Patriots To Re-Sign James White
Running back James White is expected to re-sign with the Patriots, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The versatile RB with 25 touchdown catches since 2014 back in the fold for New England.
On his latest Patriots contract, White will earn $2.5MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal. This marks White’s third deal with the Pats, who most recently signed him for three years and $12MM back in 2017. He played an essential role on each of New England’s past two Super Bowl-winning teams.
White, 29, came into the league as a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2014 and that’s where he’s been ever since. He’s not just a valuable third-down tailback — he’s also a longstanding team captain. After tallying 994 all-purpose yards in 2019, he saw less time in 2020. Still, White had 49 grabs for 375 yards and a touchdown to lead all Pats RBs in receiving.
The Patriots received a promising season from 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris last season; White figures to return to his role complementing the emerging back. Sony Michel is entering a contract year, though Rex Burkhead is a free agent. It would stand to reason the Pats are not done at this position this offseason.
Patriots To Waive K Justin Rohrwasser
The Patriots will end Justin Rohrwasser‘s tenure after one year. New England is waiving the 2020 fifth-round pick, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.
A standout college kicker, Rohrwasser did not kick in a game for the Patriots. The team used Nick Folk as its kicker last season, its first without Stephen Gostkowski since 2005, and re-signed Folk last week.
Ex-second-round pick Roberto Aguayo also resides on the Patriots’ roster, leaving little room for Rohrwasser. New England initially added Folk just before Week 1 last year, cutting Rohrwasser. However, the team brought him back via practice squad deal and retained the younger specialist on a reserve/futures contract. As of Tuesday afternoon, he is back on the waiver wire.
Folk, 36, made 93% of his field goal tries last season — a career-best mark — and received some guaranteed money to stay on as the Pats’ kicker.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Geno Stone
Houston Texans
- Re-Signed: LS Jon Weeks
- Released: LS Anthony Kukwa
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: WR Mack Hollins
New England Patriots
- Released: LB Cassh Maluia, LB Michael Pinckney
New York Jets
- Released: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: WR Deontay Burnett
Washington Football Team
- Re-Signed: CB Danny Johnson, LB Jared Norris
Contract Details: Trubisky, Andrews, Carson, Jones, Reiff, Joyner
Let’s catch up on the latest contract details from around the league:
- QB Mitchell Trubisky, Bills: One-year, $2MM base salary with $1.5MM guaranteed, $500K signing bonus, and $2MM available in incentives. Via Field Yates of ESPN on Twitter.
- C David Andrews, Patriots: Four-years, $19 MM, with $6.5MM fully guaranteed. More money available in play-time incentives. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Twitter.
- RB Chris Carson, Seahawks: Two-years, $10.425MM, $4.5MM signing bonus and $1MM guaranteed salary for 2021. $4.5MM non-guaranteed 2022 salary and $450K in per-game roster bonuses in ‘22. Up to $1.4MM in incentives in both years. Via Dan Graziano of ESPN on Twitter.
- RB Aaron Jones, Packers: Four-years, $48MM. The $13MM signing bonus is the only fully guaranteed money in the contract. A $3.5MM roster bonus is due on the first day of next league year. For 2023, a $7MM roster bonus is due on the third day of the league year. You can read the full breakdown of each year of the contract via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
- OL Riley Reiff, Bengals: One-year, $7.5MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. We hadn’t known the terms of this contract yet, and $7.5MM is a pretty decent price for the Bengals for a solid starting tackle. Via Yates on Twitter.
- S Lamarcus Joyner, Jets: One-year, up to $4.5MM. $2.5MM is guaranteed, with a $1MM signing bonus and $1.5MM base salary. Up to $500K in per game active roster bonuses and $1.5MM in playing time and interception incentives. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
Draft Pick Updates: Vikings, Saints, Raiders, Patriots
The Vikings are down a draft pick. Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), the Vikings have forfeited a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 242).
“A mistake was made, we take responsibility and we respect the league’s decision and will move forward,” general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement.
Per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, the punishment is regarding an infraction from 2019. There was some kind of violation of a practice squad player’s contract, but it’s uncertain who the player was or what the violation was.
Three Vikings executives were also fined $10K each, per Smith.
Some more draft notes from around the NFL:
- Neither the Saints nor Raiders will lose a draft due to violations of the COVID-19 policies, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “They are not forfeiting them,” McCarthy said. “Neither team will lose those picks.” According to the reporter, there were rumblings that New Orleans would lose a seventh-round pick following a “mask-less locker room celebration,” and the Raiders were expected to lose a sixth-rounder due to multiple violations. While the NFL didn’t provide any context on their decision, Florio assumes both organizations appealed their penalties and were successful.
- When the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the 2021 draft, the Patriots did not have a fifth-round pick. However, a source confirmed to PFT that New England had indeed received a fifth-rounder in the upcoming draft. According to Smith, the NFL “realized a mistake in its calculation of the complex formula for determining compensatory picks,” leading to the extra Patriots selection.
- Thanks to the aforementioned compensatory-pick audit by the NFL, the Falcons are also moving two slots in the fifth round, according to Smith. Further, while the NFL only allows the addition of 32 compensatory picks each year, they’ve made an exception this time around. Thanks to the additional Patriots draft pick, the Bears normally wouldn’t have received that final compensatory pick; the NFL and NFL Players Association allowed Chicago to ultimately keep that selection.
