Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Forgo Franchise Tag: Jonathan Jones, Jakobi Meyers and the O-Line

Episode Date: March 8, 2023

The New England Patriots did not apply the franchise tag prior to the 4 p.m. deadline on March 7, leaving the door open for internal free agents such as Jonathan Jones and Jakobi Meyers to test the free agent waters. Host Mike D’Abate provides his thoughts on the Pats reasoning behind not tagging Jones or Meyers, as well as his take on what it means for Patriots free agency, including pursuing potential soon-to-be free agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown, Jr.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/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd 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 “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button. Download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

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you can probably figure out some technical video difficulties today. However, we are in the process of upgrading a whole new suite for Locked On Patriots. Different background, improved audio finally, improved video finally, and I think a better viewing and listening experience for all of you. So really want to take just a moment to thank all of you who have been so supportive to Locked On Patriots, and the best is yet to come. So be sure to stay locked into the podcast, folks.

A lot of great things coming. But today on Locked On Patriots, we're going to be discussing the franchise tag. Because as you know, today is the day, March 7th, Tuesday, where all 32 NFL teams wanted to play tag. And only a handful actually did. Your New England Patriots, not one of them. And not a big surprise, folks. The Patriots don't have a huge history of utilizing the franchise tag, but they do have a distinguished history of using it. Used it on players like Adam Vinatieri, Wes Welker, during the Tom Brady era. So it's not a very large stretch of the imagination to think that the Patriots could have used it this year. The last time the Pats used the tag, 2020 with guard Joe Tooney.

He played the entire 2020 season on the tag, Patriots tagging him for $14.78 million before he then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs the following offseason in 2021. Before that, it had been five years since the Patriots had used the franchise tag. Steven Gostowski signing a four-year $17.2 million contract extension, and that actually worked out to the Patriots' advantage. But the team right now, as currently constituted, their highest cap number for 2023 is pro bowler Matthew Judon. That's right, $18.61 million for Judon. his cap hit rank 17th among all nfl outside linebackers so

who were the possible suspects for the patriots to choose well we begin and end on the defensive side of the ball so we're going to stay on the defensive side of the ball we're going to go ahead and talk about jonathan jones because it looks likely John may actually test the free agent waters. The Patriots look like they're willing to let him go out there and see what his market is. That is unless both sides can strike a deal within the next week because, as you can tell, the Patriots did not use the franchise tag on Jonathan Jones, and this one should not be a surprise. It was even a less amount of a surprise that the Patriots didn't use the tag on John, as opposed to just not using it at all.

The contractual value for tagged cornerbacks, $18.1 million. If the Patriots applied the tag to Jonathan, they would be committing more than double the $7 million annual salary that he earned on his last contract. And the amount was also likely to significantly exceed the amount that he's expected to get on the open market. He's probably not going to get that kind of contract. The Patriots knew this and applying the $18 million just simply wasn't in cards. Bottom line, folks, if the Patriots didn't apply the tag to JC Jackson, they weren't going to do it to Jon Jones. And Patriots didn't apply the tag to J.C. Jackson, they weren't going to do it to Jon Jones, and that is in no way a disrespect to Jonathan. I think he had a tremendous

year last year, and I think it's going to parlay him into a pretty good deal this year, whether it's in New England or whether it's elsewhere, and honestly, I would actually feel somewhat buoyed by this. I would feel somewhat optimistic because the fact that both sides continue to discuss a new potential deal, it provides some positivity for him possibly remaining in New England past this season. And earlier on, on Tuesday, MassLives' Mark Daniels was all over this. Mark is a great reporter. He usually is. Reported that the Patriots are, quote, certainly interested, Patriots words here, or his source, I should say his words, over this mark is a great reporter he usually is reported that the patriots are quote certainly interested patriots words here or his source i should say his words interested in retaining

jones but may be willing to let him test his market value and i'm quoting mark's report here verbatim quote the team has been working towards signing jones to a new deal and talks are expected to continue throughout the week this is a scenario that could also see jones testing the free agent market then giving the patriots a chance to match or better the offer they've taken this approach with several patriots in the past probably the most notable that you're thinking of right now right off the top of your head is julian edelman he did that with the giants patriots came back matched it and the rest is history, folks. Julian takes his rightful place shortly with a red jacket in the Patriots Hall of Fame. Could he get a gold jacket? No, it's a conversation for another day. I'm not going to go there right now, but you can definitely drop a line in the comments if you're paying attention and let me

