2 contract extensions Patriots need to make and 1 to avoid

The Patriots should not extend OLB Josh Uche

Last season, former second-round pick Josh Uche finally busted loose for the Patriots. After injuries hampered his first two seasons and he totaled just 4.0 sacks in those years, Uche tallied 11.5 last year in 15 games played. Now going into his fourth year, the Patriots need to decide whether or not they are going to hang onto Uche. But, the reality is, they shouldn't.

First of all, the Patriots still have Matthew Judon locked down through the 2024 season. It might not make sense to tie up a ton of money in a pair of pass rushers at this point, but instead focus on spending money elsewhere. Judon also has another season of consistency over Uche, coming off his second-straight campaign with double-digit sacks (12.5 in 2021 and 15.5 last year).

Secondly, depending on where Uche would eventually sign, the Patriots could wind up with a compensatory pick, and Bill Belichick prides himself on hoarding those bad boys.

The last thing the Patriots want to do is tie up a ton of money in two pass rushers with other areas still in question on the roster, namely quarterback. New England doesn't even know if they have a franchise quarterback right now, so the direction of this team seems to be in flux.