Patriots lose out on another potential free agent target
The top free agent priorities for the Patriots this year were obvious; wide receiver and offensive tackle.
Because of the inconsistency of protection from the offensive line last year, the assumption was that maybe the Patriots would immediately spend some big money on the position to boost the offense overall.
Unfortunately, although they have signed a couple of tackles this week already, Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff, neither are the complete game-changer needed to make a drastic improvement.
Come Wednesday, the top name at the position, Orlando Brown Jr., remained unsigned, leaving a sliver of hope that there was still a chance he could sign with New England. But in typical Patriots’ fashion, that dream ended late Wednesday night.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero announced on Twitter that the Super Bowl champion tackle was signing a massive contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the history of the NFL.
Sources: Four-time Pro Bowl tackle and Super Bowl champ Orlando Brown Jr. is finalizing a four-year, $64.092 million front-loaded deal with the #Bengals that includes an over $31M signing bonus — largest ever for an o-lineman.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2023
Brown’s agent, Michael Portner, confirmed the deal. pic.twitter.com/GFFZX0zLrs
In Orlando Brown's new, 4-year deal with the #Bengals, he gets 67.87% of the $64.092M fully guaranteed, with $42.3M through year 2 and $49.9M through 3. By that point, he'll be ready for the next deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2023
Other than the sting of the Patriots losing out on a versatile tackle, the details of his contract made it evident that they would have never been truly in on Brown Jr. from the start.
Knowing the history of the team’s spending habits (or lack thereof) over the years, it’s more probable than not they would not have offered anywhere near the amount he is set to make with the Bengals. If they continue on that same path, we likely see them lose out on more potentially great additions via free agency, which would be incredibly disappointing and unfortunate.
But since free agency technically just began at noon on Wednesday, there’s still time for Belichick to blow us all away and lock down an ultra-talented player who will make an instant impact offensively. It may not be the popular route to take, but the Patriots don’t work the way the rest of the league does, and in year 2023, we should be used to it by now.