Patriots Showed Interest In Stefon Diggs
During the legal tampering period’s first day, the Patriots were one of the teams to express interest in Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs. The Pats discussed Diggs with the Vikings last Monday, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.
Diggs’ tweet about a change of scenery being on the horizon indeed sparked discussions between the Vikings and Bills, per Breer, but the Pats were involved as well. Their interest, however, cooled because of their decision to use their franchise tag on Joe Thuney, Breer adds, noting that Tom Brady‘s increasingly likely departure made the need for a veteran wideout of Diggs’ caliber make less sense.
New England was doing work on potential wide receiver or tight end trades in the days between the Combine and free agency, but nothing materialized. They have since seen Brady depart for Tampa and Brian Hoyer re-sign. Thuney has signed his tender, dropping the Pats’ cap space below $5MM. The Seahawks were on the Diggs radar as well, but the Vikings opted for the Bills’ offer of first-, fifth- and sixth-round 2020 picks and a 2021 fourth.
The Patriots went through some high-profile receivers in 2019, but both Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown barely contributed to the cause last season. New England has Julian Edelman, going into his age-34 season, and N’Keal Harry as its top 2020 wideouts. Mohamed Sanu and former Panther and Cardinal Damiere Byrd factor in as well.
Patriots To Sign Brandon Copeland
Linebacker Brandon Copeland has come to an agreement with the Patriots on a one-year deal, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. Copeland can receive up to $1.1MM in the deal, according to NFL Insider Adam Caplan.
Over his four-year career, Copeland has split his time with the Lions and Jets. While he has only started 14 games over his four-year career (10 of which came in 2018), he has appeared in 60 games accruing 107 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks.
In 2019, with the Jets, Copeland received a 58.6 player grade from Pro Football Focus, which was the 49th highest grade of 89 qualified linebackers.
Patriots To Sign Brian Hoyer
The Patriots will once again reunite with quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. While Hoyer immediately becomes the most experienced signal-caller in Foxborough, it remains difficult to envision him entering the season as the team’s starter. NFL Insider Adam Caplan added that the deal is worth $2MM for one season and is fully guaranteed.
Hoyer was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State by the Patriots in 2008 before he was released in 2012. After stints with the Steelers and Cardinals, Hoyer found his first extended playing time with the Browns. Over a couple of seasons in Cleveland, Hoyer started 16 games in which the team went 10-6.
Of course, when the Browns decided to go in a direction, Hoyer went on to play with the Texans, Bears, and 49ers before rejoining the Patriots for 2017 and 2018. Last offseason Hoyer signed with the Colts and became the primary backup to Jacoby Brissett in the 2019 season. Now, Hoyer will be in a familiar situation but will be there for the first time without Tom Brady in New England.
Patriots Rumors: Brady, Edelman, Gilmore
We heard earlier this week that the Patriots made “no tangible effort” to retain Tom Brady, which drove Brady to leave Foxborough. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com paints a slightly different picture with respect to Brady’s departure, saying that Brady himself believed he had squeezed everything he could out of his relationship with head coach Bill Belichick (who may have felt similarly). Had Belichick approached Brady and suggested that the two sides do what they could to make sure the six-time Super Bowl champ finished his career with the Pats, Brady may have been receptive, but that is not Belichick’s style, and Brady never really expected that to happen.
The Patriots’ usual impersonal approach to their business, which has served them quite well over the past two decades, also played a role. The Pats generally withhold offers from players they are interested in retaining but who are allowed to test the market. That way, they avoid bidding against themselves and insulting the player, but by keeping an open dialogue, they are able to pounce if the price is right. In Brady’s case, no negotiations took place since August, and player and team may have been waiting for each other to make the first move.
Now for more from Foxborough:
- So where do the Patriots go from here? Although New England is among the league leaders in dead cap charges for 2020 ($23MM), Reiss believes the club is in line for a reboot, not a rebuild. The Pats have a much rosier financial outlook in 2021, when they are projected to have roughly $100MM of cap space, so Reiss suggests they will look to get younger and clean up their cap situation this year so they can take full advantage of their flexibility next season.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe is more pessimistic about the Pats’ immediate prospects (though he does say that the salary cap ramifications stemming from a theoretical Brady re-up made it more logical for the team to part ways). He believes the club is in for a difficult rebuild, and while there do not appear to be any concrete trade rumblings, he suggests that New England could look into dealing WR Julian Edelman and CB Stephon Gilmore.
