Opinion: Pats Won't Go For Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson could be a tough sell for Patriots ownership, Mike Florio of PFT opines. The Pats are hosting the former Minnesota great on a visit, but Florio wonders aloud if the meeting designed solely to put pressure on free agent LeGarrette Blount. Despite his impressive on-field resume, Peterson’s off-field history could be tough for owner Robert Kraft to swallow. At the time of Peterson’s child-abuse charges, Kraft called the allegations “completely unacceptable and as abhorrent” as the Ray Rice situation. Less than three years later, Kraft likely feels the same way.
Gronk Expects To Be Ready For OTAs
- Adrian Peterson‘s Patriots visit strikes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk as a tactic aimed at getting LeGarrette Blount‘s attention. Noting New England’s secretive nature, this Monday summit being made public now and not after the fact leads Florio to believe this is a get-acquainted session at best. Florio writes this could be a method used at getting Blount to take what’s being offered instead of holding out for more money on the heels of an 18-touchdown season. Blount and the Patriots broke off talks last month.
- Prior to actually participating in Wrestlemania 33, Rob Gronkowski said he would be ready to go by the time the Patriots’ offseason program begins later this month, In an interview with ESPN’s Jonathan Coachman (video link), Gronk said he feels good after his latest surgery and would be “ready to roll” when the team reconvenes on April 17. The soon-to-be 28-year-old tight end underwent back surgery in December.
Patriots Notes: Peterson, Gronk, Solder, OL
Here’s the latest coming out of New England, beginning with some fallout from the Adrian Peterson visit being scheduled.
- Peterson posted a statement rejecting the notion he was seeking an $8MM-per-year contract, and USA Today’s Tom Pelissero notes (via Twitter) the running back has not focused as much on finances during his first free agent odyssey. Instead, the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer is gauging fits with respective franchises. In Pelissero’s mind, this fit is as good as any. Peterson has thrived when stationed in traditional backfields, and the Patriots were a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of shotgun usage last season (41.28 percent of their 2016 plays came out of the gun; that ranked 20th).
- An incentive-laden deal close to the veteran minimum would make Peterson a fit in New England, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. The Patriots have no running back set to count more than $3.2MM to their 2017 cap this year. Peterson hasn’t made less than $3MM in base salary since the 2009 season. The Pats boast $21MM-plus in cap space but are unlikely to splurge on Peterson at this juncture.
- Entering his 11th NFL season, Peterson will tame his asking price for teams with championship aspirations, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Peterson has already visited the Seahawks, whose UFA running back visit bonanza ended with an Eddie Lacy accord, and has been connected to 2016 playoff teams like the Giants, Raiders and Packers. The Patriots and Packers lead the league in consecutive postseason berths, having appeared in eight straight postseason brackets.
- Nate Solder came to the Pats as a replacement for Matt Light in 2011, but Light remained a starter that season before retiring. Solder’s most recent contract — a two-year, $20.062MM deal — expires after the 2017 season. Reiss points to the franchise’s forward-thinking ways as a sign Solder’s successor could be on tap this coming draft. Alluding to the shorter-length extension, Reiss believes a similar transition plan could be in the works. The Pats have Marcus Cannon signed long-term now on the right side. Solder will only be 29 in April, though, whereas Light was entering his age-33 season in 2011 when the Patriots knew, per Reiss, he was going to be in his final year.
- For those of you who enjoy wrestling, Rob Gronkowski looked pretty healthy tonight. Making a cameo at WWE’s Wrestlemania 33, the Pats’ oft-injured tight end entered the ring and moved well, as Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com relays. Gronkowski underwent back surgery late last season and missed 11 Pats games (counting the playoffs) in their latest Super Bowl championship campaign.
Patriots To Host Adrian Peterson
Free agent running back Adrian Peterson will meet with the Patriots on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Peterson, one of only four unsigned PFR Top 50 Free Agents, has been linked to a number of clubs this offseason, but he’s only met with the Seahawks thus far. In fact, most of the reports surrounding Peterson have involved teams who are not interested in signing him. Several rumored suitors – the Texans, Raiders, Giants – have shown little to no interest in Peterson since the Vikings declined his option in late February.
New England, meanwhile, has always loomed as a potential landing spot for Peterson, and the future Hall of Famer is reportedly open to accepting a discount in order to play for the Patriots. While the Pats have already added one free agent to their backfield this offseason (former Bengal Rex Burkhead), the club could still use another runner. LeGarrette Blount remains on the open market, so New England’s running back corps currently consists of Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White, and D.J. Foster.
Peterson, if signed, would be simply the latest high-profile addition for a Patriots team that is not resting on its laurels after winning the Super Bowl in February. New England has pulled off three trades — adding Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen, and Kony Ealy in the process — while inking free agents Stephon Gilmore, Dont’a Hightower, Lawrence Guy, and Duron Harmon.
Patriots Work Out T.J. Watt
- Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt, brother of Texans superstar J.J. Watt, is drawing interest from a bevy of teams and getting looks at various front seven positions. The younger Watt has lined up at outside linebacker, inside linebacker and along the defensive line in recent workouts. Watt told Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com that he has worked out for the Cowboys, Lions and Patriots in the past week. He’s scheduled to work out for the Panthers, too, and will visit the Cowboys’ and Redskins’ facilities soon.
Patriots Inquired On Richard Sherman
Before signing free agent Stephon Gilmore earlier this month, the Patriots inquired on the availability Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Seattle head coach Pete Carroll admitted this morning the Seahawks had discussed Sherman in trade talks, but added a deal isn’t expected to take place.