know if you think Julian Edelman is a pro football Hall of Famer. That could be a fun one for the offseason when the news is lying low a little bit. But back to reality here, and that is Jonathan Jones and this year's franchise tag and what his future plans are. If he's going to enter unrestricted free agency and he doesn't get a deal done within the next week with the Patriots, well, another pretty good NFL reporter says that he will have several suitors for his services. Mike Giardi of NFL Network reporting that there will be a number, quote unquote, of suitors for the Patriots cornerback, still viewed by most teams as a slot corner, but his performance as an outside corner this year only served to heighten awareness about

his talent. And that is absolutely correct. There are several teams out there that would reportedly be interested in John's services. One of which we've learned here on Locked On Patriots might just be the Baltimore Ravens who applied their own monster franchise tag to quarterback Lamar Jackson. They got their hands full on that. Definitely not a given that Lamar is going to remain in Baltimore, but definitely not a given that he's going to go. There's a good chance

Lamar comes back. But again, the Ravens need to fill out their entire team. And it wouldn't shock me to see them dip into the cornerback market and maybe even take a look at Jonathan Jones. Keep that one under your hat for future reference. But, you know, we've said several times here on Locked On Patriots, folks, that Jonathan Jones' resume really speaks for itself. He's been with the Patriots since coming out as an undrafted rookie out of Auburn in 2016 and one of the team's most versatile defenders, not just in the secondary, but really all over the field. First five seasons, he was one of the best slot corners in the secondary but really all over the field first five seasons he was one

of the best slot corners in the league didn't start off that way but he really really built himself up into emerging as one of the top weapons at that position then all of a sudden jc jackson is off to los angeles he's taking the big contract jalen mills is the guy on one side but the patriots really didn't have another top level corner to take some of the pressure off. Jonathan stepped up big time because of his speed and because of his tenacity, and I thought he did a very admirable job there on the perimeter. 69 total tackles last year, 11 pass breakups, four interceptions, one of which went for a pick-six touchdown, and three forced fumbles in 16 games. It's a pretty good resume. Pro football focus graded him very high as well.

I should say relatively high. He performed well in coverage, that is. Surrendered 47 catches on 87 targets for 547 yards, six touchdowns. That's a number that may raise the eyebrows. But when you think about 47 catches on 87 targets, 547 yards, he was hanging with his opponents, and that says a lot about the type of cornerback that Jonathan Jones is. I think probably their most reliable contributor in that defensive backfield at the cornerback position. You had Mills. Mills, I think, played as well as he could, but injuries

were really a problem for him. Miles Bryan had up and down moments. I think he did the best job he could in the slot. And Marcus Jones and Jack Jones have very bright futures. I love both these guys, but they're rookies and they still need time to develop. So in my opinion, I think Jonathan set himself up pretty well for his first ever trip to free agency. And at the end of the day, his preference would be to return to New England. And he said so in the past. Shortly after the end of the season, Jonathan told reporters, quote, I would hope so. He said about returning to New England, that is.

That's where I spent my career. It's what I know. It's what I love. New England is home for me in that aspect. So we'll see. We'll see how free agency turns out and we'll take it from there and if the Patriots and Jonathan Jones are unable to come to an agreement before next Wednesday the task of taking it from there folks well it's going to become a lot more difficult but we live in hope and we'd love to see John be able to come back. That being said, he wasn't the only potential Patriot to possibly get tagged on Tuesday. Patriots also bypassed another target, a wide receiver by the name of Jacoby Myers.

What does it mean for his future in New England? Well, we're going to discuss that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, the midway point of the NBA season is here, and now is the perfect time to download FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because new customers get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win. Just download the FanDuel

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tag edition of the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is franchise tag day. The deadline has come and passed at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7th, 4 p.m. on the East Coast, and the Patriots did not play tag, folks. They did not apply the franchise tag this year. So that means three years running now the New England Patriots have not used that franchise tag. But we talked a little bit in the previous segment about why they didn't apply the tag to Jonathan Jones. If there was anybody on the roster that made some sense, it would have been Jonathan but that price tag of 18.1 million dollars folks just

a little bit too high for the Patriots to place on a cornerback that is extremely versatile very valuable but not at the top of his position on the perimeter and that's what the Patriots feel they will be investing in if they decide to invest big money into the position another player that was rumored to be on the franchise tag radar that did not get the franchise tag was jacoby myers and if you thought jonathan jones number was a bit high well jacoby's is even higher 19.74 million dollars would have been the cost yeah i love jacoby and i've sung his praises here as much as anyone, even at the expense of my good friend Murph. But, folks, yeah, not even I am going to do that at this point, and I think Jacoby understands that as well. The open market is said to be in the $15 million range for him.

