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New England Patriots News & Rumors

Latest On Stephon Gilmore, N’Keal Harry

July 8th, 2021 at 10:58am CST by Sam Robinson

Two former first-round picks have come up in Patriots trade rumors this offseason, with N’Keal Harry‘s request following rumblings related to walk-year cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Harry appears to have a better chance to be out of Foxborough in the near future.

The third-year wide receiver generated trade interest earlier this offseason but has some dead money in his contract. Still, if the Patriots do plan to unload him, a source informs Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio a fifth-round pick may be in play. Another evaluator is a bit less bullish on a potential return, viewing a sixth-rounder as the projected compensation for Harry, via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).

While these conclusions would be a value loss and add to the Bill Belichick-era Pats’ woeful record with highly drafted wideouts, the team has changed up its receiver room and may also be considering cutting Harry.

[RELATED: Stephon Gilmore Not Expecting Trade]

Although Harry is behind multiple free agents, with former UDFA wideouts also potentially having the edge on him for spots, Gilmore remains on track to be New England’s top cornerback in 2021. The All-Pro defender has expressed dissatisfaction with his salary, though his $7MM paragraph 5 figure is this low because of the Patriots moving money from 2021 to 2020 to appease their underpaid corner. But this process, Gilmore’s minicamp holdout notwithstanding, has not produced acrimony just yet.

The Pats, however, are not likely to give Gilmore a new contract ahead of the season, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, adding that an incentive package similar to the ones the team gave Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in 2018 makes more sense as a compromise. Gilmore’s 2020 play did not match his 2019 dominance — in a season that ended early because of a quadriceps tear and one that involved a COVID-19 contraction — and he will turn 31 in September.

New England should not be expected to pay Gilmore top-market cornerback money, and the corner’s camp identifying Darius Slay‘s Eagles extension (three years, $50.1MM) may even be too much. Gilmore might not reach the $15-$16MM-per-year range, Volin adds. It will be interesting to see, then, where the 10th-year veteran takes his holdout. The new CBA forces teams to dock players $50K for each training camp absence, and they are no longer allowed to waive fines after a player reports.

Latest On Patriots, WR N’Keal Harry

July 6th, 2021 at 8:55pm CST by Ben Levine

N’Keal Harry may have requested a trade, but the Patriots wideout could end up having a chance to choose his next team. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes on Twitter, we “can’t rule out the Patriots simply cutting” the former first-round pick.

[RELATED: Patriots WR N’Keal Harry Requests Trade]

New England still owes Harry a bit more than $2MM in guaranteed salary. However, as Volin observes, that number would be reduced based on how much money Harry received from his next team. It’s worth noting that the receiver is set to earn a fully guaranteed salary of $1.413MM in 2021, and his minimum salary would be set around $850K, so the Patriots would at most be on the hook for around $500K if they cut him.

For comparison’s sake, the Patriots would be left with cap charges of $1.341MM in both 2021 and 2022 if they found a trade suitor for Harry. In other words, it really only makes sense for the Patriots to trade the 23-year-old if they receive an asset that they value more than the ~$800K ($1.34MM-$500K) in cap relief.

Further, releasing Harry might make more sense from a practical standpoint. Teams won’t be looking to give away anything significant for the potential bust, and as Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston writes, the Patriots have been trying to trade Harry throughout the offseason. If the Patriots had already received a logical offer for the wideout, he’d probably be gone, and it’s unlikely that today’s development will change the market all that much. In fact, Curran opines that the trade request is simply Harry’s attempt to “save face” before he’s inevitably dumped.

Through his agent, Harry requested a trade from the Patriots today. The Arizona State product has disappointed since being selected with the No. 32 pick in the 2o19 draft. Through two seasons, Harry has hauled in 45 receptions on 414 yards and four scores. Harry had a chance to prove himself in 2020 with a depleted depth chart, but he’ll have a tougher time getting looks in 2021 following the additions of Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor (plus tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith).

Patriots Sign No. 15 Pick Mac Jones

July 6th, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

They’re starting to go quickly now. Just one day after Trevor Lawrence became the latest of the unsigned rookie first-round picks to ink his deal, Mac Jones is joining him.

