G Michael Onwenu Agrees To Revised Patriots Deal
2026 remains the final year of Michael Onwenu‘s Patriots contract. A revision was recently agreed to by the veteran guard, however.
Onwenu has signed a new pact covering the coming season, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The 28-year-old was not previously owed any guaranteed money for 2026, but that has now changed. Onwenu’s cap charge has been reduced by $7.5MM as a result of this new deal, but he is now set to collect $10MM in salary and bonuses.
As detailed by Over the Cap, Onwenu’s 2026 compensation includes $8.95MM guaranteed. Of that figure, $6MM has already been paid out. This arrangement will thus create cap relief for the Patriots while providing short-term security to Onwenu. The seventh-year veteran has spent his entire career in New England so far, but that could very well change next spring.
Recent indications have suggested the Patriots are likely to allow Onwenu to depart on the open market in 2027. An extension obviously would have ensured a longer run for the Michigan product’s New England tenure. Instead, a compromise covering his walk year has been worked out. The Pats made a big-money guard investment in the form of Alijah Vera-Tucker in March, and a lower cost at the right guard spot beginning in 2027 can be expected.
Onwenu has seen time at right tackle over the course of his NFL career (including as recently as 2024). Last season, though, the former sixth-rounder operated exclusively at right guard, his most common spot for New England. That should remain the case for 2026, and another top-10 PFF evaluation among guards would come as little surprise after he posted one on four previous occasions. That could set Onwenu up for a payday on the open market, but it is increasingly clear his next contract will come from a new team.
AFC Notes: Jets, Bengals, Hopkins, Pats
More details have come in on Jets running back Breece Hall‘s three-year, $43.5MM contract, courtesy of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hall received a $5MM signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $5.16MM salary and a fully guaranteed $5MM roster bonus for 2026. Hall’s $13.16MM base salary for 2027 is also fully guaranteed. Additionally, he can earn up to $340K in per-game roster bonuses in each of the next three seasons. Hall’s 2028 salary checks in at $14.16MM, but it is non-guaranteed. The annual base value of the pact is $14.5MM, not the previously reported $15.25MM, per Florio. It will only climb to $15.25MM per season if Hall maxes out the incentives. Hall’s $14.5MM AAV ranks fifth at his position.
Here is more on New York and a couple of other AFC teams:
- Beginning with the mid-December firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, head coach Aaron Glenn axed 12 members of his first Jets staff last winter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out owner Woody Johnson “had a heavy hand” in the shakeup, which ended with a late-January mutual parting of ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. It appeared the Jets would retain Engstrand, who endured a rough first year as a coordinator atop a talent-deprived offense, before replacing him with the more seasoned Frank Reich. It also looked as if the Jets were going to hire Don Martindale as their next defensive coordinator, but Breer suggests Johnson was unwilling to pony up for him. With Johnson stuck paying Wilks $3MM this year, the Jets hired a cheaper candidate in first-timer Brian Duker. Glenn, not Duker, will call the defensive plays.
- Speaking with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins expressed interest in signing with the Bengals (via Jordan Schultz). Asked which quarterback he would like to play with for the first time, the soon-to-be 34-year-old said: “I’ve gotta go with Joe Burrow. I think Joe is one of the best. I love his game, his toughness. I mean, he took his team to a Super Bowl earlier in his career, and I feel like he can get back there with a little bit of help.” It is unknown whether there is mutual interest in this case. The Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins entrenched as their top two receivers. Third option Andrei Iosivas had a more productive 2025 than Hopkins, who posted career lows in catches (22), targets (39) and yards (330) in 17 games with the AFC North rival Ravens. Despite his down year in Baltimore, the five-time Pro Bowler ranks 17th all-time in catches (1,006), 18th in yards (13,295) and tied for 19th in TDs (85). Hopkins will have a chance to continue climbing up the leaderboard if he plays a 14th season in 2026.
