Patriots Re-Sign Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer‘s second stint with the Patriots has been extended. The quarterback has agreed to a two-year, $4MM deal according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Patriots Re-Sign Devin McCourty]
Hoyer’s third stint with the Patriots will continue. Hoyer was brought in last year to mentor Mac Jones and played a role in the rookie’s development. Now, heading into Year Two, the Pats may have a top-10 caliber QB in Jones and a steady veteran backstop behind him.
“Brian’s been a really close friend of mine since I’ve gotten here, and I know he’s older than me, and [I] might be closer in age to his son, Garrett, but he’s still a really good mentor, and he just does a great job every week,” Jones said in October (via Jim McBride of The Boston Globe). “He’s super supportive of me and trying to help me in any way he can, and, you know, he’s hard on me sometimes, which is good, so he holds me to a high standard, and then he also has fun and enjoys the game, so he’s been around for a long time, and I think all the quarterbacks in our room have done that, and Brian is just a great example of a great team leader and a great team player.’’
Hoyer, entering his 14th pro year, saw time in five games last year, completing nine of eleven passes. He’ll be re-joined by guard/center James Ferentz, who also agreed to a new deal on Monday, per McBride.
Pats Re-Sign Veteran DB Devin McCourty
The Patriots are bringing back veteran defensive back Devin McCourty for another season, according to the twins’ joint-Twitter account earlier this evening. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the older twin will be returning on a one-year deal worth $9MM. 
McCourty has started every game he’s ever played for the Patriots. Over his 12-year career, McCourty has appeared in 188 regular season games and 24 playoff games, only missing 5 games throughout his career. While he’s never quite matched the production of his rookie year when he intercepted 7 passes and broke up 17, he has long been a staple in the New England secondary, never failing to secure an interception in a season.
The Patriots tend to play three safeties and two corners on defense a lot of the time. Relying on J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills to lock down outside receivers, McCourty, Adrian Phillips, and Kyle Dugger are able to roam around and cover based on matchups and formations. The trio of safeties produced 11 interceptions between them, with Dugger coming on strong in his second season. The Patriots would love to see Dugger seamlessly step in when the 34-year-old McCourty decides to hang up the cleats.
With Jackson heading to the open market, the Patriots’ cornerbacks cupboard is looking pretty bare. Behind Mills is third-year corner Joejuan Williams and reserve corner Justin Bethel. McCourty’s experience at corner could be useful, but should be thought of as a last resort, as most corners move to safety in their advanced age, not the other way around. More likely the Patriots will look to the Draft and free agency to fill that hole.
Regardless, the Patriots bring back a leader. A durable one. He may not be able to produce on the field like he did in the 2010’s, but his role as the quarterback of the secondary makes him a valuable addition to the team’s 2022 defense.
Patriots Tender Jakobi Meyers
The Patriots will use the second-round restricted free agent tender on wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In a related move, they’ve elected not to tender fullback Jakob Johnson. 
[RELATED: Teams Showing Interest In Patriots’ Harry]
Per the terms of this year’s second-round tender, Meyers will be retained on a one-year, $3.986MM deal. However, if another team pries him away, the Patriots will receive a second-round pick in exchange.
Johnson, meanwhile, could have been cuffed at the lowest-level RFA tender, which would have paid him $2.433MM. It’s still possible that he could return to the Patriots, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) hears, though it’d be a lower salary.
Meyers began his career at North Carolina State as a quarterback, before moving to wide receiver as a sophomore. In his third year on campus, he put himself on the NFL radar with 63 grabs for 727 yards and four touchdowns. He followed that up with 92/1,047/5, but still went undrafted.
The Pats saw something in him, however, and he’s blossomed into one of their best offensive weapons. Last year, Meyers set new pro watermarks with 83 catches for 866 yards and two touchdowns.
Teams Showing Interest In Patriots WR N’Keal Harry
Despite an invisible stint in New England, wideout N’Keal Harry is still generating some interest around the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed (on Twitter), “teams have shown recent interest” in the former first-round pick, and the receiver is “a potential trade candidate before the draft.”
