Patriots Host OL Brandon Fusco On Visit
- Former Vikings center/guard Brandon Fusco is visiting the Patriots today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Fusco appeared/started in 14 games for Minnesota in 2016.
Details On Danny Amendola Paycut
- The Patriots created $4.75MM in cap space by reducing wide receiver Danny Amendola‘s pay for the 2017 campaign, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com. Amendola, 31, has now agreed to a paycut for the third consecutive season. He’ll earn a $100K signing bonus and a fully guaranteed base salary of $1.25MM, and can also bring in a $50K workout bonus and $300K in per-game roster bonuses. Originally $7.791MM, Amendola’s 2017 salary cap charge is now $3.041MM.
Patriots Notes: Maye, Trades
- The Cowboys hosted Florida safety Marcus Maye last week, and Maye is also receiving “a ton of interest” from the Saints, Cardinals, and Patriots, according to Pauline. Originally viewed as a mid-round pick, Maye is now moving off draft boards and could be selected by the middle of Round 2. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares the Florida senior to Detroit defensive back Glover Quin, noting Maye’s “rangy” tackling ability and “ready-made safety frame.”
- While the Patriots currently aren’t slated to make a selection until pick No. 72 (early third round), New England is expected to make a move into the second round via some “maneuver,” says Pauline. Originally, the Patriots could have traded up through a Malcolm Butler deal, but the veteran cornerback is now expected to stay put in New England.
[SOURCE LINK]
Former Bills RB Mike Gillislee Joins Patriots
The Bills have declined to match Mike Gillislee‘s offer sheet, per a club announcement. He will now join the Patriots. Per the terms of his offer sheet, he’ll play for New England on a two-year, $6.4MM deal. The Bills will get the 163rd overall pick (fifth round) from the Patriots by letting him go. That was the better of the Patriots’ two fifth-round choices.
The Bills’ decision to place the original round tender on Gillislee was a surprise in the football world and they might be regretting that decision today. For another $1MM or so, the Bills could have placed the second-round tender on him and – in all likelihood – kept the Patriots and other teams far away. Gillislee averaged 5.7 yards per carry last season and made it clear that he can handle a larger role if given the opportunity. The Bills, for some reason, apparently did not see what the rest of the league saw in the 26-year-old. Now, they’re losing their top understudy and potential heir apparent for starting running back LeSean McCoy.
The Patriots now have a loaded depth chart at running back headlined by Gillislee and free agent pickup Rex Burkhead. Dion Lewis, James White, Brandon Bolden, and D.J. Foster are also under contract for the coming season. Today’s news likely spells the end of LeGarrette Blount‘s time in New England. Lewis and/or Bolden may also be on the chopping block. If the Patriots cut Lewis, they’ll only be on the hook for $200K in dead money.
In Buffalo, five running backs remain on the roster: McCoy, Jonathan Williams, Joe Banyard, Cedric O’Neal, and Mike Tolbert.
Patriots’ Butler, Rams’ Johnson Staying Put
Two of the league’s top cornerbacks have been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but it sounds like both players will be staying put for 2017. The Patriots are unlikely to move Malcolm Butler and the Rams are unlikely to trade Trumaine Johnson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). 
[RELATED: Saints Cooling On Malcolm Butler Pursuit]
The Saints and Butler have agreed to terms on multi-year deal in the event that a trade can be completed, but the two teams are too far apart on compensation to get a trade done. Realistically, any trade would have to come together before this week’s draft since the Patriots do not want to deal the cornerback for 2018 draft compensation. The Saints, meanwhile, are very high on the talent in this year’s class and want to hold on to their first three picks. The clock is ticking and things have not progressed enough over the last six weeks for a deal to come together, so it sounds like the Butler drama will be put on hold until March of next year.
The Rams, meanwhile, have pivoted away from trade talks and are now mulling the possibility of an extension for Johnson. Johnson, 27, is now scheduled to earn a fully guaranteed base salary of $16.742MM after being hit with a second consecutive franchise tender. An extension would allow Los Angeles to smooth out that cap hit over the next few years. The Rams were discussing Johnson with “multiple teams” when free agency started, but the Browns are the only club to really get linked to him.
Malcolm Butler Trade Appears Unlikely
Someone familiar with the Saints‘ thinking believes they are leaning towards keeping their first three picks rather than using them to acquire Malcolm Butler from the Patriots, Peter King of The MMQB writes. The team remains interested in the cornerback, but they believe that there are a number of players ranked between No. 25 and 75 on their board that can contribute immediately. The thought of trading one or more picks for Butler in addition to giving him a high-priced deal is not as attractive as it once was for New Orleans. The Saints presently own five picks in the first three rounds: Nos. 11, 32, 42, 76, and 103.
Patriots' Hernandez Grievances To Reopen?
If a Malcolm Butler trade is going to occur, it will likely take place this week and come down to whether the Saints are ready to surrender their No. 32 overall pick or submit a proposal of a package involving their second-rounder (No. 42), Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. Butler signed his $3.91MM RFA tender earlier this week to pave the way for a trade and Saints/Patriots talks continue, but it’s uncertain if the Saints want to unload a high draft pick and pay the 27-year-old Butler like a top-tier cornerback. Reiss gets the feeling the Patriots won’t have an issue with Butler playing on the RFA tender this season, as they would be able to fetch a compensatory pick after the season if/when Butler departs as a UFA in that scenario.
