An Independent Patriots Blog
After an entire week of not knowing if Mac would have surgery, go on IR, play, or, not play, we finally have a definitive answer on his status for Sunday, he’s out.
Per the team’s official injury report, Jones is officially ruled out of contention, along with Lawrence Guy and Yodny Cajuste.
After eight seasons in the NFL, James White has announced his retirement from football.
I had a gut feeling this might be it for White after he missed the first couple weeks of camp, now, he confirms that he is hanging them up.
White, a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft became the go-to weapon for Tom Brady during the height of his career, most notably in Superbowl 51, where he scored 20 points in the unforgettable comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, including the winning touchdown in overtime.
Unlike many players who come and go during a season, White has always been a Patriot, and never looked that likely to leave, even when Brady went to Tampa.
He was and always will be one of my favorite players. Thank you sweet feet #28.
It was only a matter of time before N’Keal Harry moved on from the Patriots, and now, the chapter of the former first-round pick from 2019, is over.
The Pats acquire a seventh-rounder in 2024 for Harry, which is surprisingly more than I thought we would get for him, meaning I believed the team would probably release him at the beginning of camp. Harry gets an opportunity with a new team, and the Patriots begin the task of trimming down a busy WR room.
Unfortunately, he will be remembered as a bust who never reached anywhere near the expectations set by the franchise, towards the end he asked for a trade and the writing was on the wall for a good portion of time. Personally, I’m pretty sad it didn’t work out with Harry, I was present in November 2019 when he scored his first NFL touchdown against Dallas. It seems that really was the height of his Patriots career.
Wow. In a stunning move, the Patriots are reportedly trading starting Guard Shaq Mason to Tampa Bay, in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.
I am stunned by this, and I’m really not happy about it. The move itself brings in a fifth-rounder, which let’s face it, is basically nothing. It frees up just shy of $7M cap space, but my question is why was it not possible to work out a new deal with Mason to lower his cap number this year?
This move not only should have the Bucs front office in handcuffs for committing a robbery on the Patriots organization, but, it also leaves the Patriots in flux at another key position.
The cap space created is the only real benefit here, but it could have been created in other ways. Mason was a key, consistent player, who is now reunited with Tom Brady, and has a chance to win another ring, just not in New England.
The first major move of the offseason has been reported as the Pats are expected to move on from LB Kyle Van Noy, who was under contract for the 2022 season. Field Yates broke the story, but Mike Reiss also offered some additional context, noting that this move was economically influenced, likely needing some extra room for movement in free agency, and for the upcoming Draft in April.
Van Noy leaves following his second stint with the team, a move which I’m content with as the defense desperately needs to get younger and faster. Others who could follow are the likes of Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Ja’Whaun Bentley, who are all pending free agents.
Friend of the blog Mike Dussault covered the linebacker group questions ahead of free agency next week, including some players who may add something to the team from elsewhere.
The move creates just shy of $5M cap space, and as always, you can see the full financial breakdown from Miguel below:
Well, it looks like some unexpected change could be on the horizon for the Pats front office and senior coaching departments. Just now, news broke that the Las Vegas Raiders have put in a request to interview Josh McDaniels for their vacant Head Coach position, having already interviewed current de facto GM Dave Ziegler for their top front-office role.
This would be a huge loss for the Patriots, who will now have to plan for the possibility of losing two key staff members, especially McDaniels, given the role he’s played through Mac Jones’ rookie year.
The obvious choice to replace Ziegler would be Eliot Wolf who is currently a front office consultant for the Patriots, he has experience as Director Of Football Operations with the Packers, and as an assistant GM for the Browns.
McDaniels exit won’t leave easy shoes to fill, he’s been the manager of the Brady-now Mac offense for years, my first thought would be Bill O’Brien. If he would be interested in dipping his toes back in the league, he was the Pats OC in 2011, and holds that current position for Alabama, having been fired as the Texans Head Coach in 2020.
We should know if we’ll need to look for a new Offensive Coordinator by tomorrow night.
A dominating 50-10 win over Jacksonville, with help from a Miami defeat to the Titans, confirms that the Patriots will be playing playoff football this season.
The Pats missed out last year, in the first season without Tom Brady, but this year they’ve managed to overachieve many pre-season expectations, led by Mac Jones and some impressive defensive performances. There is still a chance at the divisional crown, but, the Bills would need to lose against the Jets next week, as well as the Pats winning at Miami in the regular-season finale.
Look out for our Ups & Downs and game recap from an impressive victory today!