COMMENTARY
The Patriots received unexpected good news last week, receiving a $ 6.55 million salary cap credit as a result of the resolution of pending compensation claims with former Patriot Antonio Brown and the inheritance of the late Aaron Hernandez.
For the liquidity-struggling Patriots, such an announcement was a fortuitous occasion, considering the salary-cap gymnastics they would have had to perform to create a little more leeway under the cap for the 2020 season. Now, according to the cap expert For the Patriots, Miguel Benzan, the team has $ 7,794,739 in cap space to work with.
For a team that had to wait for Cam Newton to drastically cut his asking price before they could afford to get him on board, having nearly $ 8 million in maximum space now gives the Patriots a chance to sign a veteran free agent or trade a trade for a player who could help the team in 2020. Alternatively, they could decide to stand firm and do nothing.
The following are some ideas on how New England can take advantage of its new financial flexibility to improve its team by 2020.
Sign Jadeveon Clowney
The last time New England pushed all its chips in the middle of the table to play it all in one season was in 2014, when it signed cornerback Darrelle Revis to a one-year, $ 12 million contract with a second-year option in $ 20 million. It worked well enough, to put it mildly, as Revis helped elevate the Patriots defense to an elite level, and was a key piece of the 2014 Super Bowl winning team.
With every day that passes with free agent edge advocate Jadeveon Clowney in the open market, the prospect of Clowney taking a one-year “try it out” deal with a contender to restore his market value is increasingly likely.
The Patriots lack a real threat on the edges of their defense right now from a hasty perspective. Chase Winovich, who showed promise as a rookie, and veteran forward defender John Simon are the potential headlines, and they certainly aren’t far behind as pass runners, but the Patriots defense lacks a real game changer in their line. defensive. While New England high school remains one of the best in the league, the defensive line may need a boost.
Adding Clowney for a year will probably require some butt maneuvers yet, but with $ 7.9 million to work now, the Patriots can offer the former Seattle Seahawk the opportunity to learn under Bill Belichick for a year, and be in the best position to have success. on the field, at a modest salary level for a player of his caliber. A productive 2020 could help restore Clowney’s market and put it in a better position to capitalize on it in 2021.
Clowney is the type of hybrid running back that would wreak havoc on New England’s defensive scheme, similar to what Chandler Jones did when he was with the Patriots. With his combination of length and power, Clowney is a force against running and passing, and Belichick could use it as a chess piece, lining up in various positions on the defensive line as a patriot.
Clowney’s presence would allow Winovich to return as a situational pass runner, the role he did well as a rookie, and would provide a much-needed boost on the New England D-line.
However, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, such a move is considered unlikely, because in Rapoport’s words, “I think Clowney would like to make a lot of money. […] I don’t think I will accept a small little deal from the Patriots. “
Sign Tim Jernigan
The Patriots are still skinny on defensive tackle by 2020. Lawrence Guy remains one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, but after that, the team has Beau Allen, who signed to replace Danny Shelton, Adam Butler, a smaller player. for their position and a collection of untested players behind them.
Jernigan, 27, had a deal with the Texans who failed earlier this offseason, after spending the past three seasons as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. While he’s also smaller for his position, like Butler at 6-foot-2, 295-pound, Jernigan does have some versatility and would improve the team’s depth at defensive tackle.
As a member of the 2017 Eagles team that won the Super Bowl, Jernigan started 15 games, recording 34 tackles, 18 quarterback pressures and 2.5 sacks in 492 snapshots. He suffered a broken foot in 2019, causing him to lose six games, leading to a decrease in production, with only 10 tackles and two sacks.
Houston originally signed Jernigan for a year at $ 3.75 million this offseason. With Jernigan still unsigned this afternoon in the offseason, New England could look to sign him for less to bolster his defensive line.
Commerce by David Njoku
Yes, the Patriots selected two tight ends in this year’s NFL Draft, but Belichick has a knack for swapping talented players when his value is at a low point, and Njoku certainly fits into that category, having played just 99 snapshots. Offenses in four games in 2019 due to an injured wrist.
For a team that lacks red zone goals for anyone starting out as a quarterback, Njoku would be a great help in that area. Still only 24 years old, the 6-foot-4-inch, 247-pound tight end runs well for his size and has good hands. He would immediately become the best option in the depth chart at tight end position for New England, and his presence would help rookie tight ends Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi develop and learn at a more reasonable rate in 2020.
Stay calm
The most probable scenario and the most conservative option from a fiscal point of view is to stay still and not make movements with your new cash flow.
Every NFL season brings uncertainty in many ways. Players could show signs of decline or injury, and team failures that were not apparent at training camp might need to be addressed in the season.
Despite being the least entertaining option available to the team, the smartest thing to do, especially with the league’s finances looking shaky due to the economic effects of the coronavirus, is to bring cap space into the season.
If the team is in contention at the mid-season point, it might make sense to trade a trade for an offensive weapon to help in the stretch. If so, any upgrade would probably not be cheap, and the team should maintain a financial buffer to allow for some flexibility if such a need arises.
Uncertainty about how badly the league’s revenue will be affected by the coronavirus will leave many teams needing to make tough financial decisions in 2020 and beyond. While the Patriots will be filled with room for the cap in 2021 (although the exact amount depends on how the cap is affected by declining revenue during the 2020 season), there is a chance that the cap for 2020 will still be seen. affected, if reports since Friday that the NFL proposed a $ 40 million reduction in the 2020 salary cap is true. This gives even more reason to resist and make no move to prepare for the cheap blows the league and its teams will soon take.
