The Patriots have done the seemingly impossible by only increasing and adding to the drama and intrigue since losing Super Bowl 52. Josh McDaniels spurned the Colts after a long sit-down with Robert and Jonathan Kraft and Bill Belichick and will remain with the team.
Belichick is still locked for 2018 according to Mike Reiss, but it would appear McDaniels is now the successor-in-waiting, even if no assurances were made.
Source close to situation says clarity on Bill Belichick’s status in New England (Belichick is locked in to coach Patriots in 2018) and stability for family among top factors for Josh McDaniels’ sudden change.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) February 7, 2018
Given how the Super Bowl unfolded I think pretty much everyone can agree it was on defense where the changes were most needed. McDaniels and Brady have a special relationship as we saw in Tom vs. Time — keeping that intact for the rest of Brady’s career will ensure they squeeze every last bit out of the quarterback.
Brady and McDaniels can just keep on trucking, welcoming back Julian Edelman and Malcom Mitchell to an already-deep group.
The questions for them start at tackle and running back. I would bet a two-year deal like they did with Matt Light in 2011 makes sense with Solder. Then it’s a coin toss with either Dion Lewis or Rex Burkhead. Keep one, add in mid/low-level free agency and draft. It will be interesting to see how they evolve.
After almost losing everyone but Belichick, getting back McDaniels and all the coaches he was taking with him (ST Joe Judge, QB Jerry Shuplinski) is a welcome relief. I don’t know what exactly it means for Belichick, whether he plans on transitioning to more of a general manager role or just peacing out, but it appears McDaniels will be the next head coach, maybe as soon as 2019.
If Dion Lewis’ contract is 2x that of Rex Burkhead and we elect to only keep one of them, who would you prefer to see stay with the team? I think we’d all prefer Lewis but who knows what will happen to his value in FA after a stellar year. It’s easy to overlook Burkhead but he (like Lewis in the past) did struggle with injuries this season.
Also, what the heck do you do with Gillisle? He’s on a relatively fat contract but I’m not sure how much of that is guaranteed.
I don’t want to give up hope on Malcolm Mitchell, especially after the rookie season he had, but I can’t get optimistic about him either. Because of his complicated past medical history with his knees, I don’t see how he’ll have a very long career, but hopefully he can prove me wrong. I’m just not gonna assume he’ll be back next year and be the same guy we saw in 2016. Getting Jules back will be huge though, and I’m hoping the Pats can get another solid receiving TE to compliment Gronk (assuming he returns next year as well). I don’t really think Hollister’s ceiling is all that high, so here are some very high profile names I think are worth mentioning that are going to be free agents this offseason: Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, Ben Watson.
I don’t think the Pats will be able to sign any of these guys, but perhaps there’s a chance Ben Watson could return to New England on a one-year deal.
Some more likely guys I think the Patriots could target this offseason:
Tyler Eifert — lot of health issues, but the Patriots have shown they’re willing to take a chance on a guy for Eifert because the reward is potentially pretty high, while the risk could be low if the price tag isn’t all that steep.
Luke Wilson — He’s still young at 28 years old, and he’s proven in the past that he can come up with some big catches. Not sure if the Seahawks will try to re-sign him, but I think he’d be a nice addition to the roster.
Richard Rodgers — Again, not sure if the Packers will try to re-sign him, but he’s only 26 and could be a nice complimentary weapon to Gronk.
Clay Harbor — He was with the Patriots briefly for the first few weeks of the 2016 season. He’s 31 now, so not sure the Pats would have any interest, but any players who have previously been with the Patriots I think warrant being listed as a potential offseason addition.
I’ll mention Antonio Gates as a wild card — I think he still wants to play 1 more year (38 yrs old), but the Chargers may be ready to move on fully with Hunter Henry. If they let him go, maybe, just maybe the Pats take a look at the vet. It’s probably a long shot, but it’d be cool to see him be used as a red zone weapon on the Pats offense or in certain packages with 2/3 TE’s.
McDaniel’s is nothing more than a p*ssy
for playing the colts against the patriots and then weasling
out of the deal he made with the colts.
He better hope he stays with the Patriots a long long time
because he won’t get a job anywhere else.
He will be a failure as a head coach of the patriots…..
as he has proven in the past….once Belecheat retires.