Patriots Officially Bringing Back Priority Free Agent
By Ryan Bunton
The Patriots are bringing back their top offensive priority, agreeing to a three-year $57 million deal with offensive lineman Michael Onwenu on Monday night. Onwenu's standout play earned him a hefty contract and $38 million guaranteed, in addition to a $22.5 million signing bonus. The most noteworthy move of the Eliot Wolf era to date, the new Patriots head personnel executive keeps homegrown talent on the roster for the foreseeable future.
Onwenu, 26, was drafted by New England in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Sources: The #Patriots are re-signing versatile OL Michael Onwenu, one of their cornerstone players, to a 3-year, $57M deal including $38M guaranteed. A clear priority for New England, he gets a $22.5M signing bonus. pic.twitter.com/mDpUz5CvSS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024
A bright spot on a much-maligned New England offensive line unit in 2023, Onwenu returned to his natural right tackle position in Week 9 after suiting up at guard for several games. Following the switch, he played every single one of the Patriots' offensive snaps for the remainder of the season, 656 straight snaps.
On Feb. 11, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had noted that "The Patriots essentially know Onwenu isn’t coming back, and he will have high bidders", while noting that many teams considered him to be the best offensive lineman available in this class. Fowler's report poured a lot of cold water on fans' hopes that the star lineman would be back in a New England uniform in 2024, but apparently Eliot Wolf and co. did enough to flip the script.
Onwenu was drafted by the Patriots out of Michigan. He has appeared in 64 games for New England and has only missed three games in his entire career.
More New England Patriots news and rumors:
feed