In case you missed it yesterday morning, I had just gotten off of my weekly radio appearance in Maine having said that I’d bet Shaq Mason would likely walk to a new contract elsewhere in the offseason when the Patriots announced they had signed Mason to a new five-year extension.
It wasn’t that I thought they shouldn’t re-sign Mason, I just thought right guard is one of the easier positions to fill and that the money would likely have to go to Trey Flowers, the other remaining big-name pending free agent now. But this new contract signals a few different things, the biggest of which is that now the Pats offensive line is locked as so:
- Trent Brown — FA 2019
- Joe Thuney — FA 2020
- David Andrews — FA 2021
- Shaq Mason — FA 2024
- Marcus Cannon — FA 2022
Throw in Isaiah Wynn, FA 2022, and the strong core will be in place through the inevitable Brady transition. Obviously having a veteran offensive line in place will be hugely helpful to the next QB of the NEP. Yes, there’s still a long-term question at left tackle, but that’s the only problem to worry about along the line for the next two years, and with the possibility of Wynn stepping in for Thuney, it might be even longer.
The Mason signing also speaks to the direction of the Patriots’ offense and football in general. Along with Wynn, both players are bigger on technique and athleticism that size or brute force. As defenses get small up front, having blockers who can move is critical, especially with the number of pulls and screens the Patriots run.
Defenders spoke at how hard it is to get below Mason, and in Do Your Job 2 the Patriots’ other offensive linemen were lamenting how hard it was to keep pace with Mason running up the conditioning hill. There were questions if Mason could adjust his game in the NFL, coming from a ground-based attack:
“Shaq’s done a good job for us from the time he got here. He came from an offense that was quite different from ours,” Belichick said. “He adapted quickly and did a real good job learning new techniques. He’s an athletic player… he’s gotten better each year and done a good job for us.”
The money is classic Patriots. They won’t set the market but they’ll get right up there near the top. If you’re the kind of player that’s okay being a top paid player and not the top paid player, you can find good contracts in New England. Mason will get close to $30 million in his first three years of the new deal.