- Indeed, Gilmore — the reigning Defensive Player of the Year — could be seeking a raise after seeing less accomplished CBs get PAID this offseason, and dealing him would certainly yield a nice return of draft capital. It depends, presumably, on whether the Patriots feel they can retool on the fly or need to tear down.
- Despite being connected to Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton in offseason rumors, the Patriots have not discussed Dalton, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic (via Twitter). We heard several days ago that New England would instead seek a cheaper veteran, and Howe suggests former Patriot Brian Hoyer could be in play (Twitter link). Hoyer, who was released by the Colts yesterday, is reportedly open to a reunion with the Pats.
Contract Details: Mayo, Patriots, Bailey
A handful of contract details to pass along:
- LB David Mayo, Giants: three-year extension. $8.4MM deal, including $3.5MM guaranteed. Salaries: $1.5MM guaranteed (2020), $2.25MM (2021), $2.5MM (2022). Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
- WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: one year, $2.5MM. $1MM base salary, $350K signing bonus, $900K in receptions incentives. Via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
- S Adrian Phillips, Patriots: two years. Deal worth up to $7.5MM, $3MM guaranteed, $1.5MM signing bonus. Can earn up to $4MM in 2020. Via Yates on Twitter.
- K Dan Bailey, Vikings: re-signed. Three-year deal worth up to $12MM. $5MM guaranteed, $3.15MM signing bonus. Via Yates on Twitter.
- OL Joe Looney, Cowboys: signed. One-year, $2.4375MM deal. As Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets, one of the new CBA’s veteran benefits is that the deal will count $1.25MM less on the cap than it would have last season.
- OT Shon Coleman, 49ers: one-year extension. Worth $962.5K, including $825K base salary and $137.5K signing bonus. Via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
- DB Jaylen Watkins, Texans: signed. Two-year deal worth $3MM, per Wilson.
- OT Roderick Johnson, Texans: re-signed. One-year deal worth $1.75MM, per Wilson.
Patriots To Sign Dan Vitale
The Patriots continue to make smaller under the radar moves as they re-tool their team in the wake of Tom Brady‘s departure. New England is signing fullback Dan Vitale, his agent Chris Cabbott told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Pats and Bill Belichick like to use fullbacks a lot, so this is a significant move. This also could spell the end of the road for the Patriots’ longtime fullback James Develin. Develin signed with New England back in 2012 and has been their full-time fullback since 2013. He was limited to only two games in 2019 because of a neck injury, and his absence had a big impact on their running game.
We haven’t heard much about him since, and it’s possible that his neck injury is going to prevent him from playing. Either way, it looks like the Pats will be moving forward with Vitale. Vitale spent last year as the Packers’ fullback, catching seven passes for 97 yards while playing about 16 percent of the offensive snaps. In 2018, Develin was used on more than 35 percent of New England’s snaps.
Patriots To Sign Adrian Phillips
The Patriots have agreed to a two-year deal with former Chargers safety Adrian Phillips, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Phillips, 28 next week, had spent his entire career with the Chargers after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but on paper, he looks like the perfect Patriot. Not only is he something of a hybrid player capable of playing both safety and linebacker, but he’s extremely active on special teams.
Phillips played on at least 40% of Los Angeles’ ST snaps in each of the past five seasons, and earned a first-team All-Pro nod as a special teamer in 2018. New England head coach Bill Belichick has always placed a priority on special teams play, and Phillips will certainly see his fair share of action in that capacity.
But Phillips will likely have a role on defense, as well. The Patriots have deployed a number of three-safety looks in recent years, and with Duron Harmon now in Detroit, New England has roughly 600 vacant safety snaps to fill. Phillips could slot into Harmon’s old role alongside Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung.