More realistically, probably $12 to $14. I think the $15 is a high ceiling and probably a little bit beyond what teams are going to be willing to offer Jacoby, but probably expect offers in that 12 to 14 million range, but definitely not 19.74. Patriots weren't going to do that. They weren't even going to try to put a tag on him for a placeholder because apparently Patriots and Jacoby are willing to part ways at least temporarily and let Jacoby test the free agent waters. That's right. Sunday morning, ESPN reported that the Pats and Myers, arguably their highest priority internal free agent,

some will make the argument that Jonathan Jones is the higher priority, but I think Jacoby is probably highest priority at this point, that they were essentially struggling to agree on a price for his services. And because of that, the prospects of both sides reaching a deal prior to the start of the NFL season, which is going, or I should say the NFL year, the league year, which is going to be coming up on March 15th, seem to be a bit dubious at best. And I'm quoting directly from Dan Graziano of espn who reported that on sunday morning saying quote the patriots jacoby myers could end up getting the biggest contract among

a very thin group of free agent wide receivers and we've talked about this folks here before on the pod juju smith schuster is out there some players that can definitely bring back a little bit value but jacoby i think really is the most complete wide receiver out there and really the one with the biggest upside so if you take a look at his ability to cash in here he has the chance to do it and Graziano's report continues quote he has talked to the Patriots about a new deal but they haven't made very much progress and it sounds like Myers will hit the market when it officially opens on March 15th. Now, we all know the story of Jacoby Myers. We've talked about it several

times here on Locked On Patriots. Those of you who are big fans of his know his journey from, again, like Jonathan Jones, coming here from an undrafted rookie free agency out of North Carolina State. It's been 2019 since he signed here in New England, so the tail end of the Tom Brady era, played with Cam Newton, played alongside Mac Jones, really quickly became a valuable asset to this Patriots offense. A lot of durability, very sure hands. That's the best thing and probably the best compliment that I can give Jacoby,

and he deserves every bit of that. And since joining the Patriots, he's compiled more receptions and more receiving yards than any other member of the team. 235 career receptions. That currently ranks third among all non-drafted players in the league since 2019, not just the Patriots folks, in the league. So he's doing undrafted free agents a lot of service right now and is really making them look pretty good.

Jacoby had a tough 2022. A lot of injuries he battled through. Started 13 of the 14 games that he appeared in, and he didn't still lead the team. He set career highs with 804 receiving yards, six touchdowns, and finished second on the team with 67 catches. So even though he's not that prototypical wide receiver one, and I hear that an awful lot about Kobe, I happen to agree with it, by the way, I'm not saying it condescendingly, but there is a lot of value to this kid that I wish people saw beyond what he just brings you statistically. His ability to get big yardage at the catch point,

that to me is what makes him valuable. And that may be what ends up pricing him out of the Patriots range. Any offensive scheme can use a receiver that absolutely can get you yardage at the catch point, knowing that you're going to come down with the football. If a team decides that they need a player like this for a young quarterback to grow with or a veteran quarterback as a safety valve well then you're going to see some teams get into a bidding war for Jacoby Myers and that's what worries me about his future here in New England he's also one of Mac Jones's most reliable really one of his most preferred targets so I think the Patriots should still keep him top of mind in the coming

weeks and I think that's why they're keeping communication lines open here if he gets the lucrative offers that are out there on the free agent market i do think jacoby thinks enough of his time in new england respects it enough to come back to the patriots tell them what they've got and then make the patriots either match it or tell him to go and chase his coin for lack of a better term um i think the latter is probably more realistic than the former but again stranger things have happened um with the franchise tag and i think we've gone over this that that 19.74 million that would have made him the 14th highest paid wide receiver in the nfl again that's that's an astronomical price for a player that's delivering the type of output you expect from someone like Jacoby Myers. But again, it just it wasn't worth it for the Patriots to apply it and then try to get something in return.

