Patriots 2020 offseason tracker: Free agent scorecard, signings, nfl draft rumors, latest updates and more – cbs sports, cbssports.com

The New England Patriots are in the midst of what is shaping out to be a transformative offseason. After they were eliminated from the postseason on Wild-Card Weekend, the focus swiftly shifted to an offseason that features Tom Brady entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his NFL career. Now, the Patriots are faced with the possibility of life without TB12. 

That will unquestionably be the first major domino to fall for New England, who will get their chance to woo Brady back to Foxborough for the rest of his football days. That said, they’ll need to put some serious weapons around him to ensure he’s in a Patriots uniform for his entire career. While Brady’s free agency will be priority No. 1, there are a number of other free agents that will be important for the Patriots to retain. 

As it relates to the coaching staff, we’ve already seen some turnover as special teams coordinator Joe Judge elected to take the head coaching job of the New York Giants. The good news for the Patriots, however, is that they were able to retain offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels once again and signed director of player personnel Nick Caserio to a contract extension, keeping key pillars of the masthead intact. 

As we move through the entire offseason, this hub will serve as a go-to spot for everything related to the Patriots. We’ll have all the important dates, free agency scorecards, draft content, the latest rumors and news revolving around New England, and much more. Before we jump into the personnel, let’s take a look at the need-to-know dates for the offseason. 

Key upcoming dates

• March 18: The new league year officially begins at 4 p.m. ET. Free agent signings around the NFL will be reported prior to this, but they won’t become official until 4 p.m. ET on March 18. As it relates to Brady’s free agency, the start of the new league year is important for the Patriots cap situation. If Brady is not re-signed by this juncture, New England will be dinged with the full $13.5 million dead cap hit for 2020 that remains on Brady’s existing deal, which would naturally hurt them trying to bring aboard talent across the roster. 
• March 29 through April 1: The NFL’s Annual League Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida takes place. This is an opportunity for fans to potentially hear from owner Robert Kraft about the latest happenings surrounding the team and the league as a whole. 
• Mid-April: The NFL will release the 2020 regular season schedule. 
• April 23 through April 25: The NFL Draft takes place in Las Vegas. New England’s first selection in the opening round is at No. 23 overall. 
• April 27: NFL teams can request permission to visit with, try out, or sign any player who was under contract to the XFL at the conclusion of the XFL season.  
• May 1 through May 4: Teams can hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday. 

*The Patriots will also hold OTAs and one mandatory minicamp during several weeks in June followed by a roughly six-week break before the start of training camp in late July. Final dates to be determined.

Free Agent Scorecard 

Restricted free agents: 

Adam Butler, defensive tackle (second round tender) 
Jermaine Eluemunor, guard 
Keionta Davis, defensive end 

Adam Butler is the restricted free agent to keep your eye on out of this trio. The former undrafted defensive tackle out of Vanderbilt has blossomed into a strong rotational player in New England’s front seven and has shown the ability to rush the passer. He finished the 2019 season with six sacks, nine quarterback hits and 26 total tackles in 16 games played (two starts). He will undoubtedly be a player that the Patriots will try to keep considering the turnover they may see across the defense. As for Eluemunor, the Patriots acquired the offensive lineman and a sixth-round pick in a trade with the Ravens in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick. He was really just a depth piece along an offensive line that saw injuries hit the interior with starting center David Andrews missing the entire year. Meanwhile, Keionta Davis was placed on injured reserve over the summer and missed the 2019 season. The undrafted defensive end does have the physical attributes (6-foot-3, 280 lbs) to still be an intriguing prospect for New England going forward and was playing well in the preseason last year before landing on IR. 

*Restricted free agents will have to be tendered by New England in order for them to be on the roster in 2020. The Patriots can assign a number of different tenders on their restricted free agents (original round tender, second-round tender, first-round tender, etc). Each tender comes with a higher 2020 salary. Those numbers have not yet been determined by the NFL.

Unrestricted in-house free agents

Tom Brady, quarterback 
Devin McCourty, safety (re-signed)
Kyle Van Noy, linebacker (signed four-year contract with Dolphins) 
Matthew Slater, wide receiver/gunner (re-signed)
Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver 
Nate Ebner, safety/special teamer
Jamie Collins, linebacker (signed three-year deal with Lions)
Danny Shelton, defensive tackle 
Nick Folk, kicker 
Marshall Newhouse, right tackle 
Joe Thuney, left guard (franchise tag)  
Shilique Calhoun, linebacker 
James Ferentz, center 
Ted Karras, center 
Elandon Roberts, linebacker

Tom Brady is the straw that stirs the free agent drink of the Patriots this offseason. In fact, he’s such an important free agent that we have an entire Tom Brady Free Agent Hub to keep track of the latest happenings with him. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why he’s such a major figure for the Patriots this offseason, so we won’t dive too deep into TB12 here. 

