The New England Patriots entered the off-season with a ton of salary cap, and they put a healthy dive into it with their incredibly active week.
Bill Belichick went shopping and added guys like Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry and Matthew Judon, while re-signing guys like David Andrews and Kyle Van Noy. It’s a long list (you can see all the details here), but we know what you’re wondering now: how much cash is left?
A reasonable amount, actually.
Boston Sports Journal’s Miguel Benzan (@PatsCap on Twitter) gave his latest outline.
Most transactions that are not offset must be relatively inexpensive, with the exception of perhaps Brown.
Either way, the situation of the Patriots salary cap looks pretty good. The cap is tight this year, which is why the wallets for almost every team except New England are tight. Most of the deals so far for the Patriots have been reloaded, giving them flexibility now as well as in the future when the ceiling is raised.
As for the quarterback situation, it is unclear what the plan is. Perhaps the Patriots could chase after Marcus Mariota if he is cut, or Jimmy Garoppolo could be an option (although the deal for him would significantly sharpen the capital situation). The Patriots could also try to make a quarterback, and then have him compete with Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham in the camp for the starting lineup.
It would, of course, be cost-effective to take this route, and if the choice were right, the Patriots would have him cheap for a few years before he would be eligible for a big payday. The fact that you do not have to tie up a ton of headroom with one player is, of course, a great way to build sustainability.
Newton, in turn, is taking revenge again because he hears people say that New England has an uncertain quarterback situation.
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