The former Alabama quarterback has signed his rookie contract with the Patriots, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New England, of course, took Jones 15th overall in the 2021 draft. For weeks leading up to the draft there were persistent rumors that the 49ers would take Jones at three, but obviously those turned out not to be true.

Instead Jones endured a bit of a slip, falling to the middle of the first-round where Bill Belichick was waiting to nab him. After a season where he put up gaudy numbers under Nick Saban, Jones is getting his first taste of pro ball with another legendary coach in Belichick.

His four-year pact, which comes with a team option for a fifth-year, is worth $15.6MM. All that money is guaranteed, and he’ll get a signing bonus of around $8.7MM. Now that his contract is settled, he can focus all his attention on the upcoming quarterback competition.

Jones is expected to face off against Cam Newton in what appears to be a truly open battle in training camp to be the team’s Week 1 starter. Jones took over for an injured Tua Tagovailoa down the stretch in 2019, and became Alabama’s full-time starter in 2020.

Although the starter for only one year, he sure made his mark. Jones threw for 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 14 games, averaging a ridiculous 11.2 yards per attempt and coming in third in the Heisman voting.

Patriots WR N’Keal Harry Requests Trade

July 6th, 2021 at 1:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a quiet week, but drama is now brewing in New England. Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry has requested a trade, his agent Jamal Tooson announced Tuesday, via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter).

Tooson says in his statement that “for the past several months,” he’s been “working in cooperation with the Patriots behind the scenes to put a plan in place to allow N’Keal to thrive in New England.” “Following numerous conversations” with the team, Tooson apparently came to the conclusion that it would be best for N’Keal to get a fresh start “before the start of training camp.” As such, he is “formally requesting a trade on behalf” of his client.

Harry was taken with the last pick of the first-round in 2019, and has been a disappointment as a pro. The Arizona State product starred in college but only has 45 catches in 21 career games with the Pats. It’ll be very interesting to see what the trade market looks like for him, if there is one at all.

As a first-round pick, the next two years of Harry’s salaries are fully guaranteed. He’s still only 23, but the fact that he has struggled to get looks with the Patriots’ less than impressive receiving group isn’t a good sign.

As a rookie he was limited to seven games by an ankle issue, but he played a bigger role in 2020. He finished the season with 33/309/2 in 14 games and nine starts, but currently finds himself behind guys like Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor on the depth chart.

Patriots Considering Cutting N'Keal Harry?

July 6th, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

Patriots Hire Quality Control Coach

July 5th, 2021 at 12:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • Staying in the AFC East, the Patriots have a new hire. New England is adding Richmond cornerbacks coach Ross Douglas to their staff as a quality control coach, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports tweets. Douglas was only hired by Richmond in February before the Patriots have now poached him away. Thamel notes that Douglas spent 2020 on Greg Schiano’s staff at Rutgers and Schiano has connections to the Pats and Bill Belichick, so maybe that played a role here. Douglas played college ball at both Michigan and Rutgers between 2013-17.

Although he might not surpass George Kittle‘s $15MM AAV to become the league’s highest-paid tight end, Zrebiec thinks “he probably won’t be far off.” He writes that Andrews will “likely command more than the” $12.5MM that both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith got from the Patriots this offseason. The Ravens drafted Andrews 86th overall in 2018, and they got a steal. The Oklahoma product made the Pro Bowl in 2019, when he finished with 852 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last year he was once again Jackson’s favorite target over the middle, finishing with a solid 701 yards in 14 games. Zrebiec says the likeliest bet is Andrews gets an extension, so it sounds like Jackson won’t be the only member of Baltimore’s offense getting paid shortly.

Stephon Gilmore Not Expecting Trade

July 1st, 2021 at 1:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The subject of trade rumors at multiple junctures over the past year, Stephon Gilmore remains tied to the Patriots contract he signed in 2017. A resolution will need to take place fairly soon, with training camp beginning in less than a month and the former Defensive Player of the Year set to earn just $7MM in base salary.

