Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Standoff: Patriots Negotiations With Gabe Jacas Drag On

Starting point is 00:00:00 Training camp is less than a week away in the Gabe Accus situation continues to get more difficult by the hour. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots. Your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. That's happening. I am your host, the Nick Cattles. On today's show, the Pats release a UDFA opening the door to sign a veteran before camp starts on Saturday.

Starting point is 00:00:35 And the second segment, we'll have the latest on Christian Gonzalez and whether or not he's looking to break the bank. But first, Gabe Accus is still M-I-A. Today's episode is brought to by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Gabe Accus is still unsigned. The latest from Greg Bedard at Boston Sports Journal following, quote, my only update on Gabe Acis is that the Patriots still aren't sure if he'll be signed by the start of camp or if he's on track to pass his physical.

Starting point is 00:01:07 Guess they're just waiting to see him show up like the rest of us, unquote. Again, that is from Greg Bedard. Now, I'm sure there's been communication between the two sides. My read on that note from Greg Bedard is that Gabacchus and the Patriots are still negotiating and the Patriots are simply not sure if they're going to be able to run through the tape this week before camp starts on Saturday. They just don't know, which tells me the negotiations are not smooth, even until this very last moment. They are still working through certain things.

Starting point is 00:01:47 I also believe when Greg Bedard writes that the Patriots, they're not sure if Gabe Accus is going to be signed by the start of camp. They're not sure if he's going to be on track to pass his physical. Again, I'm sure there is communication between the two sides. but until a guy is in the building, until a player passes his physical, then you're not really sure. And I think going back, you know, a month, month and a half ago, when we first started to hear word about a Gabacus surgery and maybe there was some miscommunication or maybe there was something omitted from the Patriots knowledge before the draft, considering Gabacus got surgery after he was drafted. and there was no agreement between the two sides where he could at least show up and take part in certain things at rookie minicamp and mandatory minicamp. And now we're still waiting for this thing to be solved, resolved. And now we're sitting back wondering, you know, is that lack of trust between the two sides still existing as we speak?

Starting point is 00:02:55 And it feels like that lack of trust is still existing between the Patriots and gay, back as his representation. So the Patriots, they're not going to sit back and just trust the idea that gay back is as a okay 100%. They're not just going to take it for granted that he's going to pass a physical. He needs to get into the building, pass the physical so they know that he's actually healthy. Now, I've mentioned Travion Henderson over the past couple of months regarding Gabacus's situation because Trayvion Henderson did not sign his contract last year until July 18. Some places reported it on July. 19th. It was actually July 18th when Trayvion Henderson agreed to his contract.

Starting point is 00:03:40 But there are a couple of major differences between Trayvion Henderson and Gabe Accus. Number one, Trayvion Henderson participated in pretty much everything. He was drafted. He was there at rookie camp. He was there at mandatory mini camp. He was in the facility learning the offense, talking with coaches, talking with teammates, trying to get chemistry with his new quarterback, Drake May. Gayback has been persona non grata since rookie minicamp. We saw him walking around on the field, but we know that he has not been at the facility since after rookie minicamp.

Starting point is 00:04:13 He was not at the facility for mandatory minicamp. That's now back in May. He certainly was not there. You know, when you look at the rookie minicamp, mandatory minicamps in the between part of this, you know, offseason summertime schedule, where you're waiting after mandatory minicamp to, you know, finally show up for training camp. It's been roughly a month and a half since mandatory minicamp ended. It's been about two months, if not more, since rookie minicamp ended.

Starting point is 00:04:45 And so Trayvion Henderson, he was in the building. He was talking to people. He was a patriot. He was at the facility throughout the entire time until he signed his contract. That's not the case with Gabe Accus. And Trayvion, Henderson, to my knowledge, to your knowledge, did not have any injuries that the Patriots were concerned by. He did not have any surgeries that, you know,

Starting point is 00:05:07 what might actually prohibit him from consistently practicing once he got to camp. So those two major differences, the fact that Trayvion Henderson was at the facility, he was an active member of the Patriots, even though he wasn't signed. That has not been the case with Gabacchus. And Gabacus, again, with the litany of injuries we've learned about since he was drafted,

Starting point is 00:05:31 and the fact that he just had to have. have a surgery going back a couple of months ago. Maybe it was three months ago. Who knows? We don't have every single detail. But those are some major significant differences between Trayvion Henderson situation and Gabe Accus's situation. And I do think now as we get ready, camp is less than a week.