The 2019 first-round pick hasn’t clicked with any of New England’s three QBs (Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Mac Jones) during his three seasons in the league. In 33 games (18 starts), Harry has hauled in 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver has earned some high marks for his blocking, but he’d still be a bottom-of-the-depth-chart option for most teams.
New England will eventually have to make a decision on the receiver’s fifth-year option, but there’s little chance it’ll be picked up. Harry has a $3.2MM cap hit in 2022.
Patriots Release Kyle Van Noy
The Patriots have made a notable cost-cutting move. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the team is releasing veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy (Twitter link). 
Van Noy, who will be 31 by the start of the 2022 season, signed in New England last year following a single campaign in Miami. As a result of the way the deal was structured, he accounted for a reasonable $4.37MM against the cap in 2021. However, that figure was set to jump to $7.4MM for next year. New England will save nearly $5MM by letting him go.
Originally a draft pick of the Lions, Van Noy is most well-known for his solid play with the Patriots. 2021 was no exception, as he posted 66 tackles, five sacks and a pick-six. In coverage, he earned a PFF grade of 84.3, proving his value in all aspects of the game. Like in every full season in New England, he played over 80% of the team’s defensive snaps.
On the other hand, Van Noy was a member of the linebacking corps which struggled to handle faster offensive opponents. With Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley all pending free agents, this move creates the possibility that nearly the entire position group could be different come next season. Outside of Matt Judon, the team has little in the way of known commodities at the second level of their defense.
The release means Van Noy is free to sign at any time, rather than having to wait until the official beginning of free agency. For the second straight year, he finds himself in the position of needing to find a new home after a productive season; the Patriots, meanwhile, now have just under $13.5MM in cap space to work with.
AFC Notes: Bailey, Steelers, Collins, Weeks
Going into the last year of his contract, Patriots punter Jake Bailey was set to earn a base salary of $925,000 for the 2022 NFL season. Due to a proven performance bonus that was triggered when Bailey was selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl, Bailey is on track to be the NFL’s highest-paid punter with a 2022 salary of $3.98MM, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
A knee injury limited Bailey in the 2021 season which saw him struggle to live up to his expected salary. It’s now assumed that the Patriots will begin working towards a contract extension to lessen the cap hit Bailey is posed to hold. In a normal situation, the Patriots might want to see another season of success out of Bailey after a down 2021, but Bailey’s raise puts a little pressure on New England to work out a deal sooner rather than later.
Here are a few more notes from around the AFC, starting with a note from the Steel City:
- In an article for The Athletic, Ed Bouchette poses the question: What does Pittsburgh do about their pass-catchers this offseason? The Steelers have long subscribed to the notion that they don’t need to sign a receiver to a multi-year extension (with the exception of Antonio Brown). They can (and do) always just draft another. Now, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud are headed towards free agency. They still have Diontae Johnson (heading into a contract year, himself) and Chase Claypool, but both have had their own issues: Johnson with drops and Claypool failing to improve on an impressive rookie-season. Pittsburgh can (and likely will) turn to the second and third round of the draft to address the thin roster, as usual, but do they break protocol to ensure they have at least three receivers they can trust?
- After a one-year deal brought him to Houston, defensive tackle Maliek Collins has the Texans hooked. The 3-tech tackle played a pivotal role in now-head coach Lovie Smith‘s defense and the Texans are determined to pluck him off the open market and keep him in Houston. Luckily for Lovie, the feeling is reportedly mutual, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Collins is a strong fit in Houston and embraced his new team and his role on the team. Smith gushed about Collins and his impact, identifying him as the linchpin of their defensive system.
- We mentioned a couple weeks ago that the Texans were able to re-sign long-time long snapper Jon Weeks on a one-year deal. Details on the contract were provided this week by Aaron Wilson on Twitter. Weeks will stay around the veteran minimum, slightly increasing his base salary from $1.08MM to $1.12MM and slightly increasing his signing bonus from $137,500 to $152,500. Consider it a cost-of-living raise for Weeks who will become the franchise’s longest-tenured player of all time when he reaches his 13th season this fall, passing star wide receiver Andre Johnson for the most seasons in Houston of all time.