Nothing has emerged indicating Gilmore and the Pats have made progress on another deal. While stalemates often lead to exits, this situation is not expected to produce a trade. During this months-long issue, the All-Pro cornerback has not expected to be dealt, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com noted during a SportsCenter appearance (h/t Bleacher Report). The most recent Gilmore trade rumors surfaced in March, but the Patriots’ moves since point to them planning for their No. 1 corner to be around in 2021.

[RELATED: No Acrimony Between Patriots, Stephon Gilmore]

New England deviated from its usual free agency pattern by acquiring several high-priced veterans. Adding the likes of Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Matt Judon, Kyle Van Noy and Trent Brown (via trade) illustrates the Pats’ plans for the 2021 season fairly well, and Gilmore has taken notice the team did not make a major cornerback addition, per Fowler. The Pats did sign Jalen Mills and have moved him back to corner from the safety role he played in 2020. But Gilmore should still be expected to head up New England’s coverage corps. New England did not draft a corner.

Although Gilmore did not reach his dominant 2019 level in 2020 — an 11-game season for the nine-year veteran — and will be 31 this season, he represents a key piece for the Pats’ playoff chances. The contract issue is not going away, however. Gilmore skipped minicamp and recently made reference to the cornerback salary landscape — in a since-deleted tweet, via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.

Gilmore’s average annual value is no longer especially relevant, since he is in Year 5 of a five-year contract, but the new cornerback market certainly will pertain to his next deal. And the four-time Pro Bowler has certainly noticed several less accomplished players pass him in recent years. Gilmore’s $13MM AAV ranks tied for 13th among corners. His camp having pointed to Darius Slay‘s three-year, $50MM deal as a comparable contract suggests he is willing to be flexible with the Pats, with Slay’s $16.7MM AAV off the Jalen Ramsey–Marlon Humphrey top tier.

As Jason McCourty‘s recent run shows, the Pats are willing to deploy thirtysomething corners. It remains to be seen if they will pay big money for Gilmore’s early-30s seasons, however.

Latest On Unsigned First-Round Rookies

June 29th, 2021 at 9:53pm CST by Ben Levine

After the Falcons inked first-round tight end Kyle Pitts to his rookie deal earlier today, there are eight first-round rookies who remain unsigned:

1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)

This isn’t a huge cause for concern, as first-round contracts are pretty standard and by-the-book. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has an explanation for why at least a handful of these players still haven’t put pen to paper. According to the reporter (via Twitter), there are still some “wrinkles to work out” for the notable quarterback deals. This sentiment would presumably apply to each of the top-three picks, and it could even be referring to Patriots first-round quarterback Mac Jones.

There’s a number of minor details that agents could be pushing for, including signing bonus terms or any other contract language that goes beyond the standard, boilerplate options. On the other side, teams could be pushing for some type of offset language, meaning the organization would get some financial flexibility if the player for some reason doesn’t finish their rookie contract with the team.

When it comes to the quarterbacks, most of the agents are probably waiting to see how Lawrence’s deal unfolds in Jacksonville. Alternatively, if Bill Belichick and the Patriots (somehow) give in to any demands from Jones camp, you can bet the top-three QBs would argue for similar benefits. While there are a number of reasons why the other, non-QB players have yet to sign, one could guess that the two offensive lineman may be pushing for similar terms (Vera-Tucker could also simply be waiting for his teammate to sign their contract). Etienne is in a unique position as one of only two first-round running backs (or, like Vera-Tucker, he could be waiting for his teammate), while Newsome recently fired his agent.

The teams and the players will want the contracts settled prior to training camp in late-July, but that still leaves a few weeks for negotiating.

Patriots Notes: Rookies, Winovich, Uche

June 28th, 2021 at 10:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Bill Belichick and the Patriots front office still have some tasks to complete before the start of training camp. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes, the team still hasn’t signed first-round quarterback Mac Jones, and both second-round defensive tackle Christian Barmore and third-round defensive end Ronnie Perkins also remain unsigned. According to Reiss, the players’ agents are waiting “to see more contracts finalized before moving forward,” so it’s only a matter of time before these rooks are under contract.