- A full-time starter for almost all of his six-year career, Patriots right guard Michael Onwenu will remain atop the depth chart entering his seventh season. However, with Onwenu unsigned past 2026, this will likely be his last season in New England, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald contends. The 28-year-old does not possess the speed-agility combo that Patriots executive vice president Eliot Wolf values, Kyed notes. That could lead Onwenu out of town for a raise in free agency next March. The Patriots already have one expensive guard contract on their books, having added Alijah Vera-Tucker on a three-year, $42MM deal earlier this offseason.
Patriots Designate Cole Strange For Return
It looks like the Patriots will work Cole Strange back into action during Drake Maye‘s rookie season. The team’s 2022 first-round pick is set to practice Wednesday, Jerod Mayo said.
This will mark the start of Strange’s 21-day activation window from the reserve/PUP list, which the veteran guard has resided on throughout the season. Strange has been working his way back from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. This comes after a Mike Reiss ESPN.com offering indicated the third-year lineman is indeed in the homestretch of his recovery, pointing to an activation coming soon.
Playing exclusively at left guard during his first two seasons with the Pats, Strange has not yet justified his higher-than-expected draft slot. The Patriots chose Strange 29th overall and used him as a 17-game starter in 2022, but injury trouble surfaced last year. Strange missed four of New England’s first six games last season and then ended up shut down for their final three due to the severe knee malady he sustained.
Mayo had said Strange could see center work previously, and the rookie HC again did not rule this out. The Patriots have been without David Andrews for most of this season; the Tom Brady-era blocker is down for the rest of the year. Though, Mayo said (via the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi) the team wants to see Strange go through some practices before determining his position.
Not logging a snap anywhere else up front during his first two seasons, the young left guard returning would certainly boost a Pats line that has experienced staffing issues — particularly at center and left tackle — this season. The Patriots have given Michael Jordan the bulk of the work at LG this season; Pro Football Focus has rated both he and rookie Layden Robinson among the worst guard regulars this season. The team has also tried Michael Onwenu at left guard in recent practices, per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. Onwenu has moved around the Pats’ O-line during his career but has concentrated on the right side, splitting his time between RG and RT in games this season.
Strange’s return should help the Pats settle on an Onwenu position, at long last. Although Mayo said third-round rookie Caedan Wallace was not yet ready to practice, a return before season’s end is expected. Wallace is eligible to come off IR, where he has resided since early October due to an ankle injury.
Patriots Notes: Belichick, Barmore, OL Changes, QB, Osborn
When the Patriots parted ways with Bill Belichick following the 2023 campaign, the divorce was described as an “amicable” and “mutual” decision. However, during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club podcast, owner Robert Kraft made it pretty clear that it was his decision to move on from the iconic head coach.
“I kept him for 24 years,” Kraft said (via Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe). “I didn’t enjoy having to fire him, but I tried to do it – if you look at the press conference and how it happened, tried to do it in a classy way.”
“What he did for us was great. People need to adapt. People need to adapt and if they don’t, things can change. In life, it’s about getting good chemistry and trust and I feel that our record the last three or four years wasn’t what I wanted.”
Belichick generally drew much of the blame for the organization’s post-Tom Brady decline. The team didn’t bottom out right away; in fact, they won 10 games and made the postseason with a rookie Mac Jones during the 2021 campaign. However, following a 4-13 showing in 2023 (the team’s worst showing since 1992), Kraft decided to make Belichick the scapegoat and move on from the franchise stalwart.
With Belichick now hitting the media circuit, the former coach has generally been pretty reserved when discussing his former club. That changed this past week, when Belichick appeared on Jim Gray’s Let’s Go! podcast alongside Brady. The future Hall of Fame coach was especially critical of new head coach Jerod Mayo‘s assertion that his 1-6 squad was “soft,” and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald wonders if Belichick may be changing his tune following Kraft’s aforementioned quotes.
