Dolphins’ interest in top free agent could make Patriots’ offseason even harder

The Patriots might be welcoming Aaron Jones to the division.

The New England Patriots entered the offseason with burning questions at the quarterback, defensive end, wide receiver, linebacker and tight end positions.

Fortunately for the front office, the Patriots are projected to be equipped with $68.7 million in cap space.

That’s good for the third-largest sum in the NFL, so they should be able to resolve most of their roster shortcomings in free agency.

It goes without saying that the Patriots renovating their offensive personnel would resonate with the fan base, which is desperate for improvements after the team finished 27th in both total yards (327.3) and points per game (20.4) this past season.

However, fans should probably stop to consider that they’ll have to fend off competing teams to sign certain offensive playmakers, and the Dolphins’ reported interest in running back Aaron Jones, one of the most coveted players set to hit the open market this offseason, proves that.

The Dolphins are interested in signing running back Aaron Jones in free agency.

According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins and Jones have shown a mutual interest and the latest free agency predictions have him inking a four-year, $46 million deal with them. That should terrify Patriots fans after the promising season Miami just put together with a largely inconsistent offense.

GM Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores are clearly on the same page in terms of believing that their roster is just a few moves away from becoming a true championship contender. Signing a player of Jones’ caliber would undoubtedly fall under that category after he logged 2,188 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns (!) on 5.05 yards per carry over the last two seasons.

Yes, there are still huge questions to be had about the Dolphins quarterback situation, but you better believe they’ll be in the running for Deshaun Watson, assuming the Texans come to their senses and realize that he’s played his last snap for them.

We hate to sound the alarms of Patriots fans ahead of such a pressure-filled offseason, but they should keep it in the back of their minds that other teams, and especially division rivals, are facing a similar urgent timestamp when it comes to bolstering their respective rosters.

The Dolphins-Jones buzz should make the importance of this offseason increase ten fold for New England. Again, they might not be in the market for a running back, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of other teams on the precipice of playoff contention that are looking to make serious upgrades in free agency.

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