The team also needs to resolve their standoff with cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who’s set to play the 2021 season on a below-market $7MM salary. Reiss said the situation “hardly seems contentious,” but both sides will eventually be looking for a resolution.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com recently suggested that a new deal could be in place by the end of the summer (Twitter link), and since New England clearly has designs on returning to the playoffs this season, keeping Gilmore in the fold would seem imperative. However, there are complications. Gilmore will turn 31 in September, and though he made the Pro Bowl last season, that bid seemed to be based more on name recognition than anything else. He played in only 11 games due to injury and COVID-19, and Pro Football Focus ranked him just 61st among qualified corners. On the flip side, he’s only a year removed from a Defensive Player of the Year Award.

More news out of New England:

  • Reiss recently observed that he didn’t see much of Chase Winovich during minicamp, and the writer wondered if the third-year player could see a reduced role following the additions of linebackers Matt Judon and Kyle Van Noy (paired with the return of Dont’a Hightower). Reiss later noted that Winovich is sticking around New England before training camp, and he’s been preparing for the upcoming season at Gillette Stadium. We recently explored Winovich’s potential availability via trade.
  • There’s another reason why Winovich could see a lesser role in 2021: teammate Josh Uche was one of the standouts during minicamp. Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the team could use Uche similarly to Van Noy; while the 2020 second-round pick will have a surefire role on the edge, he could also see some time at inside linebacker depending on his development in coverage.
  • Earlier tonight, we celebrated (?) the one-year anniversary of Cam Newton joining the New England Patriots.

This Date In Transactions History: Cam Newton Joins The Patriots

June 28th, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cam Newton era in New England effectively began one year ago today. On June 28, 2020, we learned that the former MVP was signing a one-year deal with the Patriots. While the contract was officially inked on July 8, we’re going to count today as the one-year anniversary.

Newton dealt with a number of injuries during his final seasons with the Panthers, including a 2018 shoulder relapse and 2019 Lisfranc surgery. After barely playing during that 2019 campaign, the Panthers ended up pivoting to Teddy Bridgewater, making their former first-overall pick expendable. The Panthers were unable to find a trade partner for Newton, and they ultimately cut the veteran in late March. Several months later, Newton finally found a suitor in the Patriots, who signed him to an inexpensive, prove-it deal.

Newton was entering a tricky situation with the Patriots. For starters, he was replacing a legendary quarterback in Tom Brady, and it was going to be a major uphill battle for any new signal-caller to somewhat replicate the production and success of the (then) six-time champ. Plus, Newton was limited to only a pair of games in 2019, and instead of getting a full offseason to fully rehab and learn a new system, he lingered in free agency for more than three months. In other words, Newton wasn’t necessarily put in a position to succeed.

Still, with only Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham standing in his way, Newton predictably earned the starting gig. The veteran missed one game while recovering from COVID, but Newton otherwise saw time in 15 games for the Patriots. While the team had a solid 7-8 record with the 2015 MVP under center, Newton’s numbers were disappointing. He still showed his usual talent on the ground, collecting 592 rushing yards and 12 scores (plus a receiving touchdown), but he only threw for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Following that 2020 performance, many assumed that Newton wouldn’t be in New England in 2021. However, the Patriots ended up re-signing the 32-year-old to a one-year pact that could be worth up to $13.6MM. Plus, following a 2020 season where Newton’s targets were mostly unproven, the team brought in a number of free agent weapons, including Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne. This time around, it seems that the Patriots were actually putting their veteran in a position to succeed.

Of course, the difference this time around is that Newton faces some formidable competition from first-round quarterback Mac Jones. While it sounds like the Patriots may initially lean on Newton as their starter, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rookie takes over if (or when) the veteran struggles.

With a year of hindsight, it’s tough to describe the Patriots/Newton pairing as a success. The two sides have a chance to reverse that narrative in 2021, but there’s a better chance that the veteran eventually finds himself as a backup.

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