Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Deal or No-Deal for Myers, Mac the Leader and That’s All, Dont’a from New England Patriots Minicamp

Episode Date: June 18, 2022

As the New England Patriots take stock in their offseason workout program, they continue to keep their eyes on the future. Today, host Mike D’Abate welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports. The duo discuss the Pats’ options surrounding wide receiver Jakobi Meyers’ contract, quarterback Mac Jones taking on an increased leadership role and the likelihood that linebacker Dont’a Hightower’s has played his final game in a Patriots uniform. (Originally Recorded: June 13, 2022)Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Blue NileMake your moment sparkle with jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKED ON SPORTS listeners get $50 off purchases of $500 or more using code LOCKEDON.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans today on Locked On Patriots, more on Max, big week in Foxborough, Jacoby Myers facing a strong deadline on Wednesday, and is Dante Hightower finished in New England? All this and more on Mike Debate. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

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podcast exclusive includes engagement so use the promo code locked on l-o-c-k-e-d-o-n at checkout welcome back to the pod foxborough faithful and thank you once again for joining me here to kick off yet another week on locked on patriots i, I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country, Hub Sports Illustrated, also your host of Locked On Patriots. And joining me today, that's right, folks, it's hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. Who else would be joining me in this chair on Monday but the man himself, columnist extraordinaire from E2GSports.com, my benefactor in this business the only man with his very own branded hashtag the kind of murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy thank you for

coming to me in friendship thank you for joining me today don murph always a pleasure but it's not monday unless i'm sitting down here with you talking a little pats and we've actually got some stuff to talk about this we do have some stuff to talk about this week. We do have some stuff to talk about. There's never a dull moment in Foxborough. Final OTA sessions may have been canceled. The Patriots are on their quote-unquote summer break. But there's still plenty to talk about in New England. And we're going to get to it today, including making this a Mac Monday.

Don't worry, Murph. We're not changing the hashtag. Do not worry. But we got Mac. We got Myers. A lot of alliteration coming on your Monday today. And we also, we're going to talk a little bit about Dante Hightower, a name that hasn't come up too frequently here on Locked On Patriots,

simply because he hasn't been on the field yet with the Pats. Is that about to change, or will things stay the same? Murph and I will discuss that in a little while here on Locked On Patriots. But first off, Bud, you know, I've got a little confession to make, first of all. You know, last week, mandatory mini camp. Great seeing the guys back out on the field. Always, always interesting. Always a fun time because you know training camp is coming. You know the preseason's coming.

Everything is starting to amp up a little bit, and football is back on the field. And one thing that uh we all in the media you myself steve balistrieri who joined me last week here every time we've covered events in person especially practices we fall into that trap we fall into the trap of getting excited about mandatory mini camp stats, seven on seven stats, 11 on 11 stats, touchdowns, who completed, uh, who looked good, what kind of route were they running? I always loved doing that. And believe me, I bought into it. I bought into it big time. I wrote about it all week long, uh, continue to write about it for sports illustrated. We continue to talk about it here

on lockdown Patriots. Um, but at the same time, it's also our way of trying to evaluate the type of season we may see from certain players. And if we're being honest, all eyes are on the quarterback. All eyes are on Mac Jones. So when you watch Mac and you watch him go through his progressions, yeah, he does. He's got more zip on the ball. He's throwing the ball a little bit more oomph on there. Definitely working. Absolutely. Zing, zip. I think those are both good words to use. Zang. Zang. All right. I'm showing my age on that one. I know you got that reference. Some of our

listeners will. If you did, kids, have a drink. If you're old enough to remember that one, have a drink. Yeah. If you're old enough to remember that one, have a drink. Yeah, if you're old enough to remember that one, you're definitely old enough to indulge. But anyway, getting back to what we were talking about before we went down our Wayne's World rabbit hole, Mac definitely looked like the tutelage that he's been getting from either Tom House or the diet that he's been utilizing the workout regimen's definitely been helping him because he looked more impressive