Starting point is 00:05:52 This is officially weird. Gabe Accus is one of six rookies who remain unsigned. Nick Cordy contract expert posted the six remaining 2026 drafted rookies not yet under contract all four quarterbacks taken in the first two days Jamad McCoy and Gabe Accus those are your six guys the four quarterbacks taken in the first two days

Starting point is 00:06:21 Jamad McCoy and Gabe Accus now quarterbacks historically can be tough right with the money with the guaranteed money that quarterbacks have in the league, they tend to be a little bit more difficult to iron out the final details and get a deal done. I would not say that it's a shock that the quarterbacks that were taken in the first couple of days are not signed yet. I would also say Jamad McCoy is a very, very special case. So to me, quarterbacks are special cases. To me, Jamad McCoy is a very special case. You go back to February, March, a lot of people thought Jamad McCoy would be a

Starting point is 00:07:05 first round pick. Now, they were aware of the knee issue and, you know, maybe he would not be fully ready by the time you got to rookie minicamp, for example, but many people still believe that Jamad McCoy would be a first round pick. I think at worst, the vast majority of people who, you know, write about the draft and project picks and predict picks and all that stuff, they pretty much figure that Jamad McCoy would absolutely be selected by the second round. But Jamad McCoy went from a first round talent to a fourth round pick. Jamad McCoy was picked in the fourth round back in April because of injury concerns. So that is a very special case. Gabe Accus was considered a second round talent, was drafted in the second round.

Starting point is 00:07:58 The Patriots moved up to draft him in the second round. And so it's not as unique of a circumstance as it is with Jamad McCoy, as it is with the four quarterbacks. So I find Gabe Accus's ordeal right now to be unique amongst every other rookie that was drafted. back in April. And that's far from ideal. You know, it's bad enough that Gabe Accus has missed what he's missed. But if he starts missing camp, that's a huge concern. I'm not ready to press the panic button and say that he can't help you in 2026 because

Starting point is 00:08:43 he missed mandatory minicamp and rookie minicamp. But if he starts chewing up time away during training camp, That's a big problem. He's got to get on the field. If he's not out there first week of training camp, then yeah, I start to get concerned about his ability to impact 2026 in any tangible way. So hopefully they get this thing ironed out. Coming up, trying to get to the bottom of what's really going on with the Christian Gonzalez negotiation.

Starting point is 00:09:22 This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. Support for today's episode comes from Warby Parker. If you're active, you know not all sunglasses are built the same. Whether you're running, golfing, hiking, coaching, or just spending a lot of time outdoors, regular sunglasses can slip, bounce, fog up, or make it harder to see clearly when you're moving. Warby Parker's sport was designed to solve those problems with performance features like no-slip nose pads, a wraparound design for a wider field of vision,

Starting point is 00:09:56 lightweight frames and contrast enhancing polarized lenses all while looking like stylish sunglasses you'd actually wear every day. Warby Parker took everything people want from performance eyewear and combined it with everyday style. Whether it's the no slip fit, lightweight feel, those polarized lenses, your experience will be improved and separates Warby Parker from everyday sunglasses. Eyewear that's made to move with you. And right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at Warby Parker.com slash locked on NFL. That's 20% off any additional pairs when you purchase one pair at W-A-R-B-Y Parker.com slash locked on NFL. There are more live events than ever worth seeing right now. Games, concerts, comedy shows,

Starting point is 00:10:46 festivals, the hard part usually isn't deciding what you want to attend. It's actually getting the tickets between long wait times, confusing checkout processes, and surprise fees buying tickets can sometimes feel harder than it should. That's why so many fans are turning to game time. The app is built to make buying tickets simple with upfront pricing, seat views before you buy, and even more. I mean, honestly, I want to know exactly what my view will look like and exactly what I'm paying for.