[RELATED: Patriots, Darrelle Revis Have Not Discussed Contract]
New England was clearly looking to add a clear-cut No. 1 cornerback to its secondary this offseason, and Sherman would have been just that. Sherman, 28, has two years left on a hefty four-year extension he signed in 2014, but because the Patriots would have only been responsible for Sherman’s base salary (and not his prorated signing bonus), Sherman would have been relatively affordable. His $11.431MM cap charge would have ranked just ninth among NFL corners in 2017.
For that price, Sherman would have represented a bargain, even though he’s coming off the worst season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus‘ grades. Given that he’s been one of the best corners in the league throughout his Seattle tenure, Sherman has set a high bar for his performance, so the “worst” campaign of his career amounts to finishing as the NFL’s No. 15 corner, per PFF. Sherman appeared in all 16 games for the fifth consecutive season, racking up four interceptions and 58 tackles while playing excellent run defense.
Trades involving stars of Sherman’s ilk don’t typically occur in the NFL, but the Patriots have shown a willingness to make deals this offseason. New England has already completed three deals this month, adding wide receiver Brandin Cooks, tight end Dwayne Allen, and defensive end Kony Ealy at the cost of draft pick compensation.
NFC South Rumors: Saints, Butler, Mixon
Saints GM Mickey Loomis tried to play it cool when asked about his team’s pursuit of Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler (via Larry Holder of The Times Picayune).
“There’s not a lot I can say. We’re kicking the tires I guess,” Loomis said. “That’s the way to describe that. We’ll see how that process works.”
The Saints have presented the corner with a contract offer, but not an offer sheet. The Saints would like to work out a trade with the Patriots in which they can land Butler without forfeiting the No. 11 overall pick, but so far the Patriots are acting as though they will not play ball.
Here’s more on Butler and other news from the NFC South:
- Saints coach Sean Payton termed the Butler situation as “an exploratory mission,” (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Payton, from Rapoport’s perspective, seemed to indicate that the team has hit pause on a potential deal.
- When asked about the possibility of signing Butler to an offer sheet and giving up the No. 11 overall pick, per the terms of the first-round tender, Payton said, “I know we’re not going to do that.” (Twitter link via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com).
- Saints head coach Sean Payton says the team will meet with Joe Mixon during the draft process (Twitter link via Holder). New Orleans previously met with Mixon in early March. This week, we learned that the Patriots and Dolphins have both ruled out the controversial Oklahoma running back.
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he’ll be at Leonard Fournette‘s LSU Pro Day and added that no spot is “too high” to take a running back (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Recently, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman indicated that the team’s recent extension for Jonathan Stewart will not preclude the team from taking a running back early on in the draft. The Panthers own the No. 8 overall pick.
Patriots Rule Out Drafting Joe Mixon
Now we have two teams that reportedly won’t go near Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. The Patriots will not even consider drafting him, according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald. 
[RELATED: Patriots Rumors: Brady, Butler, Garoppolo]
Earlier this week, we learned that the Dolphins have also removed Mixon from consideration. Of course, it’s easy to take Mixon off the board when you already have talent at the running back position and that’s the case for both AFC East clubs. The Dolphins have Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake on the depth chart while the Patriots have plenty of depth with free agent pickup Rex Burkhead, James White, Dion Lewis, and DJ Foster.
For other teams looking for an impact player in the backfield, the moral conundrum isn’t quite as easy to sort out. Mixon, despite his red flags and potential for a PR nightmare, is one of the most talented running backs in this year’s class. The Sooners star could be available after Leonard Fournette, D’Onta Foreman, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey are all off the board. In terms of talent, one could argue that he offers higher upside than at least two of those well-regarded backs.
When asked about Mixon this week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft declined to speak specifically about him, but he did reiterate his stance against domestic violence.
“While I believe in second chances and giving players an opportunity for redemption, I also believe that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right,” Kraft said. “For me, personally, I believe that privilege is lost for men who have a history of abusing women.”
Browns To Take Another Run At Jimmy Garoppolo?
- “An NFL source familiar with all the principals involved” speculates the Browns will “make another run” at Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at the league meetings, ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi writes. Business tends to go down at the league meetings with everyone in the same place and we could see trade talks get a jumpstart this week in Phoenix. If a trade does happen, however, the same source says it might not occur until closer to the draft on April 27.
Patriots Rumors: Brady, Butler, Garoppolo
Moments ago, Patriots owner Robert Kraft addressed the media in Phoenix, Arizona. Here’s a look at the highlights:
- Apparently, Tom Brady isn’t going anywhere. “As recently as two or three days ago, he assured me that he’d be willing to play another six or seven years,” Kraft said (Twitter link via Albert Breer of The MMQB).
- Kraft says that he hopes Malcolm Butler returns to the Patriots for 2017 and that the team’s intention is not to trade him (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). Butler, a restricted free agent, has discussed contractual terms with the Saints and the two sides apparently far off. An unmatched offer sheet from the Saints would result in New Orleans’ No. 11 overall pick going to New England. Of course, that’s a steep price to pay and the Saints are reportedly unwilling to go that far to land the cornerback. The possibility of a sign-and-trade with lesser compensation could be in the cards, but right now the Pats are acting as though they want Butler back.
- When asked about the possibility of trading quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, Kraft deferred that decision to coach Bill Belichick (Twitter link via Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald).