Cap space and Daniels are on fans’ minds

Welcome back to the Patriots mailbag. Questions this week on cap space, rules changes, and Jayden Daniels. Let’s get to it.

I’ve been reading that if the Patriots don’t use their 2024 cap space to extend players or to sign free agents, then they can just roll over the space into the next year. Instead, could they use their space to absorb other teams’ unwanted contracts, the way NBA teams frequently do? Presumably the other teams would include draft assets to compensate the Patriots.

— Bob, via email

This is a really interesting question; you’re basically referring to a salary dump, if I’m reading this right. There have been a few cases of this in the past, including one in 2017 when the Browns dealt for Brock Osweiler, which allowed the Texans to free up cap space in pursuit of Tony Romo. (It didn’t work.)

Ultimately, to execute one of those deals, a lot of things have to fall into place, including a trade partner willing to take a brutal contract off your hands, as well as a franchise unconcerned with the PR hit it would take when publicly admitting it has a contractual albatross.

I’d also imagine that the teams would be more inclined to make a move like this before the start of the new league year, a maneuver that theoretically would clear the decks for teams looking to gain more financial flexibility prior to free agency. It’s an interesting approach, but risk might outweigh reward.

What are the Patriots doing with all their cap space? Waiting for post-draft roster/market clarity? Waiting for the 2025 compensatory deadline to pass? Rolling it into next year? Or are we just a small-market team now with a payroll to match?

— Michael Epstein, via X

A little bit of everything. To their credit, they did try to spend when it came to Calvin Ridley and a few other free agents. (Given the relationship between Alex Van Pelt and Baker Mayfield, I would have liked to see how much they could have — or would have — offered Mayfield.) But I think a lot of those things are part of the conversation; the comp pick deadline is coming, and there will be a series of signings after that. (Stephon Gilmore?)

You also want to keep a little financial flexibility in case of emergency. For all the hubbub that Jerod Mayo’s “burn some cash” comment caused, it appears to run counter to the team-building approach favored by Eliot Wolf ’s father.

What can you tell me about Jayden Daniels that you saw at LSU’s Pro Day that didn’t come through in the story?

— Jason, Lunenberg, via email

Two things: One, he’s ready for this whole thing to be done. He’s heard the same questions (particularly about his frame and his ability to withstand a hit), gone through almost all the stages during the predraft process, and had to deal with all of the extra stuff that comes along with it. He’s sincere when he says he’s just ready to hear his name called and to play football.

Two, when talking with him one-on-one, I was struck by his absolute confidence. I know athletes are wired differently, but Daniels is on a different level. I asked him if the Patriots draft him, is there any sort of worry or trepidation about succeeding despite the legacy of Tom Brady. I expected a conciliatory answer. Instead, he smiled and said, “I played in Death Valley after Joe Burrow. I feel like I’m ready for anything.”

I’d still be worried about his ability to protect himself, but if Daniels is available at No. 3 and New England is on the clock, I’d run to the podium with a draft card with his name on it.

Over the past several years, the NFL has adopted rules and other things from some of the professional spring leagues (XFL, UFL, USFL), most recently in regard to kickoffs. Do you see some sort of NFL official affiliation coming soon between the two leagues, so the USFL would become a de facto minor league partner?

— Jack Flynn, Amherst

The only way the NFL would adopt the USFL as a minor league is if the NFL can find a way to benefit financially. If the projections have the

NFL breaking even or losing money on the proposition, then the NFL won’t do it.

Can too much collaboration on the draft be a bad thing? Analysis leading to paralysis?

— Bruce James-Newman, Portsmouth, Va. (via Winthrop)

Collaboration! One of this year’s buzzwords. Yes, it can, and it can be magnified if all the decision-makers aren’t all on the same page. So far, at least publicly, the Patriots braintrust has presented a united front on most major things.

The one thing we do know is that Wolf says he’ll have the final say when it comes to whom they should go with at No. 3. Regardless of the collaborative process, he’ll get the credit if it’s the right call, and the blame if it’s a miss.