physically but to me what really impresses or should impress people when they're looking at mini camp when they're looking at even training camp is the level of command that the quarterback is playing with and also the level of leadership that they provide out on the field and being an example not just in their words and in their actions but also in the mannerisms the way they conduct themselves i thought mac did a tremendous job of that last week i thought he threw the ball with command i thought he commanded the huddle i thought he definitely uh commanded the respect of his teammates you can see them buying into it but at the same time he also led by example 45 minutes after practice mac is still out there running drills he's still out there

going over plays he's still out there talking to the coaches working with his players these are things that we saw tom do day after day after day and again i know a lot of people criticize me for saying you're trying to force mac into being tom. No, I'm definitely not. But you can see similarities in leadership style, and it leads you to believe that, yeah, this kid's ready to take that step. From what you've read, from what you've seen on Mac, do you think that's what people should be more zoned in on rather than worried about what the statistics look like in minicamp? Without a doubt.

This guy is out here showing seasoned veterans how he wants them to run a route. You know, he's walking into a huddle and saying, nobody talks in this effing huddle except me. This is a man that is taking a step that he wasn't able to last year. He was QB blocked last year by one Cam Newton and being able to step up and put his stamp on this team early. And this year, there's no doubt about who's the man here. You know, they don't care. He doesn't care who they drafted or where they drafted him. That's not what pushes Mac Jones. What pushes

Mac Jones is Mac Jones in the same way that what pushed Tom Brady was pushing Tom Brady. There's a chip on that shoulder. You know, he had to wait for his turn in Alabama. He had to wait for his turn here and come in and prove something last year that, yeah, you can get rid of the veteran and hand the reins over to me. This year he walked into camp with the reins firmly in his hand and he's leading this horse into the season. It's fantastic to watch going along with the other things that other people are focusing about and writing about, including you. Yeah, absolutely.

And I mean, it's a very common tale and you hear a lot about what is really coming out of minicamp is Max teammates really coming and rallying around him, whether it be Kendrick Bourne, whether it be Jacoby Myers, who we spoke with last week. We're going to talk a little bit about in just a moment. Even Trey Nixon, who had himself a hell of a week. Steve and I talked about him last week and Trey is looking like that guy that Ernie Adams spent that valuable seventh round draft capital on. And I don't say that tongue-in-cheek. This kid looks like the real deal. And I will say that, yes, I heard several times,

whether it be in pieces that were written, not just by myself, but by my colleagues and various outlets in the media. A couple of comments made here. We'll see how he looks when the pads come on. This kid shows a toughness that I think is going to translate into getting the pads on. I know physicality was a question mark with him

at University of Central Florida, but this kid can play. He can play and he can mix it up. So that respect that he's getting from these guys, meaning Mac Jones, getting back to our original point, is something that I think is really telltale when your teammates are going to bat for you in that fashion not just giving lip service uh and we're seeing this around the league right now murph i'm not going to mention any names but we're seeing certain quarterbacks maybe being topped up by new additions because it makes good copy right these guys are giving specifics as to what exactly what mac is doing in the huddle how he's doing it davante parker has sung his praises uh

continues to mention mac's arm as something that he admires most about him which is interesting because if you know considering yeah considering where he came from and the arm that he's been receiving passes from he would he would know a polar opposite when he sees one yeah absolutely and you know i mean that's contrary to the belief of you know a lot of the arm you know arm strength experts up there in western new york because we have that cabal of you know of knowledge um he said that not me folks but in any case uh no i i do agree i think that in this respect it is that command it is that level of respect and it is that confidence that mac is exuding in the huddle on the field and you could

see it he's also having an awful lot of fun i mean we saw him you know strum on the air guitar when he started playing bon jovi and you know he's having fun with his teammates he understands his role i think better this year knows what he's responsible and needs to do. He's not the youngster in the pack anymore. I know he's only a second-year player, but that one year provides so much in terms of confidence, and you're seeing it on the field. So anybody concerned about Matt Jones this year, I can tell you that he's going to be a force. He's definitely going to be ready to take that next step, and hopefully the players around him and the coaches put him in a good position.