More notes out of New England…
- After Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots in July, the Patriots had been bracing for a potential full-season absence for the starting defensive lineman. Fortunately, there may be some good news on that front, with Mayo telling reporters that the former second-round pick was “progressing” in his recovery (via Kyed). Mayo even admitted that he’s changed his stance on Barmore’s 2024 availability, with the head coach stating that the DT could end up seeing the field at some point this season.
- Michael Onwenu started the season as the Patriots right tackle but has seen an uptick in playing time at right guard in recent weeks. Offensive line coach Scott
Peters said he hopes the change is permanent, although the former sixth-round pick’s position will continue to be dependent on his teammates’ availability (per ESPN’s Mike Reiss). The team is bracing for another position change on their OL, as former first-round guard Cole Strange could see snaps at center when he’s activated from PUP (via Kyed). The lineman has missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from a knee injury. - While the Patriots always seemed to hint that Drake Maye would eventually take over for veteran seat warmer Jacoby Brissett, the staff hastily made the change ahead of the team’s Week 6 contest. Brissett told reporters that he wasn’t told of the team’s definitive 2024 plans at the position (via Kyed), although he did seem to hint that he knew he’d eventually hit the bench for his rookie teammate. Brissett tossed a pair of touchdowns in his five starts, while Maye has already found the end zone five times in two starts.
- Mayo admitted to reporters that offseason acquisition K.J. Osborn was likely frustrated with his role in New England, per Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal. The former Vikings draft pick led the position in snaps for the first four weeks of the season, but after returning in Week 7 following a two-game absence, the veteran found himself behind all of Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, and Ja’Lynn Polk (Osborn had two more snaps than fellow wideout Demario Douglas). In five games this season, Osborn has hauled in seven catches for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Patriots Eyeing OT Depth?
With the Patriots now out of the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, the team will pivot to improving other offensive positions. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots are expected to “turn their full attention” to acquiring offensive tackle depth. The organization could consider a number of different routes as they seek reinforcement, including a trade, a veteran free agent, or an inexperienced tryout player.
[RELATED: Latest On Patriots G Cole Strange’s Knee Injury]
With Trent Brown now out of the picture, the Patriots lack experience at both offensive tackle spots. At the moment, there are four clear candidates for the two starting gigs (per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald): Chukwuma Okorafor, Vederian Lowe, Calvin Anderson, and rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace. One team source told Kyed that Okorafor and Lowe are likely in the lead at the moment, although Anderson was recently playing with the starters while Okorafor nursed an undisclosed injury.
As Kyed notes, Jerod Mayo is hoping to have his Week 1 starters locked in before the team’s third preseason game. So, if the Patriots plan to bring in another option at the position, the acquisition will only have a couple of weeks to make a good impression.
The current free agent market includes the likes of Donovan Smith, David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, and Jason Peters. If the rebuilding Patriots intended to bring in one of these veterans, they probably would have already done so. More likely, the Patriots will continue to explore the trade market for some depth, and they could also hold out for players who shake loose at the end of the preseason (although that won’t help their starting lineup uncertainty).
Whatever combination of players the Patriots settle on for their offensive line, it’s unlikely to stick throughout the entire regular season. Former first-round guard Cole Strange will eventually return from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. Whenever Strange comes back, the Patriots could consider moving Michael Onwenu back to offensive tackle, although the recent extension recipient has exclusively played guard throughout training camp.
Chukwuma Okorafor Likely To Start For Pats; Latest On Team’s Tackle Competitions
As the Patriots continue to hand big-money deals to Bill Belichick-era acquisitions, they remain thin at tackle. Plans to keep Michael Onwenu at right tackle have been scrapped — for the time being, at least — and a host of uncertain options are vying for gigs in New England.
Neither Pats tackle post is settled yet, and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed writes four primary candidates are in the mix. The only one who appears destined to start, Chukwuma Okorafor, is not currently practicing. Okorafor has missed the past three Pats practices, but Kyed adds the longtime Steelers right tackle starter is likely to start at either left or right tackle to open the season.
