As of this week, my current projections have the Patriots will have an adjusted team salary cap number of $197.4 million and a cap commitment of approximately $179.6 million -- $197.4 million minus $179.6 million equals $17.8 million in cap space.
This projection is before the Patriots make any roster moves such as releases, trades, extensions, RFA tenders, franchise tags or pay cuts. But, it is a starting point and – much like past years – underscores that the team has much work to do to create cap necessary to address their offseason needs.
Let's break down the categories:
• RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (RFAs)
These are players whose contracts have expired and who have three years of accrued service time. First, the team must tender the player with an RFA offer. Once tendered, another team can sign the player to an RFA offer sheet -- the Patriots would then have seven days to match that offer sheet and retain the player under the terms of that offer sheet. If they were to choose not to match the offer sheet, New England would then receive compensation based on the level of RFA tender made to the player.
There are three RFA tenders: first round, second round, and low tender:
* First-round tender: Allows the team to receive compensation of a first-round pick – $4.425 million (projected)
* Second-round tender: Allows the team to receive compensation of 2nd round pick – $3.108 million (projected)
* Low tender: Allows the team to receive compensation of a draft pick equal to the round in which the player was originally drafted, or the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) for an undrafted player – $2.034 million (projected)
The above tender amounts are just projections at this point. Under the terms of the CBA, the RFA tender amounts increase at the same rate as the overall Salary Cap, with the minimum increase being five percent and the maximum increase between 10 percent. An increase in the salary cap from $177.2 million to $189 million would represent a 6.659 percent increase in the cap, so the above estimates for the RFA tenders are based on that 6.659 percent increase.
The Patriots have only one player who will be a restricted free agent -- cornerback Jonathan Jones. Since he was undrafted, the Patriots would not receive any compensation if they tendered Jones at the lowest level and they did not match another team's offer sheet.
I project Jones will receive the second-round tender of $3.108 million.
• UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (UFAs)
The following 18 players are unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and will be free to sign with other teams if they haven’t re-signed with the Patriots before free agency begins on March 13th at 4 p.m.:
- Stephen Gostkowski
- Chris Hogan
- Jason McCourty
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Malcom Brown
- Trey Flowers
- Danny Shelton
- Ryan Allen
- Trent Brown
- LaAdrian Waddle
- Phillip Dorsett
- John Simon
- Albert McClellan
- Ramon Humber
- Jeremy Hill
- Eric Rowe
- Brian Schwenke
- Ulrick John
- Gostkowski, whose tag number will be $5.98 milliom
- Flowers, whose tag number as a defensive end will be around $17.25 million.
- Trent Brown, whose tag number as an offensive lineman will be around $14.2 million.
- First round: Their original assigned pick.
- Second round: From the Bears as part of a 2018 draft-day trade.
- Second round: Their original assigned pick.
- Third round: From the Lions as part of a 2018 draft-day trade.
- Third round: Compensatory pick (Nate Solder).
- Third round: Compensatory pick (Malcolm Butler).
- Fourth round: Their original assigned pick.
- Fifth round: Compensatory pick (Danny Amendola).
- Seventh round: From the Browns as part of the Josh Gordon trade.
- Seventh round: From the Eagles as part of a 2018 draft-day trade.
- Seventh round: Their original assigned pick.
- Seventh round: Compensatory pick (Cameron Fleming).
- Tom Brady
- Kyle Van Noy
- Devin McCourty
- Rob Gronkowski
- Dont'a Hightower
- Devin McCourty
- Adrian Clayborn
- Dwayne Allen
- Marcus Cannon
- Patrick Chung
- Duron Harmon
- Nate Ebner
- Gronkowski
- Hightower
- McCourty
- Clayborn
- Dwayne Allen
- Cannon
- Chung
- Harmon
- Ebner
- having a small number of guaranteed salaries
- having the guaranteed salaries associated with core players
- having so many veterans in their last year of the contract
- having a much smaller than usual number of NLTBE 46-man active roster bonuses
- Gilmore - $5 million of Gilmore's $9 million salary becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2019 league year. Currently, the $9 million is guaranteed only for injury only.
- Mason's $4 million salary is fully guaranteed.
- Isaiah Wynn's salary is fully guaranteed.
- Sony Michel's salary is fully guaranteed
- Duke Dawson's salary is fully guaranteed
- $100,000 of Obi Melinfowu's salary is fully guaranteed.
- $1,500,000 of Brian Hoyer's $2.8 million salary is fully guaranteed.
- Gronkowski
- Brady
- Allen
- McCourty
- Clayborn
- King
- Slater
- Van Noy
- Hoyer
- Edelman
