New England Patriots: The case for re-signing Trent Brown

The New England Patriots may want to consider re-signing Tom Brady’s blind side to solidify a young, good offensive line.

The New England Patriots did not place the franchise tag on 25-year-old left tackle Trent Brown, setting the former seventh-round pick up for a big pay day on the open market.

After losing veteran left tackle Nate Solder during free agency last season, the Patriots were left with some big shoes to fill and did they fill them well. Standing at 6-foot-8, 359 pounds, Brown not only stepped and became the new No. 77, he was an intimidating factor during the regular season and throughout the team’s Super Bowl run.

Both his development and solid play protecting Tom Brady will certainly earn him some big money that could range around $15 million per year.

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Sounds like steep money for the Patriots, who do have 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn waiting in the wings. But what Trent Brown has become as a player and person since joining the Patriots following a trade with the San Francisco 49ers may at least make the team consider the possibilities with Brown on the left side for the foreseeable future.

They won’t pay anything outrageous for his services, especially if some other team blows him out the water. Would he take a little less for stability in his young career?

It’s possible considering he has found a niche on a team that has found value in him.

"“I think we’re all pleased that he’s been as good as he has,” Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia said previous to Super Bowl LIII. “The guy has a great skill set and I know he cares. He doesn’t like to mess up. We’re all pleased. He’s been our left tackle the whole season. We’ve needed him bad to come through, and he has come through. And we need him to come through one more game.”"

He certainly did that. The entire offensive line showed up and played solid in the Patriots’ 13-3 Super Bowl LIII victory. It wasn’t in just protecting Tom Brady, it was the physicality they enforced in a power running game that eventually helped seal the game.

Trent Brown played a large part in that.

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The case for re-signing

Sure, the New England Patriots have a contingency play in Georgia Bulldogs product Isaiah Wynn, but they can make the line even stronger by finding a way to re-sign Trent Brown.

Now, it is the versatility of Wynn that could work in the Patriots favor if they ended up with both players. That would allow them to possibly trade Marcus Cannon for future draft picks or to get a player in another position.

With that possibility, the Patriots could end up with Brown at left tackle and Wynn at right tackle, which might be a better position for Wynn to get his footing back after missing the entire 2018 NFL season with a torn Achilles.

Depending on how the market plays out, they could get Trent Brown for a little cheaper based on his track record of not studying film and missing assignments previous to joining the Patriots. Teams could see that as a red flag, which could bring him down in the $11 to $13 million range. If that happens, the Patriots should pounce on it.

Potential landing spots

As the best offensive tackle on the market, any and every team in need of a quarterback blindside protector will kick the tires on Trent Brown.

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Coming back and playing a few more seasons under Scarnecchia may be his best move, but teams will show Brown the money and as a seventh-round pick coming into the league, he will be smart to cash in.

Teams like the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers instantly come to mind as good fits for Brown, but teams with a ton of cap space like the New York Jets may make a push at getting Trent Brown away from the New England Patriots. He would be an upgrade at the position and the added bonus would be weakening the offensive line of their AFC East rivals.

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