Patriots Rumors

Patriots Talking Extension With OLB Matt Judon, DT Christian Barmore

In the summer, the Patriots started discussions with star pass rusher Matt Judon concerning a new contract as he headed into the second-to-last season of his current deal. With talks of a new contract on the horizon, Judon agreed to a restructured deal that included several incentives he would miss out on due to injury this year. Still, the deal was made with the expectation that both sides would return to the table in the offseason. With the first wave of free agency over, those talks have resumed, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Judon’s biceps injury ended up being a season-ending ailment. Though, it seemed at times there was a possibility for him to return, Judon missed every remaining game after his injury. As a result, Reiss believes that any future extension offer the Patriots may draft up will be incentive-heavy, to protect them in the case of another long-term injury.

While that makes sense for New England, Judon has already experienced the loss of income as a result of a contract that fails to protect him from injury. As a player with star talent who missed extended time for the first time in his career in 2023 and lost money as a result, Judon will likely be seeking a deal high in guarantees. Perhaps a middle ground can be reached on a deal that both delivers a large guaranteed sum to Judon while still leaving a bit of achievable additional income through incentives.

The Patriots are also expected to begin extension talks with defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The former second-round pick out of Alabama is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and had a career year in a breakout season. In six starts in 2023, Barmore led a team missing Judon in sacks with 8.5, more than tripling his previous career high. His exceptional pass rushing metrics graded out seventh in the NFL for interior defenders, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he graded out as the eighth-best overall interior defender as a result.

With Barmore showing the promise that helped him get drafted in the second round, the Patriots will try to get a jump on signing him to an extension. They’ll want to avoid a situation in which he continues to excel during a contract year in 2024 and prices himself out of New England.

Patriots To Sign WR K.J. Osborn

6:41PM: We have a value on Osborn’s new contract, thanks to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The former fifth-round pick out of Miami (FL) will have a base salary of $4MM in his new contract with the Patriots. Osborn will be able to earn an additional $2MM on the deal through incentives, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. After his time in Minnesota, the former 2-star recruit who transferred from Buffalo has come a long way and continues to impress.

3:12PM: The Patriots have retained multiple in-house receivers this offseason, but the team is set to make an outside addition at the position. K.J. Osborn has a deal in place with New England, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. This will be a one-year agreement, ESPN’s Mike Reiss adds.

Help at the receiver spot was an apparent priority for New England in free agency given the team’s struggles on offense in 2023. Heading into Sunday, however, the Patriots had elected to re-sign Kendrick Bourne on a three-year deal worth up to $33MM. The team also re-upped Jalen Reagor, who occupied a much smaller role on offense in his debut New England campaign. Prior to his free agent decision, Calvin Ridley was known to be on the Patriots’ radar.

New England made an offer to the former first-rounder, but he ultimately joined the Titans on a four-year, $92MM agreement. Losing out on Ridley (and seeing Marquise Brown head to the Chiefs) left the Patriots in need of a different target at the WR spot. Osborn was among the best options still on the market, having proven himself as a consistent complementary receiving option during his time with the Vikings.

The 26-year-old was limited to nine games as a rookie; he did not see a single target during that time. Since then, however, Osborn has seen incremental increases in his offensive snap share with each passing season while becoming a secondary target opposite Justin Jefferson. Osborn has made 50, 60 and 48 catches between 2021-23 while posting between 540 and 655 yards in that span. The former fifth-rounder has totaled 15 touchdowns in his career.

Osborn saw tight end T.J. Hockenson acquired via trade in 2022 (and subsequently extended) as well as the Vikings’ decision to select Jordan Addison in the first round of last year’s draft. That pair – along with Jefferson – will comprise the nucleus of Minnesota’s pass-catching corps for years to come, presuming the latter works out what will be a monster extension with the team. With that trio in place, Osborn will depart in search of a larger workload in New England.

The Patriots were led in receiving last season by sixth-round rookie Demario Douglas (561). Tight end Hunter Henry was also a key member of the team’s skill position corps, and he has landed a new deal as well. With fellow tight and Mike Gesicki departing in free agency and wideout DeVante Parker having been released (and signed by the Eagles), though, plenty of snaps and targets will be available for new pass-catchers in 2024.