Offensive line will put him in a good position, and next week here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to start doing positional previews, and I think Murph and I might just kick this off with some offensive line talk. Drop us a line in the comments. Let us know if you want us to

kick off positional preview week next week here on locked on patriots and if you think murph and i should kick that off with a little offensive line talk uh i think i know the way you're leaning on this but we're going to leave it up to you folks um murph it's always it's always fun talking mac jones but uh he's not the only game in town when it comes to the Patriots. And this coming Wednesday, the Pats and one of their top wideouts from 2021, excuse me, Jacoby Myers, they face a very strong deadline when it comes to Myers signing a second-round free agent tender that's going to give him a pretty good salary increase for a year, or does he forego that and try to force the Patriots hand into signing him to a long-term deal?

Well, last year that might've worked a little bit better, but the Patriots have added to their depth chart at wide receiver. What does all this mean for Jacoby Myers? What does it mean for the Patriots? Murph and I will discuss that in just a moment when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. But first off, my friend, summer is coming, and you know those summer months are the times to make memories.

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So use the promo code LOCKEDON, that's L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N. Plus, every order is insured, it ships free, and it arrives in discreet packaging that won't give away what's inside. Shop stress-free and find your forever peace. Use the promo code LOCKEDON today at BlueNile.com. Patriots fans, we are back here with the legendary Thomas Murphy, columnist extraordinaire from E2GSports.com, covering your New England Patriots and all things Boston sports. Give him a follow on Twitter at TeamMurph207. And Murph, you know, it's always fun to kick off the show by talking about a subject like Mac Jones. It's definitely, it's engaging. He's the quarterback. Everybody wants to see what Mac

is going to do. And Mac is doing a very good job of keeping people engaged and giving everyone something to talk about in a good way. But at the same time, you look at what other players on the field are going, I shouldn't say going through right now, but you look at other players on the field that can potentially, exactly, and have an impact on this team in 2022. And Jacoby Myers, in my opinion, is at the top of the list. Jacoby was one of the top receivers that the Patriots had last year. For all of the grief that he gets about not being a touchdown machine or being rather, I've seen people refer to him this week as a pedestrian wide receiver. I think that's a definite misnomer. He led the team in receptions last year with 89, 906 yards. That includes the playoffs.

Also had a nine-yard carry, completed two passes for 45 yards. The kid can mix it up and pretty much do it all. But there is a decision that is faced with he and, well, sort of the Patriots this week and on Wednesday the 15th um Jacoby will have to sign that second round tender that the Patriots placed on him back in March uh if there is a situation where he does end up signing that deal he'll get a pretty substantial pay increase uh he basically will increase his salary from 1.765 million that he made in 2021 to 3.986 million in pay this time around. Very good pay increase. No question about it. Nearly $4 million. That's a pretty good pay increase. You're more than doubling your salary.

A lot of people are saying this is a no brainer. why is jacoby not signing this deal well folks the reason why is because jacoby expected maybe a little bit more from the patriots in the off season we had the chance to talk to jacoby last thursday and subject came up yeah he talked very candidly and very honestly about wanting to remain in new england he says he loves the city he loves the the region, loves the team, loves his teammates, wants to be here long-term. The problem is the Patriots haven't put that long-term deal on the calendar or on the table just yet for him to sign. And I think maybe there's a game of chicken going on here

between the two sides. Who's going to win first? I think that's a dangerous game for Jacoby to be playing. And I say this is one of the bigger jacoby myers fans out there i really love this kid very humble very easy to cover but most of all i think he's just a very good asset for the patriots in all aspects on the field very reliable catcher and you mac jones needs someone like that someone that he can go to as that surefire guy that's going to get yardage when you need it but the Patriots are not designed to to do that Murph they're not designed to give out

