Patriots Notes: Caserio, Ossenfort
The Patriots have a big offseason ahead of them. Obviously there’s still the Tom Brady situation to work out, but there are some important behind the scenes decisions that need to be made as well. The front office is in a bit of limbo, as two prominent execs in Nick Caserio and Monti Ossenfort are both on expiring contracts that run out in May. The Texans originally tried to hire Caserio as their GM last year, which resulted in tampering charges. There’s now a good chance that both Caserio and Ossenfort move on from the Pats before the 2020 season, per Albert Breer of SI.com.
The Patriots have a big offseason ahead of them. Obviously there’s still the Tom Brady situation to work out, but there are some important behind the scenes decisions that need to be made as well. The front office is in a bit of limbo, as two prominent execs in Nick Caserio and Monti Ossenfort are both on expiring contracts that run out in May. The Texans originally tried to hire Caserio as their GM last year, which resulted in tampering charges. There’s now a good chance that both Caserio and Ossenfort move on from the Pats before the 2020 season, per Albert Breer of SI.com.
Even though we just heard recently that the Texans weren’t going to hire a GM and would continue with Bill O’Brien running the show, Breer writes that the “Texans would find a way to hire him as GM” if Caserio wanted to work in Houston. If Caserio and Ossenfort both leave, Breer writes that the Patriots would likely promote Dave Ziegler. It was rumored that Josh McDaniels might’ve wanted to take Ziegler with him had he landed the head coaching job in Cleveland.
Patriots Hire Jedd Fisch
The Patriots are making a high profile addition to their coaching staff. New England is hiring Jedd Fisch to fill an as of now unspecified role on their coaching staff, a source told Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
The Patriots are hiring him away from the Rams, where Fisch served as a senior offensive assistant under Sean McVay for the past two seasons. Right before joining the Rams, he was the offensive coordinator and then interim head coach at UCLA. Fisch has never been a full-time head coach, but he’s held a number of prominent assistant jobs. He served as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator for a couple of years a handful of seasons ago, and he’s still only 43. He also served as Jim Harbaugh’s passing game coordinator at Michigan for two years.
Josh McDaniels currently serves as New England’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, so it’s possible Fisch is coming on under a similarly vague title that he held in Los Angeles. The Patriots have once again had some turnover on their staff, with special teams coordinator and receivers coach Joe Judge landing the head job with the Giants.
Slater Wants To Stay With Patriots
We’ve seemingly heard the same sentiment for several years now, but it’s worth passing along once again: Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater has no intention of retiring and hopes to stick with New England.
The 2008 fifth-rounder has spent his entire career with the Patriots, earning three Super Bowl rings. The 34-year-old earned his eighth-career Pro Bowl nod this season.
Patriots’ Joejuan Williams Arrested
Patriots cornerback Joejuan Williams was arrested for drug possession on Friday night, according to CBS4 in Boston. Per Michael Giardi of the NFL Network (citing the Tennessean), police found acetaminophen hydrocodone prescription pills, valacyclovir hydrocodone pills, a large amount of marijuana, hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes, and illegal paraphernalia inside Williams’ SUV (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Kraft: Patriots “Plan To” Keep Tom Brady]
Williams, who just turned 22 in December, was selected out of Vanderbilt in the second round of last year’s draft. The Patriots and other clubs were tantalized by his combination of size (he stands at 6’4″) and tough playing style in the lead-up to April. In his first pro season, he was used sparingly, appearing in just nine games with four tackles in total, with more snaps on special teams than on defense.
And, given the variety and nature of the drugs found in Williams’ possession, he will almost certainly face a suspension from the league. When the new collective bargaining agreement is finalized, it is expected to be more lenient on marijuana use, and that could be a factor when the NFL doles out punishment. But if Williams did not have a prescription for the pills, that could be a bigger problem for him.
Williams’ arrest comes shortly after word of Julian Edelman‘s run-in with the law. The wide receiver was arrested earlier this month after allegedly jumping on the hood of someone else’s Mercedes. Both players could be subject to league discipline once their legal matters are wrapped up.
Kraft: Patriots “Plan To” Keep Tom Brady
As expected, Tom Brady rumors have picked up steam over the past couple of days. It has been clear for some time that the chance of a split between the future Hall-of-Famer and the Patriots is as great as it’s ever been, but a return to Foxborough is still on the table.
And team owner Robert Kraft wants to see Brady back with the Pats for his age-43 season. Kraft was asked by a TMZ reporter on Tuesday if the Patriots are going to re-sign Brady, and Kraft said, “we plan to” (h/t Doug Kyed of NESN.com).
Of course, we recently heard that Brady is looking forward to exploring free agency, and even if he ultimately remains with the Patriots, it will not be before he has first had the opportunity to test the market. The Chargers continue to be mentioned as a possible landing spot for Brady, and the Colts and Raiders have also been named as speculative fits.
Brady is not the player he once was, but the fact that he is still playing is remarkable in and of itself. In 2019, the Pats were driven primarily by their defense, as Brady posted a fairly pedestrian 88.0 QB rating. But with a very underwhelming collection of talent at wide receiver and tight end, he still threw for over 4,000 yards and 24 TDs against just eight interceptions.