- Aaron Hernandez‘s death closed all cases against him and could open the door to more issues between the NFL and NFLPA regarding the former Patriots tight end’s salary. The league and NFLPA agreed to table any grievance-related discussions until all criminal prosecution of Hernandez concluded, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That having happened reopens those unresolved issues. Hernandez’s side was demanding $3.25MM in unpaid money from his 2012 signing bonus, and the NFLPA filed a grievance for the former tight end’s 2013 and 2014 guaranteed salaries (in addition to a 2014 guaranteed workout bonus). The NFL and the Patriots’ grievance sought repayment of all money given to Hernandez prior to the 2012 contract extension.
Jimmy Garoppolo Trade “Not Happening”
The trade speculation around Jimmy Garoppolo has cooled in the months leading up to the draft. After the Patriots’ backup quarterback was viewed as a high-end trade chip to start this offseason, it appears going into the draft the door has slammed shut.
A draft-weekend trade involving Garoppolo is “not happening,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Schefter maintains the franchise hasn’t changed its stance since February on unloading the fourth-year passer.
Garoppolo is entering his contract year and would stand to be one of the most interesting free agents of 2018 if he were to get there, but for 2017, Bill Belichick wants him to return as Tom Brady‘s backup, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. So, if the Patriots are going to pry a first-round pick from a team for a player next weekend, it would likely have to come from a Malcolm Butler deal.
Tom Curran of CSNNE.com said during an appearance on PFT Live it would take two first-round picks for the Patirots to consider parting with the 25-year-old passer. Florio points out that this doesn’t mean the Patriots were never going to trade Garoppolo, but they never received an offer they couldn’t refuse. The Browns were far and away the team that was most associated with Garoppolo interest, but they are not going to trade the No. 1 overall pick for him.
This stands to protect the Patriots against a Brady injury or decline during his age-40 season. The team made impact trades in March to fortify its 2017 roster, acquiring Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen and Kony Ealy, while sacrificing its first- and second-round draft picks. But New England looks set to keep Garoppolo as insurance rather than making a similar deal to add an impact player at another position.
The Browns were eyeing Garoppolo as recently as late March, with the organization believed to be gearing up for another run at the fourth-year player. But word came out of Cleveland earlier this week the team was unlikely to swing another deal for a veteran quarterback.
Retaining Garoppolo for 2017 would put the Patriots to a decision next year. The Patriots would, as of now, stand to have Brady set for his age-41 season — and virtually venturing into uncharted waters regarding top-caliber quarterback production at that age — and a 26-year-old backup whom they clearly believe can excel despite limited game work (94 pass attempts). Florio notes the franchise tag could be in order, or the tag-and-trade setup the team used to send Matt Cassel to the Chiefs in 2009. It cost nearly $22MM to use a tag on a quarterback this year, although the Redskins are paying more to Kirk Cousins after previously tagging him, and that number will go up in 2018.
A scenario could exist where both Garoppolo and Cousins are free agents next year, which would be a sharp deviation from the lower-level UFAs populating the quarterback market in recent years. But for now, it appears a fourth year of a Brady-Garoppolo depth chart will take shape in New England.
Will Bills Match Gillislee's Offer Sheet?
- Last offseason, when the Patriots signed restricted free agent wideout Chris Hogan, the Bills immediately made it clear that they wouldn’t be matching the contract. However, Buffalo has taken their time deciding what to do with running back Mike Gillislee, who signed an offer sheet with New England earlier this week. ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss wonders if the delay could be an indication that the Bills are strongly considering matching the offer.
- Following the death of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, legal analyst (and ESPN.com writer) Lester Munson writes that the organization may be required to pay his family “a significant sum of money.” The NFLPA says there are “three outstanding grievances” between Hernandez and the Patriots stemming from the team’s refusal to pay the player’s $3.25MM bonus following his initial arrest. “How these are resolved will determine” whether Hernandez’s family will ultimately receive any money from the Patriots.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Draft Rumors: Panthers, McCaffrey, Redskins
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman believes that there are “half a dozen” three down backs to be had in this year’s draft and estimated that RB is one of the strongest groups, along with defensive end and secondary positions (link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). When talking to reporters today, the GM was asked he considers Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey to be one of those six players.
“He can run it. He can catch it. I guess that’s three downs. [McCaffrey] has certainly shown he can carry the load at Stanford,” the GM said.
There has been lots of talk about Carolina targeting a running back at No. 8 overall. Leonard Fournette has been the popular prognostication for the Panthers there, but McCaffrey might also be in the mix. Then again, if Gettleman sees four other tailbacks as well-rounded players, then he might be willing to hold off on addressing the position. Beyond Fournette and McCaffrey, there are also standouts like FSU’s Dalvin Cook, Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, and Texas’ D’Onta Foreman to consider.
Here’s the latest draft buzz:
- The Redskins are smitten with Temple linebacker Haason Reddick, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) hears. Washington currently picks at No. 17 overall, so Miller believes that acquiring him would require the team to trade up.
- USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson didn’t take a visit with the Patriots, but there’s been contact between the team and the player, Doug Kyed of NESN tweets. The Patriots may have to get back into the first round in order to get in the mix for him, however. As of this writing, the Pats’ first selection doesn’t come until the third round (No. 72 overall). Jackson rates as the 37th best player on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board and some draft analysts have him up even higher.
- Two weeks ago, Falcons coach Dan Quinn put Mizzou’s Charles Harris and Kansas State’s Jordan Willis through a workout side-by-side (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).