One name that we do know is off the board is linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who has signed a deal to join the Miami Dolphins. That now reunites him with former Patriots de facto defensive coordinator Brian Floes. Jamie Collins, meanwhile, has reunited with another former Patriots assistant as the linebacker inked a three-year deal with Matt Patricia’s Detroit Lions. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots did make the rather surprising move of placing the franchise tag on starting left guard Joe Thuney. New England noted in a statement that they are looking to agree with Thuney on a long-term deal. 

Unrestricted free agent signings from other teams 

TBD

Free agent signings for players cut by other teams 

TBD

*It’s important to differentiate between the players signed as unrestricted free agents and those signed after being cut by another team. This is true because players who are signed after being released by another team do not count in the compensatory draft pick formula for the team who signs them.

2020 NFL Draft picks: 

• Round 1: 23rd overall
• Round 2: None
• Round 3: 87th overall, 98th overall (compensatory), 100th overall (compensatory)
• Round 4: 125th overall (via Chicago)
• Round 5: None
• Round 6: 195th overall (via Denver), 204th overall (via Houston), 212th overall (compensatory), 213th overall (compensatory)
• Round 7: 230th overall (via Atlanta), 235th overall (via Philadelphia), 241st overall (via Seattle)

Rumors, reports, and updates

Lions sign Jamie Collins to three-year deal

Monday, March 16: Jamie Collins’ second stint with the Patriots will be held to just one season after the linebacker inked a three-year, $30 million deal with the Detroit Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The deal includes $18 million fully guaranteed and reunites him with former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Dolphins land Kyle Van Noy in free agency

Monday, March 16: Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that Miami has signed linebacker Kyle Van Noy to a four-year deal. The contract is worth $51 million, per Rapoport, and Van Noy will see $30 million of that guaranteed. Van Noy is now reunited with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who was the former linebacker coach of the Patriots and de facto defensive coordinator in 2018. 

Tampa Bay making it clear they want Brady

Monday, March 16: It was clear from the get-go that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to be a major player for Tom Brady and that fact hasn’t slowed down since the start of the legal tampering period. According to Mike Giardi of the NFL Network, Tampa has their intentions to Brady “loud and clear.” 

Patriots place franchise tag on Joe Thuney

Monday, March 16: Just prior to deadline, the Patriots elected to place the franchise tag on starting left guard Joe Thuney. This was a rather surprising move as New England seldom deploys the tag. From here, the team could elect to trade Thuney on the tag, work out an extension or let him simply play on it. That latter avenue, however, is a rather costly endeavor for the Patriots. In their statement, the team did note that they are hoping to work out a long-term deal. 

“Joe has been a model teammate and an essential element to our success since joining our team in 2016. Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach the goal of a long-term agreement.”

Devin McCourty re-signs with Patriots

Sunday, March 15: Devin McCourty announced that he has re-signed with the New England Patriots. The specifics of the contract, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, are a two-year deal worth $23 million. He will also get $17 million guaranteed. 

Following the Patriots picking up the option for cornerback Jason McCourty, Devin’s twin brother, earlier this offseason, this reunion seemed inevitable as both defensive backs have stated that their preference was to continue playing alongside one another. Devin sticking around New England for the rest of his football days will ensure just that. 

Jermaine Eluemunor given original round tender

Sunday, March 15: The New England Patriots are placing an original round tender on restricted free agent offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. This would mean that if another club elected to sign Eluemunor, who was acquired in a trade with the Ravens last summer, a fifth round pick would come back to Foxborough. 

Titans out of the Brady sweepstakes after re-signing Ryan Tannehill 

Sunday, March 15: We can now officially cross off the Tennessee Titans as a possible landing spot for Tom Brady. On the eve of the legal tampering period set to begin, the club inked quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a four-year deal, keeping him in Tennessee going forward. 

The Titans had been one of the most speculated destinations for Brady, but now they are off the board. Along with the Patriots fighting to keep him in Foxborough, the Chargers, Buccaneers and Raiders are the trio of teams most connected to the six-time Super Bowl champion. 

Matthew Salter re-signs with the Patriots on a two-year deal

Friday, March 13: The New England Patriots have re-signed special teams ace Matthew Slater to a two-year deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The official team Twitter account seemed to confirm Yates’ report by posting a GIF of Slater in the midst of the news coming out. The deal, Yates adds, will be similar to his last with New England, which averaged $2.6 million a season. 

