million salary, and sign Larry Warford and Jadeveon Clowney.
It’s not likely, but it’s also not crazy. Warford was cut by the Saints, who were looking to solve cap issues of their own. Maybe signing Warford to a multi-year deal and backloading it to avoid any potential cap issues in the immediate future could be the best option.
As for Clowney, he’s clearly not going to get his lucrative long-term deal at this point, and somewhat recent reports suggested he wanted to join either the Saints or Cowboys. Given those teams’ cap issues, that’s for sure not happening. But if the Pats can add $14.78 million in space to the existing $7.79 they have right now, getting Clowney on board for a year is possible.
This trio of moves keeps the O-line just as strong, bolsters the pass rush beyond belief, and makes competing with the Chiefs that much more viable. Talk about turning the offseason upside down, right?