After Trent Brown‘s second New England exit opened a starting job, this is quite the fluid process. The Pats, who had designs on flipping Okorafor — the Steelers’ RT starter from 2020 until his midseason benching last year — to the left side, but Kyed adds he has been since relocated back to right tackle. This would make sense, as the 27-year-old blocker has played all of two LT snaps during the 2020s.
Third-round pick Caedan Wallace practiced primarily at left tackle last week, with the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin indicating he began camp on the right side. Vederian Lowe, a 2023 trade pickup, has also operated as the Pats’ starting LT extensively. He spent five straight practices in that role recently, per Kyed, who adds a Patriots evaluator mentioned the former Vikings draftee and Okorafor being the two most consistent options at camp thus far. Continuing the confusion here, Lowe split his snaps almost evenly (236-239) at LT and RT last season.
Former Broncos swingman Calvin Anderson, who is coming off a strange 2023 that featured a malaria diagnosis, is also involved in the competition. Anderson has primarily worked at right tackle during camp, also missing time due to injury last week. A 12-game starter in Denver from 2020-22, Anderson made it back last season to play in five games and start two. All of Anderson’s 2023 snaps came at right tackle.
When the Pats re-signed Onwenu on a three-year, $57MM deal, the plan appeared to be the fifth-year blocker — who has played extensively at guard and tackle — remaining the team’s right tackle starter. Those plans changed rather quickly, and Volin adds the high-priced blocker is now locked in at right guard. Both Volin and Kyed note an Onwenu-at-tackle scenario may well be one the Patriots revisit, with the Herald reporter indicating Cole Strange‘s eventual return — from a torn left patellar tendon — could kick Onwenu back to RT and slide current left guard Sidy Sow to RG.
Strange, who has yet to live up to his first-round draft status, returning would help stabilize New England’s O-line. For now, this is quite the unsettled situation. None of the team’s options appear especially appealing, either, creating some questions about Drake Maye‘s development.
The No. 3 overall pick, whom the Pats chose rather than accept big offers from the Giants or Vikings, is currently behind Jacoby Brissett for the QB1 gig. But the Pats are giving Maye first-team work. While Brissett may well begin the season as the team’s starter, Maye will almost definitely make 2024 starts. This muddled tackle situation could threaten to hinder the North Carolina product’s progress.
Patriots To Move Michael Onwenu Back To RG?
This offseason, the Patriots tapped offensive lineman Michael Onwenu as a core piece of their foundation, signing the versatile blocker to a three-year, $57MM contract. Shortly thereafter, we heard that New England planned to keep him at right tackle, where he took most of his snaps last season.
However, that plan may have changed. As Paul Perillo of the team’s official website observes, the Pats did indeed have Onwenu line up at right tackle in the early stages of spring work, but at mandatory minicamp last month, Onwenu slid inside to right guard. In Perillo’s estimation, RG is Onwenu’s best position, and the writer also made it sound as if the move is permanent, noting that David Andrews “will lock down the center spot next to Onwenu.”
While Onwenu’s ability to line up at right tackle and both guard positions is a selling point, Perillo may well be correct in his belief that the Michigan product is best-suited to RG. Pro Football Focus assigned Onwenu a strong 71.5 overall grade last year — positioning him as the 29th-best tackle out of 81 qualifiers — but in 2022, when he started all 17 games and took every single snap at right guard, Onwenu earned a 79.3 overall grade and finished as the league’s fourth-best guard out of 77 qualified players. In 1,044 snaps that season, he committed just two penalties and yielded 14 pressures, only one of which got home for a sack.
