It’s no secret that the Patriots aren’t in the best situation in terms of the salary cap. Patriots cap specialist Miguel Benzan currently has New England with just under $30 million in cap space.
This means Bill Belichick will be tasked with retaining his own free agents, signing new ones, and paying rookies with only $30 million. That’s going to be a tough ask, but luckily, there are some moves that they can make to create more space. Who are some players that may be at risk of becoming cap casualties?
1. RB Rex Burkhead
Burkhead is slated to have a cap hit of $4 million, and his release would save $2.4 million of that. The 29-year-old running back had the best season of his career last year in terms of overall production, totaling 581 yards and 3 touchdowns on offense.
New England has a solid stable of running backs right now that includes Sony Michel, James White, Damien Harris, and Brandon Bolden. None of those guys can do exactly what Burkhead can, but a combination of them can make up for his absence.
2. K Stephen Gostkowski
Gostkowski is set to be the highest-paid kicker in the NFL this season with a cap hit of $5.45 million. Cutting him would save the team roughly $3.18 million in 2020.
The kicker spent most of the year on injured reserve last season after having surgery on a torn labrum. At 36, and returning from a serious injury, it’s fair to question whether or not Gostkowski can return to form. It would make sense for the Patriots to seriously consider trying to lower his cap number or flat out release him and bring in a rookie.
3. CB Jason McCourty
With his brother set to be a free agent, J-Mac may be set to join him soon. McCourty’s contract has him set to cost $5.75 million against the cap this year while releasing him would $3.49 million.
The former Scarlet Knight will be 33 years old this upcoming season coming off of a year that he missed four games and had offseason groin surgery. It was evident he was hurt at the end of the year, and the defense could’ve used him in spots. However, the Patriots are set up pretty well to deal with a departure at the cornerback position with Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, and Joejuan Williams all under team control for at least two more seasons.
His age, price tag, and potential lingering injury status makes it possible for New England to move on.
4. DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
Wise is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to have a cap hit of $2.3 million. His release would save the Patriots $1.64 million.
With Trey Flowers out of the mix, it seemed like Wise was poised to see a jump in production in 2019. Instead, his snaps were significantly decreased from 41.4% in 2018 to 22.72% last season. The Patriots switched up their front to include a lot more linebackers rushing the quarterback instead of defensive ends like Wise. This meant more playing time on the edge for guys like Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower. John Simon’s versatility also gave him a spot.
If the Patriots are going to continue playing Wise less than a fourth of the snaps, it would make sense to move on. He’s still a productive piece that should fetch a mid-round pick or a swap for a position of need in a trade.
5. LB Dont’a Hightower
This one would be the most shocking considering he’s coming off his second Pro-Bowl. At the same time, there is some sense to it. Hightower has a cap hit of $11.38 million this season. The Patriots would save $9.34 million by releasing the soon-to-be 30-year-old.
The Alabama product seemed to ramp it back up again this year after a couple seasons that had people questioning his longevity in the NFL. Maybe that was because he was reenergized by the level that the rest of the defense was playing at, or maybe it was because he was finally healthy for a full year. Either way, there seems to be some good football left in those cleats.
However, it’s also okay to acknowledge that his cap hit is simply too much for his production. It would be wise for the Patriots to try and see if he’d restructure (something he was unwilling to do last season) or extend out his deal so this year’s hit gets lowered.