The Chargers boast much more receiving talent than the Patriots do at the moment, and they also have a running back in Austin Ekeler who is adept at catching passes out of the backfield (assuming the Bolts bring Ekeler back, which they almost certainly will). With a strong supporting cast, there is no reason to think Brady cannot play at a starter level for one or two more seasons.
Devin McCourty To Play In 2020
Last year, Patriots safety Devin McCourty suggested that he may choose to retire after the Super Bowl. But he ended up playing in 2019, the last year of his contract with New England, and the free agent-to-be is apparently not making any bones about his desire to continue his playing career this time around.
Agent Andy Simms, who has represented McCourty since the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft, told Mike Reiss of ESPN.com that his client has no intention of hanging up the cleats. “He wants to play. Retirement is not an option,” Simms said.
McCourty, who will turn 33 before Week 1 of the 2020 regular season, showed this past season that he has plenty left in the tank. Starting all 16 games for the fourth consecutive year, the Rutgers product logged five interceptions — his highest total since the 2012 campaign — and allowed a completion percentage of 54.3 as the nearest defender in coverage. His on-field leadership and his ability to facilitate communication among the Pats’ defensive backs has been a critical component of the club’s defensive success.
However, the Patriots are only projected to have $28MM or so in cap room for 2020, and despite his age, McCourty could draw a contract paying him at least $10MM per year. He has already won three Super Bowl rings, so if a team like the Dolphins — who are rumored to have interest and who could reunite him with former Pats DC Brian Flores — gives him a top-of-the-market offer New England can’t match, it may be tough to turn down.
McCourty did not have any concrete thoughts on his future when discussing free agency in a recent podcast. “No one really knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “I would say most teams really don’t even think about free agency for a couple weeks; I would say the beginning of March … So you think where you could go, will you be on your team again? But there’s really nothing [definitive] to think about.”
Latest On Tom Brady's Free Agency
Tom Brady news figures to be a rather common occurrence in this unusual offseason for the 20-year Patriots passer. Set for free agency for the first time, Brady is not expected to re-sign with the Patriots before free agency opens. The Chargers have surfaced again, with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noting that Brady will have the Bolts atop his list — if, in fact, he decides to leave New England. This is not the first Brady-Chargers link, but JLC adds that the 42-year-old quarterback would have a short list if he did legitimately decide to test free agency. The Chargers’ Los Angeles headquarters, which have not been especially beneficial to the franchise thus far, would appeal to Brady. The future Hall of Famer holds offseason workouts at USC and has previously lived in L.A. The Chargers are set to move into their new stadium, along with the Rams. Brady would certainly help on this front, with the team struggling to generate attention in its new market.
- Patriots free agents Devin McCourty, Joe Thuney and Kyle Van Noy will likely have many suitors. One is expected to be the Dolphins, with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writing that Brian Flores holds McCourty in high regard and that the team will pursue Thuney and Van Noy. All three are unrestricted free agents-to-be. Van Noy and McCourty played under Flores during his time as de facto Patriots defensive coordinator (2018), linebackers coach (2016-17) and safeties coach (2012-15). Van Noy and Thuney may price themselves out of New England.
Patriots To Lose Thuney, Van Noy?
- In line with what we’ve been hearing elsewhere, Breer does not expect the Patriots to retain linebacker Kyle Van Noy or guard Joe Thuney. Speaking of the Pats – we’re hearing that Tom Brady is unlikely to re-sign with the club before the start of free agency.
Tom Brady Unlikely To Re-Sign With Pats Before Free Agency
If the Patriots are going to re-sign Tom Brady, they would like to do it before March 17. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reminds us, Brady’s present contract voids on that day, meaning that his $6.75MM cap hits for 2020 and 2021 will accelerate onto New England’s 2020 cap. The same will be true even if the Pats and Brady re-up for one season, but if they agree to a two-year pact, the team could at least spread the dead money hit of $13.5MM over the next two seasons.
However, sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that it would be “extremely surprising” if Brady were to agree to a new deal with the Pats before March 17, and Brady is preparing to discuss a future with other teams. A reunion with New England is not out of the question, but it is far from a certainty at this point.
La Canfora says Brady, who will turn 43 prior to the start of next season, will “do his due diligence to assess all realistic possibilities,” and he is anxious to embrace free agency for the first time in his career.
Neither Volin nor La Canfora offered any speculation as to which teams could be interested in Brady, but the Chargers have frequently been mentioned as a possibility, and the Colts and Raiders also make sense to some degree. One way or another, the Pats legend wants to serve as a mentor to a young QB and leave whatever franchise he ends up with in good shape when he does decide to retire.
Browns To Interview Monti Ossenfort
The Browns will interview Patriots college scouting director Monti Ossenfort for their GM job on Friday, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks Ossenfort’s first his first GM interview, even though he’s been a popular name for previous vacancies.
Two years ago, Ossenfort was blocked from pursuing the Texans job. Then, after the surprising dismissal of Brian Gaine, he was connected to the club yet again. That didn’t materialize, either, because the Texans zeroed in on fellow Pats employee Nick Caserio, only to be shot down by Bill Belichick & Co.
Ossenfort‘s contract is believed to be up after this year, so he should be free to join up with the Browns if there’s a fit. The Browns also have Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry on their radar.