Patriots To Sign LB Raekwon McMillan
The Patriots aren’t done shopping. On Friday, Bill Belichick & Co. agreed to sign linebacker Raekwon McMillan to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
[RELATED: Patriots Bring Back David Andrews]
McMillan spent the early part of his career with the Dolphins before being shipped to the Raiders last August. He came off the bench in most games, finishing the year with 27 stops and one forced fumble.
The hard-hitting linebacker came into the league as a second-round pick in 2017. He flashed at times and even ranked as Miami’s best defensive player in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins considered a long-term extension for him at one point but, ultimately, they were unwilling to commit. The timing wasn’t great either — talks petered out amidst the pandemic.
McMillan’s pass coverage is suspect, but he’s a solid run-blocker who should see time in the Patriots’ rotation. He’ll be joined by fellow new arrival Matt Judon in that group, along with scores of other fresh faces in the locker room.
Patriots, C David Andrews Finalizing Deal
David Andrews is returning to New England after all. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports (via Twitter) that the free agent center is finalizing a deal with the Patriots. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that it’s a four-year deal for the offensive lineman.
While the team captain is beloved in the locker room, it was uncertain if Andrews would end up returning to New England in 2021. We learned Tuesday night that Andrews’ camp was pivoting to other suitors’ offers after negotiating with the Patriots for much of the day. The veteran had made it clear that he wished to return to New England, and it sounded like Bill Belichick was willing to let Andrews test his market before re-signing. At one point, the Patriots didn’t expect to bring Andrews back, per Doug Kyed of NESN (on Twitter), explaining why the team added Ted Karras.
Andrews had at least one suitor outside of New England. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins were in on Andrews’ services, even after the team inked Matt Skura to a deal.
Andrews joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015, and he started 57 of his 60 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL. He ended up missing the entire 2019 campaign after getting diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, but he managed to return in time for the 2020 season. He missed a handful of games with a thumb injury, ultimately appearing in 72-percent of the Patriots’ offensive snaps in 12 games.
There’s going to be a bit of change on the Patriots offensive line next season, as the team traded for offensive tackle Trent Brown before watching starting lineman Joe Thuney sign with the Chiefs. Andrews will certainly be relied on to provide veteran leadership and guidance to the offensive line in 2021.
Patriots To Re-Sign K Nick Folk
The Patriots have added plenty of free agents from outside the organization this week, but they’re also keeping some of their own guys. New England is re-signing kicker Nick Folk to a one-year deal, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Yates reports that it comes with $1.225MM guaranteed. Meanwhile, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the deal has a $1.625MM base value, comes with a $125K signing bonus, and can be worth up to $2.5MM with incentives. After Stephen Gostkowski missed most of the 2019 season and was then released, the Pats have had a bit of an unstable kicking situation the past couple years.
They cycled through a few options, but now may have solved things with Folk. The former Cowboys and Jets kicker was out of the league for a little bit, and even spent some time with the Arizona Hotshots of the ill-fated AAF. He latched on for a handful of games with New England in 2019, then was signed again last August.
He ended up kicking in all 16 games last year, making 26 of 28 field goal attempts and 30 of 33 extra point attempts. Folk turned 36 in November.
Latest On Patriots, Stephon Gilmore
We heard a couple days ago that Stephon Gilmore might be back on the trade block, but don’t count on the Patriots cornerback going anywhere anytime soon.
The Patriots “are not actively shopping” Gilmore, Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes. He acknowledges that Gilmore “has come up in trade conversations over the past year,” but says “nothing has ever come close to materializing.” He added rather firmly “that’s remained the case of late. If Gilmore’s name has come up in any discussions, it hasn’t been a result of the Patriots trying to unload him.”
It sounds like other interested teams might be calling the Patriots, but not the other way around. The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is entering the final season of his contract, which has led many to speculate New England could try to deal him now and cash in with draft picks if they don’t think they’ll be able to re-sign him.
But it shouldn’t be treated as a foregone conclusion that Bill Belichick won’t pay up to lock him up with another long-term deal. To the contrary, Howe thinks the fact that they aren’t actively shopping him might mean “there’s some level of belief the two sides can get something done.”
Needless to say given his recent accolades, Gilmore will be looking for a big payday when he hits the open market at the age of 31 next offseason. Despite playing in only 11 games, the former Bill made the Pro Bowl yet again this past year. New England does usually prefer to get rid of players too early rather than too late, so it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if they trade him before the start of the year or let him walk next March.
Patriots To Sign Montravius Adams
The Patriots have been the big spenders of the first week of free agency, and they aren’t done yet. New England is signing defensive end Montravius Adams, his agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s a one-year pact worth up to $2.5MM, Schefter reports. As he notes, it’s the fifth deal that Rosenhaus has done with the Pats this week. Adams comes to the Patriots from Green Bay, where he didn’t get much playing time but apparently flashed enough promise. A third-round pick out of Auburn in 2017, Adams appeared in only eight games this past year with no starts, making 11 tackles and no sacks.
He played 12.6 percent of the defensive snaps total, so about 25 percent in the eight games he played. He started two games in 2019 and one the year before. He has just 1.5 sacks in his career. It’s not as splashy as some of their other signings, but the defensive front was a weakness for the Patriots last year and Bill Belicihck is leaving no stone unturned in improving it. Adams is still only 25.