The Patriots, who are projected to lead the league with roughly $107MM in cap space in 2025, can afford to overspend on certain positions to retain premium talent, but the Onwenu contract does not qualify as a significant overpay even with his presumptive shift to the interior of the line. Since the Colts’ Quenton Nelson took the top off the market in 2022, a number of guards have landed contracts paying them at rates enjoyed by high-end tackles. In terms of average annual value, Onwenu’s $19MM figure makes him the fourth-highest-paid RT and the third-highest-paid RG. If we factor LGs into the equation, Onwenu slots fifth in the guard hierarchy.
Onwenu’s move to right guard opens the door for rookie Caedan Wallace to take the reins at right tackle. At present, Chukwuma Okorafor is penciled in at left tackle, though he has no experience on the blind side. While the Pats are surely comfortable with the Andrews-Onwenu pairing in the middle of their line, it would not be surprising to see them bring in reinforcements at OT as the summer progresses.
2023 fourth-rounder Sidy Sow, who started 13 games at right guard in his rookie season, will step in at left guard while Cole Strange recovers from knee surgery. That procedure will force Strange to miss the start of the 2024 campaign.
Latest On Patriots’ LT Plans
With Trent Brown no longer in the fold, the Patriots will have a new left tackle starter in 2024. Neither of the team’s top options to replace him have NFL experience on the blindside, though, leaving open the question of a free agent addition.
Chukwuma Okorafor has been taking the majority of first-team reps during OTAs, and that will likely continue through the summer. The former Steelers third-rounder has 59 NFL starts to his name, but his last action on the blindside came in college. Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is also a candidate for the left tackle gig, but his Penn State tenure consisted of playing on the right side.
Head coach Jerod Mayo noted that both newcomers are seeing time at multiple spots as the team works out its plan up front. He made it clear, though, that moving Michael Onwenu from right tackle to the blindside is not under consideration. Onwenu re-signed on a three-year, $57MM deal this offseason and he will remain a key member of New England’s O-line regardless of who winds up winning the first-team spot opposite him.
“I mean, I think, look, we’re always trying to bring in good players,” Mayo said when asked about the possibility of an outside addition (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). “Those guys are doing well. We’ll see what happens as the roster continues to play out. Realistically, we’re still early in the process, and training camp will reveal a lot.”
Indeed, evaluations of players on both sides of the line of scrimmage is challenging in the non-padded practices of OTAs and minicamp. More will be known about Okorafor, Wallace and former UDFA Calvin Anderson with respect to their blindside viability this summer. If it is deemed necessary, the Patriots could explore adding a veteran such as David Bakhtiari, D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith or Charles Leno.
Each of those linemen remain on the open market well after the initial waves of free agency and the draft, and they should be available on a low-cost deal for New England or any other interested teams. The Patriots currently have the most cap space in the league with over $46MM available, so funds would not be an issue if a left tackle move was pursued. It will be interesting to see if that winds up being the case later on, or if they elect to stay in house at the position.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Bills, Fangio
Even though the Patriots re-signed Kendrick Bourne, their failed pursuit of Calvin Ridley leaves a void at receiver. Robert Kraft certainly believes the team made a viable offer but cited an interesting reason for the former first-round pick choosing the Titans.
“It was not because of finance. Clearly, his girlfriend wanted to be in the South,” Kraft said (via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed) of Ridley, referring to the wide receiver’s wife. “We had a situation where the taxes were, like, almost 10% higher. We offered — we were willing to keep going at that premium. But he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. And part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”
The Pats and Jaguars were believed to be battling for Ridley, but the Titans came in with a monster offer. Tennessee gave Ridley a whopping $46.98MM guaranteed at signing — third among all wide receivers. That number will jump to $50MM if he is on Tennessee’s roster on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. The Patriots have faced criticism for their free agency route, after Jerod Mayo said the team was planning to be more aggressive. Much of the Pats’ moves have involved re-signings. The Pats have a big decision to make at No. 3 overall, and trade-down rumors are emerging. If they do draft a passer third, the WR need will be glaring — unless a rumored Pats trade effort produces a deal — on Day 2 of the draft.
Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- Michael Onwenu joined the host of guards who received big paydays this month, but the Patriots are not planning to return him to his primary rookie-contract position. New England is planning to station Onwenu where he played much of last season. After re-signing the former sixth-round pick on a three-year, $57MM deal, the Pats are keeping him at right tackle, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Onwenu appears comfortable with this plan, per the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi. The Pats used Onwenu at guard during the 2021 and ’22 seasons, but after injury issues at right tackle last season, Bill Belichick moved him back to that position — where he spent time during his rookie campaign. While left tackle remains an issue post-Trent Brown, the Onwenu deal solidifies the team’s RT job.
- Bills GM Brandon Beane does not expect Micah Hyde to retire, and despite the team having re-signed Taylor Rapp and brought Mike Edwards over from the Chiefs, Hyde could remain in the picture. Beane is not ruling out a re-signing, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg notes. Hyde played out a third Bills contract and joins a few other accomplished safeties on the market — Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs among them. While GMs often indicate interest in re-signing a player at a lower rate exists, the Bills did follow through on this by bringing back Jordan Poyer at a lower cost (two years, $12.5MM) in 2023. Buffalo disbanded the Hyde-Poyer tandem by cutting the latter this month.
- Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin has a workout scheduled with the Bills, per Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline. The No. 43 overall prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, Franklin has four “30” visits scheduled as well. Working with first-round QB prospect Bo Nix, Franklin posted 1,383 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Franklin was sick during Combine week, Pauline adds, noting he weighed in seven pounds heavier (183) at his pro day.
- Mike McDaniel confirmed the Dolphins did not have the intention of moving on from Vic Fangio after one season, but the third-year HC indicated (via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Beasley) a few one-on-one conversations led to an understanding it would be best for the sides to part ways. Fangio quickly agreed to terms with the Eagles, which came after players heard rumblings the accomplished DC was eyeing a move back to Philadelphia during last season.
- Bourne’s three-year, $19.5MM Patriots contract includes $5.5MM guaranteed, and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets the veteran wide receiver can guarantee $2.5MM of his $5.5MM 2025 base salary by eclipsing 800 receiving yards this season. Bourne, who is coming off a torn ACL, has one 800-yard season in six years; he posted exacted 800 in 2021.
Patriots To Re-Sign OL Michael Onwenu
Michael Onwenu will be back with the Patriots after all. New England has re-signed their versatile offensive lineman, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
It’s a three-year, $57MM deal for Onwenu, including $38MM in guaranteed money. The lineman also earned a $22.5MM signing bonus from the Patriots.
The organization made it clear that they wanted to retain Onwenu, although the team’s lack of free agent spending in recent years led to some doubts about the player’s future in New England. The lineman also made some headlines when he informed NFL teams that he was operating without an agent, a hint that he was simply preparing to sign with the highest bidder.
Ultimately, the Patriots stepped up and retained their lineman. Onwenu has spent his entire career in New England. The former sixth-round pick found himself in and out of the starting lineup in 2021, but he started all 32 of his appearances over the past two years. Listed as a tackle in 2023, Pro Football Focus ranked Onwenu 29th among 81 qualifiers this past season. The lineman ranked top-10 at his position in each of his first three seasons in the league.
The player engaged in negotiations with the then-Bill Belichick-led front office last offseason. However, those talks stalled, making the lineman an impending free agent. Having played both guard and tackle throughout his career, Onwenu’s versatility was expected to make him a popular name in free agency. The lineman ranked as the tenth-best free agent in our top-50 free agent rankings.
Onwenu will continue to be a reliable presence in New England, even with an uncertain offensive future. Mac Jones will no longer be under center, and there’s a good chance the Patriots snag a rookie quarterback with the third-overall pick in the draft. The team’s low-cost 2023 RT plan (Riley Reiff) lasted all of 45 snaps, and with Trent Brown all but certain to leave, it was important for the organization to retain some continuity on the OL.