long-term deals especially when the Patriots have backfilled that wide receiver depth chart a little bit this year when you look at this situation and you look at Jacoby now coming in here and making the decision whether to sign or whether or not to sign. First of all, what are your percentages on whether or not he does sign the deal? And second of all, whether he does or whether he doesn't, what are your thoughts on a potential long-term deal between he and New England? I think there's about an 80% chance that he signs this deal because I think Jacoby Myers is a smart kid. Bill Belichick does not blink. If you're playing chicken with him, you're going to be the guy on the side of the road eventually. Okay. That's just the way it is. This is a man that repeatedly

asked a talent like Danny Amendola to restructure his contract every single year. If you want to stick around here. You're right. If Jacoby is smart, he will go out as smart as I think he is. He will, he will take this offer and do with it what he can. You brought up the depth chart.

When you're looking at the Patriots, you're not looking at the depth chart for this, this season. Okay. You're looking at what's coming down the road, whose contract is up at the end of the year, and that's how Bill builds depth. That's where he brings people in.

It's not necessarily for what's going to happen this year in the calendar 2022 year, but the calendar 2023. He's been caught down with his pants down on that a couple of times over 20 years. I'm going to cut a man slack for that. You know, things happen. But, no, I really don't think that a long-term offer is going to come for Jacoby this year his best option right now is to sign the tender go out and buy mom a home and see what happens next year make yourself uh even more indispensable than you have been over the past couple of years uh timing is everything in football and um right now the timing is not good for this man to expect a long-term deal considering

everything that's around him and some of the guys that had some really good camps that we just talked about a minute ago. Absolutely. And guys that did have good camps, we talked about Trey Nixon, you know, really kind of, you know, giving him, but, you know, let's talk about some of the incumbents on this team as well. Nelson Aguilar looked very good during training camp. He's looking, he's looking like someone who's on a mission to try to quell some of those. I don't want to say problems, but they, they also want to get him into a spot where he feels like he's earning that contract that he signed in 2021. Cause a lot of people don't believe he's doing it. Exactly. And he doesn't feel like he did either. like he doesn't either uh we talked to nelson about a month ago one of the first guys to have

media availability with the patriots in this off season he was very disappointed with what yeah what you know not with his own effort or anything just with results he thought the results should have been better and he said it without putting any uh blame whatsoever on the coaching staff on the play calling or more importantly on mac jones he took it all on his own all he did to me it's me he absolutely did and a level of maturity there that you know you always know is there in players and it was good to see that uh with nelson and i think that he's motivated by that this year i think davante parker is motivated. He looks to be playing with a little extra fire under his cleat this time around. I think he's looking at Miami and saying, yeah, okay. You want to bring in Ty Hill? You

want to, you want to draft Jalen Waddle? I understand all that, you know, you know, you want to bring in Cedric and all these things that are kind of, you know, they're, they're really gnawing at you behind the scenes. He wants to get out there and show Miami, Hey, you know, they're really gnawing at you behind the scenes. He wants to get out there and show Miami, hey, you know what? You gave up on a guy that can still play and was one of your better receivers. He's got that motivation. And take a look at what Kendrick Bourne did last week, okay? I mean, I'm sorry. This kid is just an unbelievable talent and needs to be a bigger,

more prominent figure in this offense going forward, and I think he will be. So, yeah, take the offer. Take the bird in the hand, okay, and then worry about the two in the bush at the end of the season. I know that injuries are always a concern, especially with a skilled position player as to what could happen during a season and wanting that kind of security. But it just doesn't always happen. If you were in this situation last year, maybe, but not this year.

It's just, it's not the right time. It isn't. It really isn't. And you've got guys that, you know, do have promise and do have the ability to make a roster push as well. You know, names that we haven't mentioned yet, Christian Wilkerson, Malcolm Perry. We haven't even mentioned Tyquan Thornton yet, who was the Patriots' second-round draft choice.