Osborn has seen time both in the slot and on the perimeter, and he will provide a starting-caliber option for New England’s revised offense. The draft looms as another avenue to add weapons for the quarterback presumed to be added with the No. 3 pick, but even with a rookie addition Osborn will likely have a notable role on his new team.

Titans To Sign WR Calvin Ridley

After a Jaguars-Patriots duel formed in the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes, a mystery suitor revealed itself. The Titans are swooping in with a big offer to land the former first-round pick.

Ridley will commit to Tennessee on a four-year, $92MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Titans are giving Ridley $50MM fully guaranteed. A year after winning a lower-priced DeAndre Hopkins pursuit, Tennessee will pair him with Ridley.

This marks a windfall for Ridley, who will cash in despite missing the 2022 season due to a gambling suspension and leaving the Falcons early in the 2021 slate. After Atlanta traded Ridley to Jacksonville during his suspension, the former Alabama standout posted his second 1,000-yard year. Although the Jaguars wanted to retain Ridley, they may have stopped short of this price point.

As of Wednesday afternoon, however, the Titans checked in with the NFL’s most cap space. Ran Carthon‘s team carried $72MM before the Ridley agreement. While the Patriots and Jaguars both made offers, a stealth suitor may have topped them both. The Jags had been viewed as likely to retain Ridley, but they already have three veteran contracts at receiver (Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Gabe Davis) and another at tight end (Evan Engram). Tennessee has Hopkins on a relatively low-cost accord, after beating out the Patriots in that race as well, giving the team a clearer path to pursue this year’s top free agent wideout. Indeed, in a piece written by Jeff Howe, Larry Holder, and Randy Mueller of The Athletic (subscription required), we learned that while the Jags’ and Pats’ offers were in the same ballpark, the Titans’ proposal was significantly higher.

At $23MM per year, Ridley checks in as the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid receiver; the $50MM guaranteed at signing, however, is the more important number. Only Tyreek Hill‘s 2022 Dolphins deal carried more locked in at signing. That illustrates where this market went and the aggressive pushes teams were making to bring in this market’s top receiver.

Ridley, 29, will also reunite with the Jaguars’ 2023 pass-game coordinator, Nick Holz, who landed the Titans’ OC job earlier this offseason. Holz was on-hand for a rather uneven Jaguars offensive season, with Press Taylor calling plays. Ridley, however, used the 2023 slate to rebound after effectively two years away. The 2018 first-round pick left the Falcons in October 2021, and while the team helped him find a desired trade destination — Ridley picked Jacksonville — money may well be talking for the Florida native.

PFR’s top 50 free agent ranks listed the Titans as a potential Ridley suitor — largely due to cap space and what has transpired since the A.J. Brown trade. The Titans have not seen Brown’s immediate replacement — 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks — become a difference-maker. And less than two years after the ill-fated Brown move, the Titans ditched their GM (Jon Robinson) and HC (Mike Vrabel). The Titans were not offering Brown a deal in this ballpark; two years later, and with the cap exploding to $255.4MM, a new GM will sign off on this money for Ridley, whose career has been much rockier than the current Eagles WR1’s.

As Julio Jones‘ hamstring trouble — which helped lead the Falcons to trade him to the Titans the following year — produced a 2020 shutdown in Atlanta, his younger sidekick broke through. Ridley’s 90-catch, 1,374-yard, nine-TD season placed him on the All-Pro second team. Ridley said he played most of the 2020 season on a broken foot, but he was not informed of the break until June 2021. He underwent surgery, which was described as a minor procedure, but said he was not close to 100% by Week 1. This preceded Ridley leaving the Falcons, citing mental health reasons.

Ridley’s rookie contract tolled to 2023 due to the subsequent gambling ban, which will add more risk to this Titans bet. Although Ridley produced in spurts for the Jags in a 1,016-yard season, he will turn 30 before the 2024 season ends. Two of Ridley’s four 100-yard showings came against a struggling Titans team, though, and Carthon will place a big bet on Ridley having plenty left in the tank to help Levis. This contract will pair with Levis’ rookie deal, which runs through 2026.

