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Best and worst value contracts on Patriots roster for 2022?

By Lou Scataglia

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Jonnu Smith #81 of the New England Patriots walks to the field prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Jonnu Smith #81 of the New England Patriots walks to the field prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Like every team in the NFL, there are both excellent value and poor valued contracts on the New England Patriots’ roster. Which players fall into this?

The New England Patriots should be an interesting team to study in 2022.  While their 2022 offseason was anything but good, their roster is solid throughout, and they appear to have the quarterback in place, along with Hall of Fame coaching.

However, while the Patriots do appear to be in a good spot, they, like most teams in the NFL, do have what we call “bad contracts” on their roster.  These players typically don’t live up to the contracts they signed, which is bad news for both sides.

On the flip side, the Patriots also have some great, excellent valued contracts as well.  A lot of these contracts may be rookie deals, but these young players have proven to have wildly overperformed their initial NFL pact.

In looking at the roster as a whole, which players have the best and perhaps worst valued contracts?

Mac Jones’ rookie contract has been a steal so far

This one was clearly the most obvious.  Mac Jones showed great poise and promise in year one for the New England Patriots.  He’s the perfect fit for this offense, and does appear to be the long-term answer.

The total value of his contract is about $15.5 million, and his yearly salary is just a hair under $4 million.  Obviously, this contract would be one a team could hand out to a backup.  Soon enough, Mac Jones will likely sign a very lucrative contract extension.

Look for Jones to sign this contract after the 2023 season.   For now, though, the team is in a wonderful spot here.  Mac Jones isn’t the only quarterback whose also on a steal of a contract.  The likes of Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert are all still on their rookie deals.

Most teams who do draft a quarterback and are able to develop them will see this happen.  For the next few years, the team can perhaps build up the roster around Jones before needing to pay him likely over $40 million per year.

Jonnu Smith’s contract is a bit much

Smith signed a four year, $50 million deal last offseason with the Patriots.  That’s a salary of $12.5 million per season, which is near the top of the tight end market.

However, Smith’s first year in New England wasn’t even close to what his contract indicated.  In 16 games, Smith accumulated just 294 total yards with one touchdown.

He was virtually nonexistent on offense.  As we know, the other quality tight end they signed, Hunter Henry, was the preferable target of Mac Jones.  Jonnu Smith has the second highest total valued contract on the roster, behind Matt Judon, so Smith will need a massive year two in New England to begin to justify his contract.

Even worse, the team is stuck with the contract for another two years, unless they end up sending him away in a trade before that.

Michael Onwenu’s pact couldn’t be more of a steal

This is another easy one to talk about.  Michael Onwenu was a sixth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and has performed like a first round pick in his first two seasons.

Starting all 16 games in 2020, Onwenu was named to the All-Rookie team.  He committed just one penalty and only allowed three sacks playing over 900 snaps.

Onwenu wasn’t as effective in 2021, only starting eight games, but still managed a whopping 87.0 PFF grade.  Onwenu appears to be headed to the interior of the offensive line for 2022.  He can play both inside and out and is on contract that has a less than $4 million total value amount, with only $202,000 in total guarantees.

Onwenu might have one of the best valued contracts in all of sports, forget just the NFL.

I was tempted to put DeVante Parker on this list as having a poorly valued contract, but in looking at the financials, I can’t do that.  His cap number for 2022 is $6 million, and the Patriots would incur no dead money during the rest of his deal.  He’s also, in my opinion, the most talented player in the receiver room who has the longest track record of success.

I would honestly expect Parker to bit a frequent contributor in the offense this season as a solid veteran that Mac Jones can rely on.  He’s a big bodied target with a 1,000 yard season to his name.

Overall, though, the contracts on the Patriots’ roster all appear to be very fairly valued.  Their most expensive contract is only $54 million in total value, and their roster doesn’t appear to have any major weaknesses.

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