NFC South Notes: Wirfs, Trask, Saints, Gilmore
The Buccaneers cruised on Super Wild Card Weekend to a mostly stress-free victory over the Eagles in January. While they were all smiles on the field, in the locker room, Pro Bowl right tackle Tristan Wirfs was preparing himself for a lengthy recovery. Wirfs left the game early in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury and, soon after, found out that he had suffered two torn ligaments, including one off the bone, and was initially thought to need surgery to repair his ankle.
Well, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, a second opinion informed Wirfs that surgery was not necessary and, after receiving an injection in the ankle, he’s made progress in his recovery and is expected to avoid surgery altogether.
Here are some other notes from the NFC South, starting with another note from central Florida:
- According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, head coach Bruce Arians has announced that quarterback Kyle Trask will be given a legitimate chance to replace Tom Brady in training camp. With the retirement of Brady leaving the position behind center wide open for the taking, the second-year player out of the nearby University of Florida will attempt to show his worth as the team’s second-round pick from last year. Veteran Blaine Gabbert spent the 2021 season as Brady’s primary backup, but he is heading back to the free agent market, unless Arians and company decide to bring him back. As of right now, Trask is the only active quarterback on contract in Tampa Bay. It has yet to be seen whom his competition will be.
- On Monday, news dropped that the University of Alabama’s director of sports science, Dr. Matt Rhea, is expected to join the staff in New Orleans, according to Josh Pate of CBS Sports. Rhea has worked with the Tide for two years after a similar stint on staff with the Indiana Hoosiers. He also brings with him 13 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach.
- The Panthers acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore via a trade with the Patriots last season. After overcoming an early quad injury to start the season, Gilmore put forth an impressive performance in eight games for Carolina. The Panthers would love to bring Gilmore back on a new deal, but, with Gilmore expected to draw offers up to $14MM, he is expected to test free agency, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
AFC East Rumors: Bills, Jets, Douglas, Jackson
On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul made comments that all but guaranteed that an agreement for a new stadium for the Bills will be made soon, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
Highmark Stadium (previously Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, and New Era Field) has been the home of the Bills since 1973. The Bills’ current lease on Highmark expires in 2023 and the franchise has been pushing with many government entities to build them a shiny, new stadium. The team has used the very real looming threat that there are plenty of other markets in the country that can support an NFL franchise.
Hochul commented on that threat saying, “That’s why we’re negotiating very intently, to make sure we have the right outcome for this community.” The new stadium will partially be funded by the public to the tune of about $850MM. The Governor claims that a deal will be done by April 1, in time for the annual budget.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC East, starting with a couple of notes that keep us in the Empire State:
- The Jets are planning to use this offseason to add some weapons to the roster for quarterback Zach Wilson. They currently have Corey Davis and Elijah Moore sitting atop the depth chart. They would love to bring back Braxton Berrios as a fourth-receiver/gadget player and they haven’t yet given up on Denzel Mims. Still, New York will have ample opportunity to add a potential No. 1 receiver to the roster, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. The free agent market is home to many household names like Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Mike Williams, and, potentially, Amari Cooper. Players like Calvin Ridley and Cole Beasley have been rumored to be available via trade. The 2022 NFL Draft is also so rich in talented receivers that many believe some first round talent could fall to the second round where the Jets have two high picks, if they don’t choose to take a top prospect like Garrett Wilson or Drake London with the 10th overall pick.
- That being said, Vacchiano also reports that, despite their vast spending ability, general manager Joe Douglas has been preaching the maintenance of financial flexibility. Though the Jets rank in the Top 5 in the NFL in salary cap space, Douglas rejected the notion that their $50-60MM in cap space will be dedicated to big spending in free agency. Douglas acknowledged free agency as just one of “a lot of different tools to improve your roster” and pointed to the Bengals as an example of responsible free agent spending. “I think Cincy did great in free agency last year,” he said. “They didn’t blow the doors off in terms of signing super high-priced guys. They brought in guys who fit exactly what they wanted to do.”