Patriots To Sign DT Armon Watts, G Nick Leverett

Armon Watts is heading to New England. The veteran defensive tackle is signing with the Patriots, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

It’s a one-year for Watts, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The contract is worth $3MM.

The former sixth-round pick spent the 2023 campaign in Pittsburgh, collecting 15 tackles in 15 games. He had plenty of starting experience in his prior stops, including a career-high 12 starts with the Bears in 2022.

Watts has shown some ability to get after the QB, as he finished the 2021 campaign with a career-high five sacks while playing for the Vikings. The Patriots moved on from Lawrence Guy earlier this offseason, so there could be an opportunity for some snaps on the Patriots defensive line. Still, the 27-year-old Watts probably profiles as more of a backup piece on New England’s depth chart.

The Patriots also added some reinforcement on the offensive line today. Josina Anderson reports that the Patriots are signing offensive lineman Nick Leverett. The guard spent the past three seasons in Tampa Bay, appearing in 16 games. 11 of those appearances came during the 2022 campaign when he started a career-high 10 games.

Leverett will be hard pressed to carve out a starting role in New England, but his ability to play center and both guard spots could afford him a backup spot. He’ll compete with the likes of Jake Andrews, Michael Jordan, and Atonio Mafi for reps.

Jaguars Likely To Re-Sign WR Calvin Ridley?

3:00pm: With the new league year starting, the second part of the Ridley trade is locked in. The Falcons will receive the Jaguars’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 79). Had Ridley re-signed earlier, Atlanta would have ended up with Jacksonville’s No. 48 selection. The Jags already sent the Falcons their fifth-round choice last year. Now, the team awaits word on if it will keep the wide receiver.

2:47pm: We are minutes from the 2024 league year, which matters significantly in this particular free agency pursuit. Only the Jaguars and Patriots have been closely connected to Ridley, and Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz labels this a two-horse race. Despite Ridley’s 2021 hiatus and 2022 gambling suspension, he is expected to land a big number in free agency.

Continuing to make it clear to their 2022 trade pickup they view him as a long-term option rather than a rental, the Jags can re-sign him after 3pm CT and only send a third-round pick to the Falcons. At this point, it appears Atlanta will not be in play to collect Jacksonville’s second-rounder.

11:07am: Calvin Ridley‘s free agency has presented one of the more complex markets in recent memory, with the 2022 Jaguars-Falcons trade significantly impacting its composition. As the Patriots try to poach the former first-round pick, the Jags are not giving up.

Despite the Jags having agreed to terms with Gabe Davis, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes they have made an offer to retain Ridley. This comes after a report indicated the Patriots have made an offer to Ridley, who looms as the top wideout available after Mike Evans, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. did not end up hitting the market.

Ridley, 29, is the only one of PFR’s top 11 free agents not to have chosen a destination yet. A wink-wink agreement between Ridley and the Jags could conceivably be in place. If Jacksonville signs Ridley before 3pm CT today — the start of the 2024 league year — it goes down as an extension, meaning the team will send Atlanta its 2024 second-round pick. If Ridley re-signs with the Jags after 3pm, the Falcons will obtain the AFC South team’s third-rounder.

On that note, Jones adds the Jaguars are viewed as the more likely winner of these sweepstakes. The 2022 trade pickup is weighing the cost of living, and Florida’s lack of a state income tax has always represented an advantage against most other states housing NFL franchises. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, Ridley also chose to be traded to the Jags in 2022; the Falcons discussed the 2018 first-round pick with several teams but worked with him to find an acceptable destination. Ridley having picked the Jags 17 months ago figures to matter now as well.

Ridley returning to Jacksonville would create a crowded receiver room. The Jags already featured an unusually constructed skill-position group, one that featured four players on either veteran contracts or a fifth-year option, in 2023. With Davis coming in, the team would seemingly need to move on from either Zay Jones or Christian Kirk to avoid the stranger scenario of five veteran deals — all north of $8MM per year — being allocated to pass catchers. With Kirk working as Trevor Lawrence‘s top target for most of his tenure, Jones may be the one on the chopping block. The slot player is due a $7MM base salary and is on the Jags’ cap at $10.75MM.

