The New England Patriots are in a tricky situation. Defensive starters Chandler Jones (DE), Dont'a Hightower (LB), Jamie Collins (LB) and Malcolm Butler (CB) are all heading into the final year of their rookie contracts. As a result, it would be in New England's best interest to sign them to extensions sooner rather than later. The main problem, however, is that the Patriots already have $159.1 million in cap commitments for 2016, and next year's salary cap is expected to settle around $153 million. So not only does Bill Belichick have to figure out a way to retain his best players, he also needs to free up space just to squeeze under the cap limit.
"The theme of the Patriots' offseason could be locking up cornerstone defensive players to extensions, as linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins, defensive end Chandler Jones and cornerback Malcolm Butler are entering the final year of their deals," ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates wrote. "Extending Hightower or Jones would likely mitigate each player's cap hit for 2016 (each is just about $7.8 million as of now), while the team can create another $7 million in space by declining the two-year option of linebacker Jerod Mayo, a likely if not expected move.
"Other players who might come up as possible cap casualties absent a restructured deal include wide receiver Danny Amendola, tight end Scott Chandler and offensive tackle Marcus Cannon."
Of the defensive starters entering the last year of their deals, Jones is most likely the top priority. You could make a case that he is New England's biggest impact player on defense, finishing fifth in the NFL in sacks this past season with 12.5 and collecting 36.0 in his 55 career games. Talented young pass-rushers don't come around every day, so expect Jones to be the first to receive an extension despite his recent legal run in.
In the meantime, Collins, Hightower and Butler are all valuable players on this Patriots roster. It will be interesting to see how Belichick handles their looming free agencies. Fortunately, he has another calendar year to lock them up.