Starting point is 00:11:15 Game time helps me know those two things ahead of time. I can buy tickets with a lot more confidence. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to every type of event with game time. Download the game time app. an account and use code a lockdown for $20 off your first purchase terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Christian Gonzalez needs to be on this team in 2026.

Starting point is 00:11:47 We all agree with that. I'd imagine he's one of your three best players on this current roster. He was ranked by, you know, people within the league as an elite corner recently. but the contract talks continue and it might not be getting any easier for the paths. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Don't forget if you're watching us on YouTube to like, comment and subscribe, we are so close to 10,000 subscribers. Hopefully we can get there at the very start of camp this coming Saturday.

Starting point is 00:12:18 Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. We are officially moving on from mid-July and creeping into late July. and Christian Gonzalez is still not signed to a contract extension. Now, my prediction I've been saying all off season that I was expecting Christian Gonzalez to sign an extension some point in July. Now, I still have a couple of weeks left until I say, well, that was wrong. Still got a couple of weeks left, right? This thing can happen at any moment.

Starting point is 00:12:51 but as we get closer to camp and as we get closer to the end of July, it is still not done. And here was Greg Bedard at Boston Sports Journal with his latest on Christian Gonzalez. Here's what Greg wrote. With the league sets a vote on the Seahawks sale on August 26th, that could bring an interesting timing dynamic when it comes to extending top cornerback, Devin Witherspoon, who has the same agent as Christian Gonzalez. Now, why does that matter? Well, how does Seattle's new ownership deal with Devin Witherspoon?

Starting point is 00:13:25 Are they going to walk in and right away give them the contract extension? Have they already baked that in, so to speak? Or does new ownership decide to drag it out? And if you drag out the Devin Witherspoon conversation, you might drag out across the country the Christian Gonzalez contract conversation. Because as we've discussed multiple times before, They share agents and you wonder how one negotiation is impacting the other negotiations. So now with the Seahawks, their sale, we're all waiting for it.

Starting point is 00:14:01 Late August, again, August 26th is going to be the league vote on that sale. That might hold things up. To get back to Christian Gonzalez, Greg Bedard writes, Gonzalez could very well be seeking a brand new contract and not an extension, similar to what Derek Stingley Jr. received from the Texans. And in parentheses, Bedard writes, it was technically an extension. But Stingley received a $25 million signing bonus as all his cash flows went to at least $20 million in year four of his contract. So it really didn't build on his rookie deal financially.

Starting point is 00:14:38 It erased it. That's from Greg Bedard. More from Greg Bedard. If the crafts are still driving the contract bus, it would be a surprise to see them give Gonzalez a deal that would pay him over $25 million in cash this season. I think they would be more open to giving him a modest raise, getting him to $15 to $20 million for this season. The reports from the likes of Albert Breer make it sound like Christian Gonzalez wants to

Starting point is 00:15:03 set a high bar for cornerbacks. Now, Houston really messed this thing up. They really did a number on the cornerback market with that Derek Stingley contract because not only as Greg wrote and framed it, it for all intents and purposes erased the fifth year of Derek Stingley's contract. If you look at the total average per year on the deal, it was $22.6 million. When you factor in that fifth year to go along with the other years that Houston tacked on. But the new money, the new money average per year, APY, was at $30 million. It was three years, 90 million.

Starting point is 00:15:49 And that average per year of the new money was much higher than what the average per year for a cornerback was at that time. So you go back and you look at that contract signed by Stingley, that impacted the rest of the cornerback market, made that position much more pricey. I'm sure the rest of the NFL was not thrilled with Nick Casario and company when they, when they sign that, I don't know, I guess we'll call it, according to Bedard, a quasi extension. The fifth year, we have to appreciate this, was collectively bargained. I mean, when we talk about NFL rookie contracts, the reason why you want to draft a guy in the first round,

Starting point is 00:16:37 especially at a premium position, is because of that fifth year. You have full control of the player contractually through his first five years, and you can extend that with the franchise tag all the way out through seven years. So that fifth year is a big deal. Owners fought for a fifth year on a rookie contract. They fought for that fifth year option.