The Jags will need to backload Ridley’s contract or make more moves to clear cap space, as they hold just more than $5MM. The Patriots are in much better shape, sitting with nearly $60MM despite making several moves to retain their own UFAs. Ridley staying in Jacksonville would move the focus to other available wideouts — perhaps the Chargers’ Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who have been connected to the Pats — as New England attempts to land a No. 1-caliber target.

Patriots Inquire About Chargers’ Trade Candidates; Latest On Bolts’ Plans

The Chargers sit in their own space regarding cap room. As of Wednesday morning, only three teams are over the cap. But only the Bolts are more than $2MM over. Jim Harbaugh‘s team remains $25.2MM over the cap, and the deadline for cap compliance looms in less then five hours.

The team has not made a move involving the contracts of Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams or Khalil Mack. These four pillars double as the Chargers’ top cap hits, with 2023 restructures creating big 2024 numbers. All four check in beyond the $32MM place, putting the Chargers in crunch time as they begin the Harbaugh era.

The team has until 3pm CT to move under the $255.4MM cap, creating one of the more interesting salary situations in years. As OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald points out, the Bolts have four of the top 12 cap hits in the NFL.

Conversations about trades have taken place, and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed notes the Patriots have discussed at least some of these trade candidates with the Bolts. New England features needs at both receiver and edge defender, though the team has done some work on those fronts in free agency. Kendrick Bourne and Josh Uche are returning for the Pats, but neither player’s resume comes particularly close to any of the Bolts’ trade chips.

This Pats news comes as they are pursuing Calvin Ridley. The team has made an offer to the recent Jaguars 1,000-yard receiver. A Ridley pickup would seemingly move an Allen or Williams acquisition off the table. The Pats still have Matt Judon under contract, with Uche back as a sidekick — albeit one on the inconsistent side — for at least the 2024 season. If the Patriots were to acquire Bosa or Mack, the team would certainly not run out a Judon-Uche starting duo.

New England still holds more than $59MM in cap space, leaving the team capable of absorbing one of the Los Angeles contracts. The Bolts are widely expected to trade at least one of these contracts (possibly more) today, the Washington Post’s Mark Maske tweets. A trade or release transaction involving one of this foursome should be expected, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.

The Chargers’ cap situation will make teams less inclined to fork over major assets here, as the league knows the Bolts will have to cut a player or two if no trade can come to pass. That said, a team that does not like its chances of landing one of these players on the open market could be well served to make a trade, and the Bolts have been open to that for a bit now.

All four players are tied to deals at or north of $20MM per year. Allen, 31, has been with the Chargers since 2013. Bosa, 28, has spent eight seasons with the team. Both are among the top players at their respective positions. Mack, 33, qualifies for such a classification as well; he bounced back in a big way last season, totaling a career-high 17 sacks. Williams, 29, missed most of last season with an ACL tear. The former top-10 pick’s injury history will certainly limit his trade appeal. One season remains on Mack, Williams and Allen’s contracts; Bosa is signed through 2025.

Patriots Re-Sign LB Anfernee Jennings

Despite the Patriots finishing below .500 in each of the past two seasons and changing head coaches for the first time in 24 years, they are making a concerted effort to retain their free agents.

New England has re-signed Michael Onwenu, Josh Uche and Kendrick Bourne, doing so after transition-tagging Kyle Dugger. The team will continue down this path, giving Anfernee Jennings a three-year contract to stick around. The four-year veteran linebacker agreed to a three-year, $12MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the contract can max out at $24MM.

The former third-rounder entered the league with questions about his fit with respect to playing as an inside or outside linebacker. Jennings was primarily used on the inside as a rookie before being forced to miss the 2021 season due to injury. Since then, he has grown into a notable role on the Pats’ defense.

Jennings was moved to his more familiar edge rush role in 2022, a season in which he remained a rotational contributor. He logged a defensive snap share of 32% and chipped in with 1.5 sacks and 27 tackles. The 26-year-old then became a starter this past campaign, seeing a major increase in playing time partially due to the absence of Matt Judon.