Patriots to pursue Eric Ebron 

Friday, March 13: According to Evan Lazar of CLNS, the Patriots are expected to make a run at former Colts tight end Eric Ebron when the legal tampering window opens up on March 16. Ebron isn’t far removed from a 2018 season where he scored 13 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl nod. Last season, however, he saw a dip in production and only played in 11 games due to injury. If he can return to his 2018 self, he’d be a nice addition to a New England roster that was desperately lacking tight end depth last year.  

Tom Brady’s two free agent  demands

(Wednesday, March : ESPN’s Dianna Russini noted on Get Up! that Tom Brady has two big “wants” that he’ll be looking for once he hits the open market. The six-time Super Bowl champion is looking for “control over roster” and he “wants to be part of making decisions on the play calling.” As it relates to New England, Brady does seemingly work in lockstep with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, so he already does have a large say in the play-calling with the Patriots. A say in roster construction, however, may be the bigger ask for Bill Belichick.

Rob Gronkowski to the WWE (Tuesday, March) : Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is “deep in talks” and “close to finalizing a deal” to join the WWE, according to Ryan Satin, a reporter for “WWE Backstage” on FS1 . This marriage seemed inevitable ever since the tight end announced his retirement from the league last offseason. If Gronk does, in fact, join the WWE, that may official dash any dreams of him suiting back up and returning to the Patriots in the near future.

Patriots ‘sniffing around’ trade market. for pass catchers

Monday, March 9
: Albert Breer of the MMQB notes that the Patriots are “sniffing around the trade market” for receivers and tight ends. This would make sense as those were two areas that were severely lacking top-tier talent last season and would likely further New England’s chances of retaining soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Tom Brady as it’s become known that he wants more talented playmakers around him . As it relates to those trade attempts, here are five names to keep an eye on

as we approach the start of free agency.

David Andrews trending towards playing in

Sunday, March 8 : ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported in his Sunday notes piece that starting center David Andrews is trending in the right direction to play in 1273654. Andrews missed the entire 418207 season because of blood clots in his lungs, but, as Reiss reports, he has “continued to receive positive medical reports and feels like he is in excellent condition physically. “

Tom Brady: ‘Nobody knows anything’ Sunday, March 8: during a recent edition of “Opening Drive” on Sirius XM NFL Radio, former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis (read pieces of a text exchange he recently had with Brady about his coming free agency. Here’s a quick blurb regarding their conversation:

“I do have one bit of scoop for us. I’ve been texting with Tommy. I don ‘t [usually] pass along these conversations, but one thing he told me -‘ Nobody knows anything. So anyone who is telling you they know, they don’t know. ‘ I’m not going through any other part of the conversation [but] I followed up and he said, ‘Clean it up.’ So I’m cleaning it up. “

Giants interested in Kyle Van Noy

Thursday, March
5 : According to a report from Ralph Vacchiano of SNY , the New York Giants are interested in signing linebacker Kyle Van Noy once free agency opens up. Not only that, but Vacchiano relays that the feeling may be mutual. Of course, this wouldn’t be too surprising as first year head coach Joe Judge is extremely familiar with Van Noy from his days with the Patriots. In a perfect world, the Patriots would like to bring Van Noy, who totaled 6.5 sacks and (tackles in) , back into the fold, but his price tag may be a bit too steep for them.
Patriots meet with tight end prospect (Thursday, March

) (5) : The Patriots met with University of Dayton tight end

Adam Trautman at the NFL scouting combine last week. There’s no denying that tight end was a major area of ​​weakness for New England last season in the wake of losing Rob Gronkowski to retirement, so it makes sense that this is a position they could target at the NFL Draft.

“Just the work mentality,” Trautman said of his impression of the Patriots, via NBC Sports’ Phil Perry. “That’s definitely the type of franchise I could see myself playing for. That type of mentality and attitude.”

The 6-foot-6, 2016 pounder is considered to be the (sixth best tight end in this) (class and just totaled

(receptions for (yards and) touchdowns last season.

Call between Brady and Belichick ‘didn ‘t go well’

Wednesday, March 4 : The Boston Herald has reported that Brady and Belichick spoke on the phone on Tuesday to discuss the quarterback’s upcoming free agent status. That conversation “did go well,” according to the Herald. This wouldn’t be the first time that Belichick got into an icy contract negotiation with a player, so there should still be hope that the two sides can meet in the middle somewhere. By the sound of things, they have a lot of work to do.