He's going to test the free agent market. And I think that's why the Patriots want to see what other teams out there are willing to pay for him and i think that's going to set their own market as well in terms of whether they go the draft route to replace him or whether they try to bring in free agents to possibly take a little bit of the sting out and also don't forget folks there are trade options we've talked about the andre hopkins alan robinson now all of a sudden is going to be available on the market with the los angeles r. I don't think the Patriots do that. I think right now with Devontae Parker in the house, I think they have a guy that's pretty much the same type of receiver.

To me, it would just be a little bit redundant to bring in Allen Robinson. But 29, there's still something left there. It would just be whether or not the Patriots want to make an investment. But I think there's an awful lot of financial responsibility with that contract that just to me is not worth it when you've got someone like Parker already in the house. So what are the Patriots do here? They're going to face a tough task in replacing his productivity. But don't discount the trade route.

There is a possibility they do that. Brandon Cooks of the Houston Texans. I broke down here last week on the podcast. Always keep a sharp eye on these guys. The Patriots try to make every effort to maximize their return on investment. Folks, as the old saying goes, there is never a dull moment in New England. And Patriots business is about to seriously pick up in the coming days because they still have not addressed, I think, their biggest need on the roster. Could they possibly do so with one of the biggest names out there available at that

position? Folks, we're going to talk about that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining me here on this Franchise Tag Tuesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Of course, folks, we're talking about the Patriots noncommittal

to make, to apply the franchise tag in 2023. They don't do so. Jonathan Jones, Jacoby Myers will continue to negotiate with the Patriots, but ultimately if they don't reach an agreement within a week, both of those guys are headed for unrestricted free agency. And even though wide receiver and cornerback are two of the most high-profile positions on a

football field, Patriots have a big-time need for both types of players. I still think they're badly in need of an infusion of youth, strength, depth, whatever you want to call it. They need to make an addition at offensive tackle. That is exactly what they need. And I think their biggest need headlining into this free agent class, headlining into this draft, and really headlining into this brand new NFL year, which is set to begin on Wednesday, March 15th. Now, the Patriots weren't the only ones that were refraining from using the franchise tag. The defending Super Bowl champions failed to use that tag as well on probably their most prominent candidate.

And this surprised a few people, myself included. I really thought the Chiefs would apply the tag here, but they chose not to. And I'm talking about starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. And of course, from the appearances that he's had here on the podcast, you know this is a favorite of Murph. It's a favorite pretty much of everybody that's out there looking. He is the gem of this free agency class at the position. If Brown and the Chiefs can't reach an agreement on a long-term contract by next Wednesday, they're under the gun too, just the same as the Patriots and all the other 30 teams are. That would mean that the 26-year-old Orlando Brown Jr. is going to hit free agency and be free to sign with any team.

Now that's big news for all tackle-needy teams, especially your New England Patriots. They would love to sign up his services and put a number 57 jersey on him in New England, but that could be problematic. There are a lot of roadblocks that stand in the way, and I don't mean to kind of rain on everybody's parade here, but there are certain things that have to go through. again like i said this we talk a lot about skill positions here on the pod but i've continuously been steadfast in my opinion that the pad's biggest need is at offensive tackle you might be saying just go for it push everything all on the table and utilize all the space that the patriots have to try to get this guy in house doesn't quite work like that.

Logistically, Brown is the guy you want. There is no question about that. He's one of the NFL's premier left tackles, Pro Bowl selections in each of the last four seasons. Durability, he checks that box. Missed only one game in his five-year NFL career. Started all 20, including the playoffs for the Chiefs last season. And he helped lead an

offensive line that was able to I don't want to say neutralize but they marginally disrupted what the Philadelphia Eagles pass rush could do in the Super Bowl this was a team coming in that no one thought could be shut down in terms of their ability to rush the passer and the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line I thought was really the bright spot, the brightest spot of a lot of bright spots on the day for the champions. But with great power comes great responsibility, fiscal responsibility, and Orlando Brown is going to require a lot of teams to be fiscally responsible in terms of trying to offer him a monster contract and still field a pretty good team in 2023. That's not going to be easy.