The latter’s injury did not yield an uptick in the way of pass-rush production – Jennings still only recorded 1.5 sacks – but he proved to be a stout player against the run. The Alabama product recorded 66 stops (including 14 tackles for loss) and drew a stellar PFF grade of 85.9 against the run. New England will be counting on more of the same moving forward, especially given the short-term investment made in Uche (known as a sack artist who struggles against the run).

New England ranked 27th in the league in sacks last season. Improvement in that regard could come about with Judon returning to health and an impactful addition being made in free agency and/or the draft. As things stand, though, the team’s edge contingent will look familiar in 2024.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/24

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patriots To Sign TE Austin Hooper

After agreeing to a new deal with Hunter Henry, the Patriots aren’t done adding to their tight ends room. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have agreed to a deal with Austin Hooper.

[RELATED: Patriots To Re-Sign TE Hunter Henry]

The veteran is inking a one-year deal with New England, per Rapoport. The contract can hit a max value of $4.25MM.

The move reunites Hooper with Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who was Hooper’s OC during the tight end’s two years in Cleveland. Hooper had 84 catches and seven touchdowns across two seasons with the Browns.

Hooper has struggled to match his Falcons numbers in recent years. The former third-round pick topped 500 receiving yards for Atlanta each season between 2017 and 2019. He earned Pro Bowl nods in both 2018 and 2019, and he finished that latter season with career highs in receptions (75), receiving yards (787), and touchdowns (six).

That performance earned him a four-year, $44MM deal with the Browns in 2020, but Hooper only lasted two seasons in Cleveland before getting released. He hauled in 41 catches for the Titans in 2022 before catching on with the Raiders in 2023. He finished this past season with 25 catches, his lowest total since his rookie campaign. Pro Football Focus ended up ranking him 41st among 72 qualifying tight ends, although he finished second at his position for his pass-block ability.

The Patriots brought in Mike Gesicki to replace Jonnu Smith in 2023, but the former Dolphins tight end struggled during his lone season in New England. Gesicki finished the season with 29 catches for 244 yards, his lowest totals since his rookie year.

With the Patriots eyeing a new offense in 2024, there’s a chance the organization gets more out of their tight ends. Henry is still atop the depth chart in New England, but the team has leaned heavily on their backup tight end in recent years. Besides Henry and Hooper, the only other tight end currently on the roster is La’Michael Pettway, so the Patriots may not be finished adding players at the position.

Patriots Submit Offer To WR Calvin Ridley

The Patriots’ reported interest in receiver Calvin Ridley is very real. According to Josina Anderson, the Patriots have made an offer to the free agent wideout.

[RELATED: Patriots Pursuing Calvin Ridley]

The organization is also opting to “keep a deal on the table” following today’s reports that focused on the interesting logistics of the previous Jaguars/Falcons trade. If Jacksonville re-signs Ridley before 2pm tomorrow, they’ll owe Atlanta a second-round pick. If they wait beyond that deadline and re-sign the receiver, the Jaguars would only owe the Falcons a third-round pick.

This led some pundits to believe that Ridley was destined to return to Jacksonville and was simply biding his time to provide his organization with better draft capital. However, it sounds like the Patriots are still very much in the hunt, and it’ll be interesting to see how negotiations progress over the next 24 hours.

New England holds more than $80MM in cap space, and with Ridley sitting atop the WR market, it only made sense that the Patriots would target the free agent for their new-look offense. The team moved on from Mac Jones and added veteran Jacoby Brissett, and the organization appears to be leaning towards selecting a QB with the third-overall pick. Ridley would represent an intriguing target for whoever is under center for the Patriots in 2024 and beyond.

The Patriots’ receivers struggled in 2023, although that was partly due to the team’s inconsistent play at quarterback. The team has already moved on from DeVante Parker and is looking to unload JuJu Smith-Schuster, leaving plenty of question marks atop the depth chart. The team did agree to new deals with Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor, but the rest of their depth chart features unproven options like Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshon Boutte.