And, well, I'll tell you, I really can't wait to see this kid turn the turbo boosters on in training camp. He looked impressive at times, uh, at mini camp. And, uh, you know, to me, I'm this kid's really, uh, you know, something to watch. Fans are really going to enjoy keeping their eye on Taekwon Thorne. I have six pictures. I have six pictures of this man's backside and believe me, I wasn't trying to get them just where he was from the time exactly until the time you it actually took the picture explosive step on it just no question oh my god yeah but you make such a good point about the depth on this team and maybe not the names that everybody is hoping for in terms of number one receivers but the depth of talent that's

surrounding this group this year is deeper than it's been in quite some time. And it may be difficult to carve out your niche here. I think Jacoby is as talented as most of the guys on this depth chart, and I think he pencils right in. I don't think it's a situation where he's going to be fighting for a roster spot if he decides to come back. He's secure.

But at the same time, it's do we want to go that extra mile and give those multi-year deals without really seeing what we're going to get this year and beyond and i think it is a smart move for the patriots to be maybe reluctant i don't want to say hesitant uh but well actually you know what flip that maybe hesitant rather than reluctant is a little bit better of a term but at the same time uh you understand where they're coming from from jacobi's standpoint like you said i mean it's almost a no-brainer to take this if he doesn't sign by wednesday and i want to credit our good friend the pats cap himself miguel benzon tweeted this out over the weekend the patriots can

actually lower his salary by not accepting that tender he would go from what he made last year 1.756 million dollars 1.765 million excuse me uh that he made last year to 939 000 for 2022 that's essentially leaving three million dollars on the table that you could have used to sign that. That is, it's a very, very slippery slope to do that and leave that on there. Albeit, I will say this, it should be noted that no portion of a restricted free agent tender is guaranteed. So that's going to be predicated on Jacoby making his starts. It's going to be predicated on security exactly security

injury history that's all something that needs to be done but if he takes care of himself does you know what he needs to do and hopefully stays on the good side of luck when it comes to injury uh that's a pretty substantial payday so if a long-term deal is in the cards uh we'll see uh but i i agree with you i don't think this is happening before uh before training i don't either and this is this is a a way out of left field um comment here people don't don't be surprised if jacoby myers uh is moved yeah and a lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that and there is definitely a possibility of that as well uh i for one would would hate to see him moved but if you do come to that realization and there is just no happy medium between the two sides sometimes you don't leave yourself much of a choice but to make that trade and uh we'll see that's something to definitely keep an eye on

uh i know some patriots fans are going to be watching this segment as the as we bring the segment to a close. They're going to say they didn't mention Nikhil Harry as a potential fit for the wide receivers group. I know that made a lot of people happy, but Claire and I talked about Nikhil last week and whether he can carve a position out. Unfortunately, I think that ship has sailed. I think Nikhil will be moved. I just don't think there's engagement on either side any longer. And when you reach that

point... He'll be moved or cut and somebody will pick him up who wants the Patriots playbook and then he'll be moved or cut again. And, you know, like Mike said, there have been no bigger proponents since he was drafted of this kid. It just hasn't worked out. And what we saw at the college

level just did not translate. No, it just didn't. Unfortunately, that was indeed the case. And I do want to give credit to our good mutual friend, Matt Chatham, who I think has really been the top of the heap when it comes to McKeel, Harry, apologists and supporters. But, you know, sometimes it just doesn't fit. And if it doesn't fit, you have to quit. And, you know, I think that that's that's really where we're coming from at this point. uh before i channel any more of my inner johnny cochran folks we are going to continue locked on patriots in just a moment bringing it all home talking about a fan favorite dante hightower not in foxborough for mandatory minicamp or otas he's not holding out

folks he doesn't have a contract with the team. And Murph and I are going to discuss whether we've seen the last of Dante Hightower in the NFL or whether he might just be walking through that Foxborough door sooner than later. We will discuss that in just a moment when Locked On Patriots continues. But first off, folks, it's a great time to be a sports

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I am here with the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com, covering your New England Patriots, all things Boston sports. Give him a follow on the Bird app at TeamMurf207. Murph, we've talked about Mac Jones. We've talked about Jacoby Myers. Definite fan favorites here in New England. But one fan favorite is very conspicuous by his absence. Not just to me, to you.

