Tom Brady’s contract extension gives the New England Patriots more cap space, which opens up possibilities. They could make a major move, like trading for Washington tackle Trent Williams, who was rumored to be on the Patriots’ radar. (They could also pay Rob Gronkowski, in the event he comes out of retirement.)
The Patriots were previously operating with around $7.5 million in space. After Brady signed his two-year extension, the Patriots opened up $5.5 million more, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That’s some significant wiggle room for New England as they try to finalize their roster over the coming weeks during training camp and preseason. A deal for Williams isn’t out of the question. Williams is set to earn roughly $11 million in 2019 and $12.8 million in 2020, but he is holding out of Redskins training camp this offseason.
Interestingly enough, it’s not all about money. He’s also unhappy with how Washington has handled some of his medical issues. So perhaps if he joined the Patriots, they wouldn’t immediately have to sweeten his deal. They probably wouldn’t want to.
They have second-year offense lineman Isaiah Wynn, who they have penciled in at left tackle for 2019. But he spent his rookie season in 2018 on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles in preseason last year. He has been limited for all of the team’s training camp practices. On the other side of the line, the Patriots have Marcus Cannon, an injury-prone but talented tackle. Beyond those two, the team has rookie tackle Yodny Cajuste, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. And that’s about it. A reliable veteran would immediately make a positive impact on New England’s roster.
But Williams would come with a significant cost in a trade, whether in draft compensation or proven veteran talent. Perhaps the Patriots would wait until late in the preseason when they have a sense of which position (like cornerback or linebacker) has so much depth that they could package a player (which they would have otherwise cut) and pick to dull the blow in a trade for Williams.
Before Brady’s contract extension, the trade wasn’t a possibility. Now, it’s in play.