Patriots Trade Duron Harmon To Lions
The Patriots have traded defensive back Duron Harmon to the Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This will be another Patriots pick-swap deal, with Harmon and a seventh-round pick (No. 235 overall) going to Detroit in exchange for a fifth-rounder (No. 172), NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Harmon has history with head coach Matt Patricia, who previously served as the commander of the Patriots’ defense. Patricia has made it a point to bring in familiar faces from New England over the years and Harmon is just the latest to come through the pipeline.
The 29-year-old has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Patriots with near-perfect attendance. Last year, the Pats put him in the starting lineup for eight games and he finished out with 22 stops, two interceptions, and five passes defensed.
Harmon has one year to go on his deal and is set to earn a base salary of $3.5MM in 2020. After that, he’ll be on course for unrestricted free agency.
Earlier today, the Lions tapped another ex-Patriot in defensive tackle Danny Shelton. And, on Monday, they made an even bigger ex-Pats splash by agreeing to terms with linebacker Jamie Collins.
Patriots’ Joe Thuney Signs Franchise Tender
Done deal. On Thursday, offensive lineman Joe Thuney inked his one-year franchise tag tender with the Patriots, according to agent Mike McCartney (on Twitter).
For weeks, we heard that the Patriots were unlikely to retain Thuney. Then, this week, they threw everyone a curveball by assigning him the franchise tag. Initially, many speculated that Thuney would be a tag-and-trade candidate, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Patriots are already discussing a long-term deal with the 27-year-old, so it sounds like he’s in their plans for 2020 and beyond.
With the deal signed, Thuney is slated to earn $14.8MM in 2020. The two sides can continue talks on a potential extension up until the summer deadline for franchise tagged players. If they can’t reach an accord by then, they’ll have to wait until after the 2020 season to pick things up again.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Dolphins, Jets
For the first time since they drafted Drew Bledsoe at No. 1 overall in 1993, the Patriots have a need at quarterback. Tom Brady‘s Buccaneers announcement appears imminent. As for Brady’s Foxborough exit, Robert Kraft did not believe the 42-year-old icon wanted to make it work in New England any longer.
“This wasn’t about that,” Kraft said regarding the financial component to this process (via Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston). “Tom was not going to be happy being in our system.”
Brady will leave the Patriots for a team that employs arguably the NFL’s premier wideout tandem — in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — and tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. The Patriots’ refusal to give Brady an extension in 2019, along with their diminishing post-Rob Gronkowski skill-position cadre helped lead Brady to Florida, Curran posits. Replacing even an aging version of Brady will certainly not be easy for the Pats. They have been linked to Andy Dalton, but Albert Breer of SI.com anticipates the team will wait and acquire a cheaper veteran. Among the passers left in free agency: Jameis Winston, Colt McCoy and Blake Bortles.
Here is the latest from the AFC East, starting with news from the Jets’ latest effort to upgrade their edge-rushing situation:
- Linked to being interested in a Joe Burrow trade-up, the Dolphins still plan to attempt that move, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes. While the Bengals are not expected to entertain trade-up offers, the Dolphins are the only team with three first-round picks. If the Dolphins cannot pull off a Burrow coup, they want to leave the draft with either Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert, Salguero adds. The Dolphins now must be cognizant of the Chargers’ actions. The Bolts, who pick one spot behind the Dolphins at No. 6, are not expected to pursue any veteran quarterbacks after missing on Brady. That points them to taking a passer at No. 6 or trading in front of the Dolphins to land one.
- Long connected to Dante Fowler, the Jets watched the UFA edge defender choose the Falcons instead. The Jets were not prepared to go to the $16MM-AAV place the Falcons did, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic (on Twitter). Gang Green was linked to Fowler earlier in free agency, along with Jadeveon Clowney, however Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News noted to PFR the team was an aggressive player for Fowler and was not in the mix for the former top-five pick once free agency began. While the latter remains available, almost certainly due to injury concerns, the Jets’ edge options are narrowed. Longtime Jet Jordan Jenkins remains unsigned as well.
- The Jets have designated Trumaine Johnson as a post-June 1 cut, allowing them to spread out the cap hit that comes from releasing a highly paid player two years into a five-year deal. Johnson’s release will now cost the Jets $4MM in 2020 and $8MM in 2021, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Overall, the Jets saved $11MM in 2020 by making this cut. They cannot use any funds created by the Johnson release until June, however.