This man has meant a lot to us over the years. A joy to cover here in New England. Truly one of the great guys that you'll meet in this business but that being said dante hightower is not walking through that door right now and i know a lot of people are missing dante on the field they're missing his presence the coaching staff talks glowingly about him. His former teammates talk glowingly about him. Dante is still a free agent. He wasn't signed in the offseason.

Not really a big surprise. I don't think a lot of people expected him to go elsewhere, although there was rumor that there were several teams that had interest and that Dante was not really eager to reciprocate that interest. The word is that it's either foxborough or bus for dante hightower if he decides that he's going to come back he went through ota start to think maybe there's a chance he comes back maybe this is the opportunity to rekindle some of those talks ota came and went dante hasn't signed mandatory minicamp was only two days as opposed to three

this week because last week I should say, because of Bill Belichick foregoing the final day due to weather. Dante still did not walk through that door. Now the Patriots have a little bit of a lull until late July until training camp starts. Mandatory, all butts in

the seat, so to speak, and they need to be there. Murph, as we sit here today and you evaluate everything you've seen about Dante, you know what you know about his history, his pedigree, what he brings to the table, looking at what the Patriots need roster-wise, is Dante Hightower going to be on that field or at least walking through the door in Foxborough when the Patriots open training camp? No, he's not. I'm going to keep hopes alive, you know,

like I was when I was 10 years old for that Nintendo underneath the Christmas tree. But that didn't happen. And I don't think this is going to happen. It's, I think Bill is, is ready to go in a different direction. While Donta is somebody that, that everybody would love to have in the locker room on the sidelines and in certain situations on the field. I think Bill right now is seeing that as getting him time on the field is taking away from the growth and development of the younger guys that are here uh yeah it hurts to say it but i i don't think he's going to be here yeah and i know a lot of people don't agree with me a lot of people are going to be sighing a lot of people are going to be uh you know not happy with that i want to play devil's advocate i'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment here because i still believe there's football left in dante hightower so do i look we've gotten a taste of this before where

dante opted out of the 2020 season some people are saying that you know this is nothing new dante wasn't here in 2020 you know patriots defense whatever they'll they'll rebound they'll be okay um well yeah he was not here in 2020 for all of those but with all due respect there wasn't ota mini camp training camp things like that in 2020 covet shut everything down so we didn't really get a chance to see the patriots on the practice fields much without d Hightower. I can tell you being back in that building last year and seeing Dante be able to interact with players and watch him point things out to the younger guys on the roster, Juwan Bentley, Josh Uche, pulling these guys aside, showing them where they needed to be, pointing things out. It really does instill you with a little bit of confidence. It really does instill you with a little bit of confidence it really does instill you with a little bit of that you know pedigree that i think is maybe underrated when it comes to uh the success

of a defense having a veteran presence there even if he's not what he once was right is still to me something that can be as valuable as infusing youth speed stamina all of those things that the patriots desperately need by the way and i'm not criticizing anyone that says they need that they absolutely do there's no question about it but to me if the room is on the roster and the patriots can make this work logistically meaning financially i think they're very who of being able to uh to do that dante still appeared in 16 out of 18 possible games last year. So I still think the durability is there. It's not like he played in half or anything like that. He played over half of the Patriots defensive snaps, 59.8% of their defensive snaps, according to our good friends

over at Pro Football Focus. Still effective, 64 tackles, one and a half sacks. They really kind of made him a more situational linebacker last year. You saw him playing a lot on early downs, defending against the run. I think that can be an effective weapon for him and an effective spot. But you hit the nail on the head. The Patriots right now are utilizing, they're going into that youth speed movement heading into 2022 at the position. And if it's bodies and just having too many people on the

roster then yeah they're not going to bring in someone that's going to force a potential uh key player for a number of years out on the roster when dante may only be interested in a one-year deal at this point right it puts the patriots in a precarious situation i think they can make it work but i see the argument against it as well. We said it last year, and I talked at length with this with Karen Grigian of the Boston Herald. At the beginning of last year, you saw the loss of the step. You really did. That explosive first step that he's always had. He looked slow out there.

