Pats acquire Brown from Raiders
Offensive tackle played big part during run to 2018 Super Bowl
The Patriots agreed to acquire Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Brown and a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2022 fifth-rounder in a trade with the Raiders on Tuesday, a source told the Herald.
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Brown will return to New England after winning a Super Bowl as the team’s starting left tackle in the 2018 season. Months later, he left to sign the richest freeagent deal ever for an offensive lineman, which had two years and $19.25 million remaining. Due to impending cap trouble, the Raiders made Brown available this offseason, and he has agreed to a new one-year deal worth up to $11 million as part of the trade, per ESPN.
The Patriots can afford Brown’s salary as one of the NFL’s leaders in 2021 cap space. They had been projected to hold more than $66 million in cap room at the start of free agency next week.
It’s unclear where the 6-foot-8, 380-pounder, who can play left and right tackle, will start next season. Brown could make veteran right tackle Marcus Cannon a cap casualty in the coming days. Releasing Cannon, who opted out of the 2020 season, would save the team $6.3 million in cap space.
Pats left tackle Isaiah Wynn could also be on the final season of his rookie deal, if the team doesn’t pick up his fifth-year option by May 3. Wynn has battled injuries throughout his young career, including a torn Achilles that wiped out his 2018 rookie campaign and opened the door for Brown to start. Brown’s return likely indicates the team will continue shuffling its offensive line.
The 27-year-old made the Pro Bowl at right tackle with the Raiders two years ago. Last season, Brown was limited to five games due to a stint on the team’s COVID19 reserve list and a pregame IV that caused air to enter his bloodstream and led to him being hospitalized.
Las Vegas general manager Mike Mayock said last week Brown is as talented as any offensive tackle in the NFL.
“Trent’s whole thing is when he’s healthy, in shape and ready to go, he’s as dominant as any tackle in football and he proved that early in the 2019 season. Since then, it’s kind of been a roller-coaster,” Mayock said.
“So really what he needs to do more than anything is get himself in the best shape of his life and come out and prove that he is a dominant tackle in the National Football League. And really that’s all it takes. If Trent gets in shape and stays committed, there’s not a better talent out there.”
The Pats originally acquired Brown in an April 2018 trade with the 49ers, sending a third-round pick to San Francisco in exchange for Brown and a fifth-rounder. That season, he played 97.7% of the team’s offensive snaps and took five penalties. The Patriots repeatedly ran behind Brown in critical situations, including for gamewinning touchdowns in the 2019 AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LIII.
No tag for Thuney
Over the past five years, Patriots left guard Joe Thuney did everything in his power to maximize the opportunity that awaits him next week in free agency. The Pats front office won’t stand in his way.
The team declined to apply the franchise tag before Tuesday’s deadline, all but ensuring Thuney will sign elsewhere.
In New England, Thuney started all 90 games, won two Super Bowls and established himself as one of the league’s best pass protectors. He played multiple positions and was whistled for three total penalties. He signed the franchise tag last offseason for $14.7 million guaranteed, which effectively set that number as the floor for his average annual salary in upcoming contract negotiations.
Since then, the Patriots have made no progress on striking a long-term deal with Thuney, according to Sports Illustrated. So where does that leave them?
The Patriots should capably replace Thuney with Michael Onwenu, who starred at right tackle and left guard last season as a rookie. Onwenu played guard in college at Michigan, and initially projected as the team’s top interior backup until the Pats tried him on the edge during training camp, and he quickly proved to be one of the team’s 10 best players. The Patriots must also re-sign center David Andrews or find a starting replacement, which projects to cost between $7 million to $9 million per year.
As for Thuney, a marketsetting contract likely awaits. Several teams in the top 10 of projected cap space, including the Jaguars, Jets and Bengals, have holes along their offensive lines.
Jeremiah: Lance is a QB fit for Patriots
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t know which type of quarterback the Patriots might look for in the draft, be it someone in the Tom Brady pocketpasser mold or a prospect closer to Cam Newton and his mobile style.
But, in knowing the traits Bill Belichick tends to favor in a quarterback, one name came to mind: North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
“I can see Bill Belichick having an affinity and a lot of fun with a guy like Trey Lance,” Jeremiah said on a video call with reporters Tuesday. “When you talk to the folks at North Dakota State, this kid is incredibly intelligent, which we know the Patriots have always placed a premium on. He can direct fronts, he can do all the stuff at the line of scrimmage you need to do.
“He’s a fantastic athlete and runner. He’s got a power arm that fits in the weather in that division. … And I just think all the character stuff I’ve gotten has been off the charts.”
With the Patriots sitting at No. 15, Jeremiah wasn’t sure how far up the board they’d need to jump to pick him. Jeremiah said that question would be answered once the free agency dust settles for teams drafting before the Patriots.