- According to Mike Giardi of NFL Network, Patriots’ cornerback JC Jackson is likely headed for free agency with some lofty expectations. While Jackson still likes the Patriots, money is a big factor for the 26-year-old. Giardi claims that Jackson is strictly seeking compensation similar to Jalen Ramsey. New England won’t bring that money to the table and it sounds like they won’t be utilizing their franchise tag on Jackson, either. That information could lead to a tag and trade situation if other teams aren’t willing to shell out for Jackson in free agency.
Patriots, Panthers Discuss Robby Anderson
Although the Patriots completed a decent bounce-back effort last season, they did not equip Mac Jones with much help at the wide receiver position. New England might address that need with a veteran.
The Pats contacted the Panthers on Robby Anderson, per The Athletic’s Joe Person and Jeff Howe (Twitter link). No deal is imminent, Person tweets, but after Anderson regressed last year, the team is “more than willing” to listen. The Panthers gave Anderson a two-year, $29.5MM extension before last season.
While Carolina’s quarterback situation was not exactly conducive to wideout production, D.J. Moore still surpassed 1,100 yards. Anderson slid from 1,096 with Teddy Bridgewater in 2020 to a career-worst 519 during the Panthers’ chaotic QB season. The Patriots are certainly familiar with Anderson’s work, from his four Jets seasons. Anderson, who will turn 29 in May, is due $10MM and $8.8MM base salaries over the next two years.
No Pats receiver topped 900 yards last season, and ex-UDFA Jakobi Meyers has led the team in receiving in each of the two post-Tom Brady years. Meyers can be kept in 2022 via RFA tender, while the Pats have 2021 additions Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne under contract. Bourne is signed through 2023, with Agholor’s deal up after the ’22 slate. Agholor finished with just 473 yards last season — fourth-most on the team — despite signing a two-year, $26MM accord. His cap number is set to spike from $6.9MM last year to $14.9MM in 2022. N’Keal Harry remains a Patriot, but the former first-rounder has never factored in prominently in this offense.
New England has not been shy about trading for wideouts in recent years. Brandin Cooks, Mohamed Sanu, Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett came to Foxborough via trade since 2017. It will be interesting to see if other names pop up beyond Anderson for the wideout-needy team.
Latest On Patriots’ J.C. Jackson
With one week remaining until the deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag, the situation with the Patriots and top cornerback J.C. Jackson remains up in the air. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, it is unlikely the team will apply the tag, unless a trade partner can be found. 
[Related: No Talks Between Patriots, J.C. Jackson]
Without a tag-and-trade option on the table for the Patriots, Reiss “rate[s] the odds of them tagging Jackson as low”. It was reported one week ago that the two sides hadn’t held talks for a new deal after the team’s playoff elimination. That would continue a trend that points towards the 26-year-old finding a new home in free agency. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recalls that during negotiations this past spring and fall, the two camps “weren’t in the same stratosphere” as each other.
For that reason, Breer concurs that New England’s likeliest usage of the tag – which will come in at a cost of $17.3MM – would be to facilitate a trade. If that kind of deal doesn’t materialize in the coming days, though, Jackson could become the next in a relatively long line of Patriots corners the team moves on from, rather than committing to with expensive second contracts.
Coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Jackson leads the NFL in interceptions over the past four seasons with 25. That total – not to mention 53 pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and impressive coverage stats during that span as well – should earn him a sizeable new deal on the open market should he reach free agency. Breer estimates the acquisition cost for an interested team to be a second round pick, which would most likely be followed by a medium- to long-term financial commitment to Jackson.
With limited time still remaining for the Patriots to make a deal, either with Jackson or another team, this situation is set to come to a head – and shape the rest of the team’s offseason in the process – soon.