It got a little better in the middle of the season, but then at the end of the season, you know, and especially in that playoff game, he just could not get to the right spot. And part of that is even overrunning a lane as to where you were. It's – God, this nauseates me saying these things, but it's just, it's not what it once was. And sooner or later you're shown the door, whether it's physically or mentally, you just don't want to do it anymore. Or, or coach tells you that, that it's time to go. And, and I just think, you know, one of those, it's going to happen.

I don't see him coming back, and it breaks my heart to say it. Yeah, I don't often hope that you're wrong. As a matter of fact, almost never do I hope you're wrong. This is one time I do. I do. I hope that I'm wrong. Yeah, I don't necessarily think you're wrong, but I hope you are in that case

because Dante has been a guy that I thoroughly enjoy covering here. For selfish reasons, I would love to get one more year to be able to see him and see what he can do in terms of imparting his wisdom, his knowledge, to a lot of the younger players that they have on this roster because there are a ton of young, talented linebackers in in this core whether you're talking the inside or the outside i mean dante is capable of giving you knowledge regardless of where you play it's not like they're trying to clone him and trying to copy what he's doing he can provide so many opportunities guys like ronnie perkins guys like cameron groan anthony jones even ushe who i think hasn't really come

into his own yet. I don't think we've seen the real potential yet of Josh Uche. And believe me, there is a lot there. I remember when this kid was drafted, and Isaiah Hull, who hosts Locked On Wolverines here on the Locked On Podcast Network, said, Uche is really going to be a star on that team. He's perfectly fit for what Bill Belichick loves

and what this defense loves to do. And he's going to infuse a great deal of speed, a lot of youth, and a lot of renewed vigor in that core. We haven't seen it yet. I think we see it this year. But at the same time, having someone like Dante, who is an elder statesman, who's been there, done that, has, you can make the argument that he might have been

the catalyst for the patriots uh come back in super bowl 51 this guy's played in big games he's played with the best of the best um you just you'd love to see him come back but if they don't decide to bring him back and they do go with that youth movement again folks never lost the super bowl he played in they didn't they absolutely didn't. And that factors in for something. You do. But if the Patriots have decided that the time is now to get younger and to clear out some of the older guard, I can see the argument. So I'm definitely not set against it. But selfishly, as a Hightower fan and a Hightower guy, I would love to see him back.

So ultimately, he'll make the best decision for he and his family. He and his wife have a young child child there's a lot to consider there but at the same time um you know we would yeah there has been interest and and don't don't write it off completely like i said with the nintendo under the christmas tree god forbid somebody gets injured you know that that it becomes more likely but you brought up the salary cap situation and as to what they would have to pay dante and how that could fit in the cap's not crap people not around here it's not it isn't and i know a lot of a lot of fans take to uh the uh the the social media pages over the weekend to talk about the rams and the saints and how they

can circumvent and all that. Believe me, believe me, folks, that is being paid for by someone, and that bill is going to come due. And when it does, there will be issues. And so it isn't. But, you know, teams can smoke and mirrors all they want to. You can only sweep it under the rug for so long. And that's what I will say about that.

But, you know, your two years of riding high can lead that but you know your two years your two years of of riding high is can can lead to you know a lot of seasons of six and sitting right now six and eleven you know it's all fun while it's going on but if right when it crashes and it ends it ends hard and we've seen teams fall by the wing side because of terrible cap mismanagement and not being able to sustain excellence last i checked in the wingland patriots even though a lot of people write them off now as an also-ran team still a playoff team last year haven't had much of a playoff drought uh and uh for the better part of two decades they've been in the thick of things at one point they were the top team in the afc last year so you don't get that kind of sustained excellence folks by ignoring the rules of the cap and ignoring the rules of what makes your team special and what makes it go.

