Free Agency is right around the corner, and the New England Patriots should be active once the league year officially begins. While they don’t have the same money they had at this point last year, the team currently has over $9.5 million in cap space and still has a multitude of ways to increase that number if they want to.
What the New England Patriots Should Do In Free Agency
Step1: Re-sign JC Jackson
The NFL is a passing league, and teams should be building their defenses around stopping the pass. Cornerback is one of the most important positions in football, but it’s especially important in New England’s man-heavy scheme. The Patriots play man coverage as much as anyone in the league, and there aren’t many cornerbacks capable of lining up opposite an opposing WR1 and locking them down all game.
JC Jackson is one of those cornerbacks. After spending the first three years of his career opposite Stephon Gilmore, the former undrafted free agent proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a legitimate top-10 cornerback. The Maryland product has an innate nose for the ball, doesn’t give up too many big plays, and is entering his age-27 season. He should have plenty of good football left in his tank and be well worth whatever money he makes.
With the salary cap rising, there is a very real chance that Jackson receives a Jalen Ramsey type of contract. While a big number like that could scare away some fans, it’s important to remember that this deal could easily be structured such that Jackson’s immediate cap hit does not financially burden the team. As demonstrated in this piece, the Patriots could structure Jackson’s contract such that the big cap numbers only occur when the salary cap is inflated beyond the current mark.
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Step 2: Get A Wide Receiver
Jackson will help solidify the pass defense, but the Patriots need more offensive ammunition if they want to keep up with the rest of the AFC. Mac Jones had an impressive rookie season, but he is obviously not on the same level as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow, at least at this point in his career. If the Patriots want to close the gap in talent between Jones and the aforementioned young gunslingers, then they’ll need to get Jones some more impressive offensive weapons.
More than likely, Amari Cooper will be the best option on the open market. However, the Patriots simply don’t have the money to sign Jackson and Cooper, so New England might need to go bargain shopping.
The Patriots love to buy low on veterans coming off down years, and Allen Robinson fits that description to a tee. The former second-round pick had a season to forget in 2021, but he was one of the NFL’s better receivers as recently as 2020. If the market is down on him, the Patriots could easily sign him to a one-year, prove it type of contract.
Alternatively, New England could go after a good-but-not-great receiver like Will Fuller. Fuller is coming off an injury-plagued season but is one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league when healthy. Assuming he’s good to go, he’d be a major upgrade on Nelson Agholor. The Patriots reportedly had interest in A.J. Green last year, and his lone season with the Cardinals proved he can still be a fine third or fourth option in the passing game.
Deshaun Watson to Will Fuller for the wild TD 🤯🔥
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) November 26, 2020
Step 3: Build Offensive Line Depth
With wide receiver and cornerback addressed, New England’s next two biggest needs are offensive line and linebacker. The 2022 NFL Draft class is stacked with talent at linebacker, so the Patriots shouldn’t go too crazy on the position in free agency. Instead, they should use their remaining spending money to shore up the offensive line.
Trent Brown is a free agent, and Isaiah Wynn only has one more year left on his deal. With that in mind, the Patriots need to bring in at least one offensive tackle. Re-signing Brown is a good start, but they also sign a proven veteran to be a swing tackle, and to provide competition for Wynn.
Eric Fisher started 15 games last year for the Indianapolis Colts, so there is a chance he finds another starting job in 2022. That being said, his 68.2 PFF grade ranked 42nd out of 80 qualifying tackles, so he might have to settle for life as a backup. If that ends up being the case, then he’d be a great fit in New England.
This is admittedly a long shot, but the Patriots could also look into bringing back old friend Nate Solder. Solder is definitely not a starter at this point in his career, but he can play both sides of the line and obviously has a long track record of success in New England.
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