The New England Patriots offseason proceedings are beginning to pick up. They began their salary cap work with the release of Kyle Van Noy, and ended up not using their franchise tag on star cornerback J.C. Jackson, allowing him to hit the open market for the first time in his career.
Around the rest of the NFL, there have been a ton of big moves, particularly in the quarterback market, that have rocked the league. The trade market has been on absolute fire recently, and it appeared the Pats were lurking in the wide receiver market, at least until Atlanta Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley was suspended for the upcoming season. There is still time for some moves to be made before free agency begins though.
With the the new league year just a week away now, teams around the league are beginning to get their salary cap situations under control. This typically leads to some pretty decent players becoming “cap casualties”, meaning they get cut because of their bad contract rather than their bad play. That’s the main reason we saw Van Noy get cut earlier this week.
And while the Patriots probably aren’t done with their salary cap work, they should keep a close eye on the players getting released from teams around the league. The free agent market has definitely changed a lot over the past 24 hours or so, and that has led to a few more linebackers, a top position of need for New England, hitting the market. Let’s take a look at two linebackers who were recently released that could end up becoming free agent targets for the Pats.
New England Patriots linebacker free agent target No. 2: Jordan Hicks
One of the more under-the-radar cap casualties who was cut earlier today was Jordan Hicks from the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have an influx of young talent at the linebacker spot, and while Hicks had one of the better seasons of his career last year, that meant it was time for the team move on from him. With the Patriots looking likely to have significant turnover in their linebacker corps, Hicks could emerge as a potential target for them once free agency opens.
During his three season tenure with the Cardinals, Hicks made a name for himself as a tackling machine. He had over 100 tackles each season, and he was generally at the middle of everything on defense for Arizona. Hicks is a fanstastic run defender who always has a nose for the ball, and he showed some pass rushing capabilities last season too, picking up a career high four sacks.
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The main issue with Hicks has always been his coverage skills. Quarterbacks get pretty much whatever they want when Hicks is in coverage, and it’s preventing him from becoming a true three-down linebacker. Hicks is such a solid run defender that it’s tough to take him off the field, but the Cardinals got burned on third downs with Hicks in coverage last season.
Hicks struggles in coverage could prevent the Patriots from making a run at him, but he could also end up being the direct replacement for Ja’Whaun Bentley this offseason. Bentley is hitting the market at the perfect time coming off a career year, while Hicks is fresh off getting released. They could conceivably pick up Hicks for less than what Bentley will earn, while also getting an upgrade at the heart of the defense.
Hicks is still only 30 years old, but he will probably be looking for a one to two year deal worth around $5 million per year right now. Getting cut will hurt his market, but he’s still an extremely productive player when he’s on the field. And who knows, maybe Bill Belichick could the perfect guy to help him figure out his coverage woes.
New England Patriots linebacker free agent target No. 1: Bobby Wagner
The linebacker market really got flipped on its head yesterday when it was announced the Seattle Seahawks were parting ways with Bobby Wagner. Wagner was caught in the crossheirs from the blockbuster trade that saw the Seahawks trade quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Now arguably the best linebacker of the past 10 years is set to switch teams for the first time in his career.
Let’s make one thing clear; the Seahawks did not cut Wagner because his production dropped off. Wagner was as productive as ever in his tenth season, and even picked up a career high 170 tackles despite missing pretty much all of the last two games of the season. Wagner is still at the top of his game, and he’s going to have a number of suitors now that he is available.
The Patriots may end up losing pretty much of all their linebacker corps this offseason. Replacing them with Wagner wouldn’t necessarily be the worst idea ever. Wagner can immediately slot in as the leader on defense, and his skills against both the run and pass would be a major help. Adding Wagner could allow the Patriots to temporarily delay the need to draft and develop a young linebacker through the draft.
In terms of money, Wagner is going to be expensive for a linebacker. He’s probably going to be looking for a shorter term deal too, and he could end up making as much as $10 million per year if he chooses to ink a multiyear deal. He’s going to be 32 next season yes, but he has shown virtually no signs of regression to this point, meaning there’s no reason to not fork over whatever it takes to get him.
Whereas adressing the linebacker vacancy was expected to take multiple moves this offseason, Wagner could be the one stop solution. Granted, they would need to bring in a couple lower levels guys yes, but they wouldn’t have to worry about drafting a linebacker early, which is how things look to be trending currently. Wagner is still a transcendent linebacker, and the New England Patriots should do what it takes to bring him to Foxboro.