And we'll see, I guess the Patriots brain trust knows best. Rumor has it, they would welcome Dante back with open arms, but I think only on their terms. And the question is, are those terms acceptable to Dante Hightower? We'll find out in the next couple of weeks.

If it happens, there'll be a lot of bonuses tied into this contract. A lot. Absolutely. And we'll have our man Miguel here to break down all those bonuses, all the contract information, because you definitely don't want any financial news from me, folks, when it comes to that. Contracts are still a blur to me. And thank God for my buddy Miguel, who comes out here and sets the record straight. Absolutely. I mean, we only know so much here on The Beat, and we try to be a financial hack through it, but it really is.

Leave that to the expert. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I say that not plurally, the expert. Definitely, folks. No question about it. Yeah, if it comes to Foxborough Finance, you want to be listening to Miguel. We always want to listen

to you, Murph, each and every Monday here. It's hashtag LockdownMurphMonday for a reason. We don't use the draft anymore. We don't use minicamp, but we're going to use training camp coming up very soon. Folks, don't forget, next week here on Lockdown Patriots, starting

on Monday, we will be kicking off Positional Preview Week on Locked On Patriots starting on Wednesday, starting on Monday. Excuse me. We will be kicking off positional preview week on Locked On Patriots, and we'll be breaking down all the positional depth charts. You know, Wednesday is probably locked up for a certain position with a certain co-host that would absolutely not speak to me again, Murph, if we did anything on tight endage without giving that role to her. But I know how much you love talking about round gentlemen in the middle. And I think offensive line might be the key here,

but drop us a line in the comment section on YouTube. Let us know. We'll give it to you. If you want to hear Murph talk about the offensive line, or if you want to hear him talk about another position, folks, we're amenable to change here on locked on Patriots. We exist for you. And we thank you for all of the feedback, good, bad, or indifferent.

It helps make our show better. And that's ultimately what we're trying to do. Make your listen as enjoyable as possible. Your first listen every day and a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of my good friend Thomas Murphy at

TMurph207, I appreciate you taking the time out today to join us. Murph, before I let you go, my friend, you didn't think I was going to let you go without giving an opportunity to plug all the great work that you do. Please let us know what we can expect from the great pen, the great voice of Thomas Murphy in the coming days and weeks. Well, tomorrow we'll be back in one Patriots place,

a.k.a. keeping up with the Joneses. The one and only Mike Diabate will be joining us. There was a method to my madness, folks. There was a reason why I wasn't going to let him go without plugging something. Mike is going to stop in tomorrow, and don't miss that one. We are going to be talking some interesting stuff over at ETG Sports today. I just have a column out on uh the the red sox fantastic west coast trip best best west coast trip they've had since 1997 um so go check that out uh of course

all the great content over there uh please give me a follow uh at team earth 207 i'm probably going to have a little patriots action going again this week and all the great writers that we have over there covering the Celtics, the hockey playoffs, the Stanley Cup is in our face. And while I continue my lifelong boycott, well, not lifelong, the second half of my life boycott of the NHL, there are other people there that are going to be able to show you the way. And so that's a long story we don't want to get into. Never forget the whale.

Okay, that's the only thing I have to say. Never. Absolutely. You and Chris Price are keeping that dream alive, bud. And God bless you both for that. That's it. That's it. So thank you again for having me.

I'll be back next week. And don't forget to check us out tomorrow on one patriots place definitely absolutely and my honor my privilege to join you guys on one patriots place it's going to be um a fun time and a different time for me to be the interviewee as opposed to the interviewer but uh if uh if you think i uh like to ramble now folks just wait no i, I'm kidding. All kidding aside, folks, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. On behalf of my good friend Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe. Stay well.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And thank you for all of your support of Locked On Patriots.