Starting point is 00:17:06 And so teams, they use that fifth year APY, and they build off that number. So in essence, when you're Houston and you're looking at Derek Stingley and, you know, Derek Stingley was making, let's just say, I don't know exactly what he was making on his 50 year option, but let's say it was, you know, 20 million on that 50 year options. Teams, what they usually do is they use that 20 million average per year to build the framework of the extension of the next contract for that player. but Houston did not do that. So instead of looking at the $20 million and saying, okay, we'll give you a four-year, $100 million deal and bump that to, you know, $25 million, they decided to give Derek Stingley a $25 million signing bonus, which bumped all his money up.

Starting point is 00:18:06 And again, the new money of that extension, quasi-extension, was three years, $90 million. That's $30 million average per year. year. And teams don't want to do that. So I would not expect the crafts to be thrilled to try to continue that precedent that the Texans started with Derek Stingley Jr. I'd imagine that the crafts want to do business the way it was done for the vast majority of the other cornerback contracts, for guys that were looking at the fifth year option and wanted more security. I don't think the crafts are, you know, open to the idea of breaking the mold here.

Starting point is 00:18:50 And you also have to remember, I've said this consistently. Every time we talk about Christian Gonzalez's contract, we also have to remember that Drake May is due for an extension next off season. And you know that Drake May and Drake May's representation is paying very close attention to how the crafts handle this Christian Gonzalez negotiation. It will be a tell for the representation, a tell for Drake May's camp, of how their negotiation might go.

Starting point is 00:19:21 So the billion dollar question is whether or not a middle ground can be found. And Greg Bedard wrote about Patrick Sartan's deal with Denver. And Baderd wrote, The Patriots, they can base Gonzalez's extension on Sertan, who is the best cornerback in the game. If you're wondering, Sartan was given a $15 million signing bonus. His yearly cash was slash is $18,000, $22,000, $17,000, and $24 million. Patrick Sertan's average per year on the extension was $24 million.

Starting point is 00:19:54 So can you bridge that gap, not go on the deep end with the Derek Stingley stuff? Try to find that middle ground like the Broncos were able to do with Patrick Sartan. based on the history, the Patrick Sertan deal makes much more sense than the Derek Stingley deal. And I would tell you that the NFL would also agree with what I just said. Now, there is a note, Patrick Sertan just restructured his contract this offseason and Denver ended up giving him a bump of $5 million for 2026. But of course, he had to wait a couple of years to get that bump for 2020. but then for some time. I'm really intrigued by how much Christian Gonzalez will or won't do coming up this camp

Starting point is 00:20:49 if he has not agreed to this extension. I want to see how active he is on Saturday. My expectation is a hold in. We'll see if that's what happens. The Pats release a rookie in our setup to add at a position of need. It's coming up next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. your team every day.

Starting point is 00:21:13 Running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. One app for accounting, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them talk to each other. That's where Odu comes in. Odu is an all-in-one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. From sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place,

Starting point is 00:21:36 helping your team move faster, stay organized, and focus on growing the business, instead of managing software. I mean, think about an adjustment a coaching staff makes. The adjustment itself is important, but what really makes things click is how smoothly that adjustment gets implemented. You've seen it before. You will see it again. We're talking about the best organizations know that success isn't just about talent. Great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get O-D. Try for free today at O-D-com slash lockdown. That's O-D-O-D. o.com slash lockdown.

Starting point is 00:22:17 This next week or two should be very interesting around the league. A number of veterans will likely finally land a new home or return to their prior home right before camp starts. And the paths with that in mind made a roster move over the weekend to, I think, prepare for just that. Thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Don't forget to help a brother out, like, comment, and subscribe. we are so close to 10,000 subs. Let's get there by Saturday.