(Dolphins targeting several Patriots free agents Wednesday, March 4 : According to the Miami Herald , the Dolphins are interested in a number of Patriots free agents. Those include safety Devin McCourty along with offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Ted Karras. Given that Brian Flores, formerly the Patriots de facto defensive coordinator, is running the show as Miami’s head coach, it makes sense that he’d be interested in players he may be more familiar with from his days in New England.

Patriots to pick up Jason McCourty’s option. Wednesday, March 4 : The NFL Network has reported that New England intends on picking up corner Jason McCourty’s contract option for the 1125978 season. This move will pay McCourty nearly $ 4 million and Spotrac notes he’ll count $ 5. 125 million towards the Patriots’ salary cap, which isn’t too expensive for a top-three corner in the system. Now, the attention turns to Jason’s twin brother in longtime Patriots safety Devin McCourty, who is set to enter unrestricted free agency.

(Saints to pursue Jamie Collins when free agency begins Tuesday, March 3:

• Larry Holder of The Athletic reports that the New Orleans Saints are expected to have interest in linebacker Jamie Collins once he hits the open market later this month. Sean Payton’s club is a little thin at linebacker heading into 1273654, so it’s no surprise that they’d be looking into the 6-foot- 3, 2018 pounder. Collins, who was one of the key pieces to New England’s top ranked defense last season, enjoyed his second stint with the Patriots in . He totaled a career-high in sacks with seven while tallying 195 tackles and three forced fumbles.

Andy Dalton an option if Brady leaves Monday, March 2 : The NFL Network has suggested that – in the event Tom Brady decides to leave the Patriots in free agency – New England could put the call out to Cincinnati to see if they could acquire Andy Dalton as their starter as they open up the post-Brady era. There are certainly worse options than bringing in Dalton, but Plan A is still to retain their franchise icon. Dalton somewhere in the range of Plan B, C, D, and Z.

Julian Edelman Suggest a Brady return

Saturday, February : Brady was spotted at the Syracuse-UNC basketball matchup over the weekend alongside Patriots receiver Julian Edelman and “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon. As the trio was capture on national television, Edelman told the cameras “he’s coming back, he’s coming back.” The receiver was likely just playing around rather than reveal Brady’s true intentions, but the quarterback didn’t seem too pleased with his comments. Regardless, we clearly know how Edelman feels about the situation – he was his QB back in Foxborough.

Sanu needs offseason surgery (Friday, February

: ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that wide receiver (Mohamed Sanu

) will require surgery on a high ankle sprain that he suffered in the midst of the season. The injury had yet to heal this offseason, so the receiver’s camp has elected to go under the knife. The timetable for his recovery was not immediately disclosed. ESPN’s Mike Reiss added to this by noting Sanu originally suffered the injury against the Eagles , his third game with the club since being acquired in a deal with the Falcons . The 72 – year-old is signed through the 1273654 season, but the Patriots could clear $ 6.5 million off their cap if they chose to cut bait with him now.

CBA could be holdup in Brady talks. Thursday, February, (While there have been some bleak news as it relates to Tom Brady possibly returning to New England, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the CBA discussions may be what’s holding the Patriots back from engaging their iconic quarterback in contract talks. Because they don’t know the specific rules of how they can construct a contract, it does limit Bill Belichick in what he and Brady can discuss. We detail how a new CBA could actually beneficial for the Patriots in their attempts to re-sign with New England in this story here .

(Minimal discussions with Kyle Van Noy (Thursday, February

: There have been “minimal discussions”. “between the Patriots and linebacker Kyle Van Noy’s camp, according to Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire , and the two sides don’t have a meeting scheduled this week to talk about an extension. Van Noy has noted previously that he’d love to remain with the Patriots, but he’ll likely be a pretty sought after commodity on the free agent market and could warrant a sizable contract that may be too rich for New England’s blood.

Patriots could lose two interior linemen (Thursday, February (The : The buzz around the NFL scouting. combine, Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports , is that Patriots starting left guard and soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Joe Thuney “could set the market for guards.” This was to be expected for Thuney, who has been an anchor of New England on the left side since he came into the league in 563691. Not only may the Patriots lose Thuney, but Daniels relays that Ted Karras, who has shown the ability to play center and guard, will also have a strong market this offseason.

Phillip Dorsett, Patriots expected to meet. (Thursday, February : : New England is expected to meet with free agent receiver Phillip Dorsett about a possible extension, according to Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire

. While the two sides are expected to meet, McKenna reports that it is “likely” Dorsett tests free agency. Dorsett, who signed a one-year contract with the Patriots last offseason, saw inconsistent reps in and was buried on the depth chart at times. If he’s looking for more opportunity to flash his first-round potential, it may not be in Foxborough.

