Pats’ Mason can wait for payday
The Patriots were priced out on one key offensive lineman this past spring, as Nate Solder hit unrestricted free agency and bolted for a massive contract with the Giants.
Will the Pats face a similar situation in 2019?
The team’s best lineman, fourth-year pro Shaq Mason, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. An ascending talent with rare athleticism, Mason has rapidly become one of the league’s better guards. He’s especially skilled in the running game, where he has the strength to handle defensive tackles and the footspeed to get in front of defenders at the second level.
If the Patriots want to keep Mason beyond this season, it’ll cost them.
Speaking by phone yesterday, the 24-year-old Mason indicated he’d like to remain in New England.
“Yes, I would,” Mason said. “But as far as all that goes, I don’t look ahead, honestly. I’m just worried about reporting to training camp July 25 and taking it from there.”
The Pats could strike a long-term deal with Mason this summer, or perhaps at some point during the 2018 season. This was the approach they took with other homegrown offensive linemen: Solder agreed to a two-year extension in September 2015, which was the final year of his rookie contract. Likewise, Marcus Cannon signed a two-year extension in December 2014, three months before his rookie deal expired. Cannon inked an additional extension worth up to $32.5 million in November 2016.
Mason’s value has yet to be determined. According to figures from OverTheCap.com, there are 17 guards in the NFL with contracts worth a minimum of $15 million guaranteed. Thirteen of those players are banking an average annual salary of at least $8 million per year. Mason, who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s No. 10 guard a year ago, could be in line for something in that range.
Not that he’s giving it much thought right now.
“Honestly, I’ve been working and just taking it one step at a time,” Mason said. “Just honing in on details, the smaller things of my game, just become a better overall player.”
Ever since OTAs concluded in early June, Mason has been working out in his hometown of Columbia, Tenn. The city is about 20 miles north of Dont’a Hightower’s hometown, and the two Patriots have connected frequently for sessions of Bikram yoga. This is the second offseason in which Mason — as nimble as any 310-pound man — has made yoga a regular part of his routine.
“I definitely felt better doing it,” Mason said. “Workouts are easier, things like that. It just loosens up everything.”
This is also the second offseason in which the Patriots guard will hold a clinic in his hometown, as the Shaq Mason Football Camp is set for today. It’s one of the highlights of Mason’s summer.
“It’s really important to me because of all the effort and encouragement that my hometown has given me, just being from a place that not many make it out of,” Mason said. “So I’m able to give back to the community and do things like that. It’s honestly like the first time that the city of Columbia has seen things like this, where someone is having a camp for kids and doing things for the community like that.”
Mason will be home for another week and a half before he reports to Gillette for training camp. While he’s locked in as the team’s starting right guard, several other positions along the offensive line are in flux. And that’s new for the Pats, who have enjoyed unusual continuity up front. The club entered the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the same starters — Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Mason and Cannon.
This year, the left tackle position is up for grabs. Trent Brown, LaAdrian Waddle and rookie Isaiah Wynn are vying for the job. Wynn can also play guard, and it’s possible that he supplants Thuney on the left side.
Patriots offensive line guru Dante Scarnecchia faces an interesting task this summer. There’s a lot to sort out. Of course, Scarnecchia’s track record suggests he’ll maximize the unit’s talent.
“The accomplishments and the praise he gets, he’s very deserving of it,” Mason said. “He definitely has taken my game to another level, as well as others on the O-Line. Hats off to Scar because he’s a great coach and I love working for him.”