The shopping spree the Patriots have been on since the start of free agency is about to come to an end. It has to. The Pats have spent enough to push themselves close to the league-imposed salary cap. Figures kept by league sources say that New England is now within $6 million of the announced salary cap of $133 million. However, the team apparently has a bit more room than that. All teams are affected by what they have done in previous years. Since the Pats have regularly stayed below the cap, they have money (another $6 million) that can roll over, according to those who track such figures. That means the team actually is about $12 million away from its cap. That might sound pretty good, but it actually makes for a tight budget from here on in. Money must be kept aside for the team’s eight draft picks. That will probably eat up at least another $4 million. Interestingly, New England’s situation is not nearly as restricted as some teams, most notably Denver. The Broncos, who have been loading up much the same way as the Patriots over the past month, are now the closest team to the salary cap in the entire league, less than $1 million inside the number. For New England, it means that if the team has more signings in mind over the next couple months, it will have to find ways to cut the current budget. The most common way to do that is to do what they did with Vince Wilfork. That is, rework a contract to push spending back a year or two. In Wilfork’s case, the reworked contract saved $4.9 million for this year. The Pats have more players who would be candidates in that area, notably Logan Mankins, whose cap number of $10.5 million; Jerod Mayo, who is at $7.2 million; and Dan Connolly, whose cap figure is $4 million. The team could release others. The player in most danger there appears to be safety Adrian Wilson, who is on the cap for $1.8 million. Another area in which the team could get extra money is the Aaron Hernandez situation. The imprisoned tight end still carries a $7.5-million cap hit. Resolution of his situation would be a huge help, but legal matters involving full resolution of the situation does not appear very likely for this season. As it is, the Pats still have only four of their free agents still on the market. Two of those, Andre Carter and Austin Collie, have age and injury issues, respectively, so are not likely to sign with anyone for some time. The two remaining players still on the market are tight end Matthew Mulligan and offensive lineman Will Svitek. The Pats could use depth in both of those areas. Both of those players made contributions last season. But neither is in position to command major money. Either or both could return if the price is right. All the player movement has left the Patriots is good shape. On paper, at least, the team looks every bit as good, if not even better, than last season. Assuming good health, there do not appear to be any big holes at any position. Two areas that most look to be in need of depth are running back and linebacker. The loss of LeGarrette Blount to Pittsburgh was an interesting case. The Patriots wanted Blount back, but apparently were willing to offer only a one-year contract. The Steelers lured him away with a two-year, $3.8-million deal. That happened on the same day New England re-signed Ryan Wendell. It makes for a bit of culture shock for some. Wendell was given a two-year deal that would be worth as much as $8.1 million, twice as much as Blount. The Pats said, in effect, that they feel they needed Wendell much more than Blount. That might surprise some, but it is actually becoming typical across the league. A growing number of teams, including the Patriots, seem to be devaluing the position in a league that is dominated by the passing game more than ever. Some still consider it to be. Adrian Peterson will make $11.7 million with the Vikings this year and Chris Johnson $8 million with the Titans, although Johnson reportedly is on the block if anyone wants to pay him that much. LeSean McCoy with Philadelphia, Matt Forte with Chicago, Arian Foster with the Texans and Marshawn Lynch of Seattle are all in the $5-million to $7-million range. But the Pats have only $3.6 million invested in running backs for this year, the lowest amount at any position, with Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden the three veterans on the roster. The Patriots had money to spend, but they decided Wendell, their center, was more needed than the popular Blount, who was such a big surprise this past season. The Pats also have rookie Jonas Gray on the roster, but they will almost certainly add bodies at the position, either through the draft or free agency. The situation at linebacker is fine as long as everyone is healthy. Mayo is expected to return from the torn pectoral muscle that sidelined him for the second half of last season. Dont’a Hightower has become a solid player and Jamie Collins looks like a starter in the making. However, with the loss of Brandon Spikes and Dane Fletcher, depth is needed. Steve Beauharnais, one of last season’s draft picks, was inactive most of last season. Chris White and Ja’Gared Davis are primarily special-teams guys. More help will be brought in for sure at that spot. With the draft pushed back from its old spot in April to May 8-10, everyone will have plenty of time to debate which positions the Pats will decide to boost through the draft.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:23:34 +0000
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