Pats have been in contact with Jamie. Collins (Thursday, February) : Doug Kyed of NESN reports that the Patriots “have had some contact” with free agent linebacker Jamie Collins. The CBA needs to be figured out before talks intensify, but Collins is expected to have a solid market. The 72 – year-old had a resurgence during his second stint with the Patriots in 1125978, tallying a career-high seven sacks and three interceptions to go along with 195 tackles and three forced fumbles.

Stidham is working out in California (Thursday, February : : Plenty of attention is rightfully being paid to Tom Brady’s free agent status, but, if the quarterback does leave New England, it could be second-year signal caller Jarrett Stidham lining up under center. He’s been out in California working out with Jordan Palmer , brother of Carson Palmer and current quarterback coach for consensus No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow. When Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald asked Stidham’s agent, Brian Murphy, if he’d be ready to take over the Pats offense, he said, “I think he’ll handle it good. He’ll keep his mouth shut and work as hard as he can and do what they tell him. ”

Mutual interest between Patriots and McCourty

Thursday, February : Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports that there is mutual interest betwee n both the Patriots and Devin McCourty to have the safety re-sign with the club. Daniels relays that it “sounds like the two will meet soon to talk an extension.” McCourty, 57, is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will likely have a strong market after totaling five interceptions last season. Doug Kyed of NESN names the Dolphins, Lions and Giants as possible non-Patriots destinations for McCourty, which makes sense given the Foxborough ties each head coach has to the organization.
Patriots have yet to speak with Tom Brady

(Thursday, February)

: According to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, the Patriots have still not reached out to Brady

about possibly re-signing with the club. She adds that a source noted, “it’s not looking good.” On top of Guregian’s report, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington noted on Get Up! on Thursday that he would be “stunned if Brady went back to New England.” Darlington, who has held firm on his reporting that Brady is unlikely to return to the Patriots this offseason, also cited people “very close” to Tom Brady that the quarterback is saying a return “is not going to happen.”

Patriots to meet with Tom Brady’s agent at NFL combine (Tuesday, February

) The Patriots brass

is set to meet with Tom Brady’s Agent, Don Yee, at the NFL Scouting Combine

, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald adds to this report by saying “the feeling is it might be a ‘starting point’ for real dialogue about a contract going forward for Brady , who hits free agency March 29. ” The Patriots will have some competition for Brady, however, as The Boston Globe reports the Chargers, Buccaneers and Raiders are the teams that keep getting brought up as the most likely destinations for Brady outside of New England.

Patriots interested in Ravens TE Hayden Hurst ?
Tuesday, February
: Florida Times-Union’s Eugene Frennette reported on Monday that the Patriots and Jaguars are exploring pre-draft deals for Hurst , who reportedly wants the opportunity to be more involved in the passing game. Given that Mark Andrews is above him on the tight end depth chart in Baltimore, it makes sense that he’d want out. Since that initial report, Jeff Howe of The Athletic backs it up by relaying “there’s a real chance” the Ravens move Hurst. However, it’s unclear how involved the Patriots are. For what it’s worth, New England was linked to Hurst leading up to the NFL Draft.
Recently retired Dante Scarnecchia still helping Patriots scout at NFL Combine

(Monday, February

: Earlier this offseason, longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia announced that he’d be retiring from the NFL While the – year -old may be walking away from coaching, it appears as he’ll still be helping New England as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports Scarnecchia is attending the NFL Combine on the Patriots on behalf. He did help scout offensive linemen for the Patriots when he first retired following the 396173 season, so this isn’t a new concept for New England. Scarnecchia is looked at as one of the greatest offensive line coaches in NFL history, so he certainly has a valuable eye.

Danny Shelton changes agents (Thursday, February) : Prior to entering free agency defensive tackle Danny Shelton elected to change agencies and now be represented by powerhouse NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus. Shelton is coming off the best year of his career in and Rosenhaus is known for getting his clients paid, so it looks like the veteran defensive tackle is looking to cash in big this offseason.

coast-to-coast free agency tour for Tom Brady

(Monday, February) : According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston, Tom Brady will “

try to set up meetings at one location instead of creating a circus

. ” This should help Brady comes to a fast decision about his NFL future, which, in turn, would help the Patriots as they’d know whether or not he is in the fold for 1125961 or if they should hunt for his successor potentially in the free agent or trade market.                           

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