He's going to get the most expensive tackle contract out there. And a lot of salary estimates that I'm seeing, I'm sure you're seeing them just the same as I am, $22.4 million on average is kind of what really I, is being reported of the value of his next contract. And even with the Patriots set to enter free agency with roughly about $32 million in available cap space, tip of the cap, nod to the gods to my guy, Miguel, who will be joining me shortly here on Locked On Patriots. A sharp eye out for that. If you love yourself some Foxborough Finance Friday, you definitely want to do that. I call him the Wizard of Benz on and he is great. And he'll break a lot of this down financially for you. But

logistically, on the cap right now, that's going to be a big portion to dedicate to Orlando Brown Jr. And really, depending on his deal is structured, it could even be a more hefty hit than the Patriots had originally anticipated. Keep in mind, folks, that even though I've been vocal about the Patriots needing an offensive tackle and that being their position of need and needing other positions as well, the Patriots need to make multiple moves. It's not just at one or two positions. They've got a need at wideout. We talked about that. They're going to need a cornerback. We've talked about that. They also potentially have a need at safety because Devin McCourty has yet to make his decision about whether or not he's going to be back here next

year. If Devin's not back, that's a problem for the New England Patriots, and they have to address that. It's not a deep safety class in the draft. You're probably going to have to shell out for at least a veteran free agent to come in and help right the ship. Who do you get to do that? It's going to cost without any questions. So when you have a lot of money to allocate to a lot of different positions of need, it's tough to put all your chips on the table for a guy like Orlando Brown.

A lot of talent, great size, perfect guy that you'd want as an offensive tackle here in New England. Just unfortunately going to be a little bit too expensive now Murph has gushed openly about Mike McGlinchey of San Francisco McGlinchey's fit is not as logistical or not as logistically sound I would say as someone like Orlando Brown coming in but there are adjustments that can be made and this kid is definitely a great left tackle. He could come in, play the position very, very well. Juwan Taylor of Jacksonville Jaguars is someone that could come in and make that adjustment.

You want to talk about someone who's slowly kind of moving up the ranks of three agents that really could make an impact here. He's a guy to keep an eye on. Atlanta Falcons' Caleb McGarry is also another guy that might be available as well. So the Patriots all could look at these guys and say, it's a significant upgrade from what we've had at the right tackle position, at the left tackle position for the last couple of seasons. I don't think they're jettisoning Trent Brown. I think they keep him in-house.

I still think there's a lot of potential there. And with a dedicated offensive coordinator and a dedicated offensive line coach, Trent's going to be back to where he needs to be. But that doesn't solve the problem on the other side. You need a caliber starter that's going to come in and be able to make an immediate impact. So who do the Patriots use? Well, there are a lot of guys that could be out there on the market. They do have Trent Brown on the roster without question.

And again, I don't think he's going anywhere. Connor McDermott is going to be someone that comes in here as a swing option. And he will be your primary swing tackle. But I don't think he's a long-term solution as a starter. And then you've got guys like Andrew Stuber, Jason Hines that could come in, maybe move guys over. Michael Waino is doing such an amazing job at guard. I don't know why the Patriots would want to move him,

but if you have to get inventive, tackles are extremely important. We know Mike can play those positions, so it really is a preference, and it really is a choice for the Patriots to make. And then again, you can always go the route that we've talked about here on lockdown Patriots

several times. And that's going with the guys that are available via the draft, Peter Skowronski, DeJuan Jones of Ohio state, Paris, you know, these guys that are all available on the drafting board right now that could be available options for the New England Patriots. So all in all, I think what this means is that the Pats are probably going to be fiscally responsible this year and making a move for a top level free agent at the top of their position or making a franchise tag move that's going to end up overpaying for guys on their own roster is simply not something that they're going to be willing to do.

How will they build a roster? Well, we're going to continue to break that down here on Locked On Patriots all week long. So be sure to stay locked into the pod and be sure to download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your audio podcasts. And don't forget to smash that subscribe button to youtube and if you've made us your first listen please make your second listen our good friends over at locked on nfl draft my friends and colleagues of the draft network damian parson and keith sanchez continue to knock it out of the park with all of your draft coverage be sure to do that download subscribe to

follow them wherever you get your, you will not be disappointed. And of course, don't forget, we will be back here again tomorrow on Locked On Patriots, where the Countess of Clairvoyance joins me to talk a little draft tight endage on the Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots. So in the meantime, folks, thank you once again for taking time out of your day

to spend here with us on Locked On, Patriots. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And we'll see you again tomorrow right here on Locked On.