Starting point is 00:22:46 And under the radar move over the weekend, Patriots released defensive tackle Travis Shaw. Travis Shaw was a UDFA. And this opens a roster spot right before camp begins on Saturday. And releasing a defensive tackle makes a lot of sense. I mean, we've talked about the depth of the interior defensive line, the significant depth of the interior defensive line, line, Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Corey Durdin, Joshua, former, Leonard Taylor, Eric

Starting point is 00:23:18 Gregory. A lot of dudes. A lot of dudes in that room. So if you are going to cut somebody to make room for another roster spot, bring somebody in, the interior defensive line makes an awful lot of sense. Now, we wonder, where could the Patriots add? And I think there are two spots that I would look at first and I would also throw in a third spot that is related to what we talked about earlier on this episode. Let's start with tight end. We know that Mike Vrable came out during mandatory minicamp and admitted that he would like to change the numbers, tweak the numbers in the tight end room. The Julian Hill injury changed the math at that position. And so Mike Vrable tipped his hand going back to mandatory minicamp five or six weeks. We're going.

Starting point is 00:24:12 ago saying that, yeah, he would like to see somebody added to that room. So I start with tight end. I think tight end is the most obvious given what Mike Vrable said. I would also look at the interior offensive line. When discussing the interior offensive line, we've said, look, Ben Brown is a good backup offensive lineman, okay? He's good. I would not freak out if Ben Brown had to go out there and replace somebody tomorrow. I think he would do solid job. The issue, though, which we have discussed, is that Ben Brown right now is your primary backup not only at the guard position, but also at the center position. And there were a couple of weeks ago, we discussed another UDFA, Jacob Rizzy, and how he might be able to sneak

Starting point is 00:25:00 his way onto this roster because of the lack of depth there at center slash guard. So I would not be shocked if the Patriots went out and added a veteran center. I think that's a possibility. And you also cannot discount Edge. Edge could be a possibility, given what's going on with Gabacus. If Gabacus's situation continues to drag on, if the Patriots want to bring in a veteran edge, say we're done with the games with Gabacus, we have. have to move forward. We have to prepare for 2026 and we can't let Gabe Accus hold our edge

Starting point is 00:25:45 depth for hostage. So we're going to bring somebody in. I don't think that would be a crazy idea. But those are really the three positions that I'm keyed in on. With this Travis Shaw release, I'm looking at tight end. I'm looking at center slash guard. And I'm looking at edge. But tight end is really the one. Like my immediate reaction when I saw Travis Shaw get cut. My immediate reaction was the Patriots are going to go out. They're going to sign one of those veteran tight ends. And on Saturday, that veteran tight end is going to pop up.

Starting point is 00:26:19 And everybody's going to say, who's that guy in that jersey? Who wears number or blah, bitty blah? And we're going to find out, oh, that's who it is. It's a tight end. There's the tight end to replace Julian Hill during camp. Because we're not 100% confident in the idea of C.J. DePree. or Tanner Arkin making this roster. So I would not be surprised.

Starting point is 00:26:44 My gut tells me my immediate reaction to this was a tight end is on his way. So which names are out there? We've mentioned a couple. But, you know, Will Disley is a guy. I've said this before. I'll say it again. I would welcome Will Disley popping up at Patriots camp. He's a veteran.

Starting point is 00:27:02 He's a really good blocker. The Chargers. let him go. I think it was back in March and he was injured last year, cost him most of the season. But if Will Disley is healthy, he makes a heck of a lot of sense. Another guy, blast from the past. I know some have brought this up. I think Taylor Kyle's has brought this up. But Farrow Brown is another dude who's a free agent. That is a pretty good blocker that you can bring in. Some people have mentioned Jonu Smith. But as we know, Johnu Smith, not a good blocker. I mean, pro football focus had John Smith last year.

Starting point is 00:27:36 rated as the third worst run blocking tight end in the entire NFL. Out of qualified tight ends, Jonu Smith was the third worst run blocker. Now, maybe you think Eli Raarden is going to be an epiphany in the run game. I would not anticipate that happening in year one. I think he could eventually get there and be a good blocker, but I would not be there just yet on day one. So I would lean towards more the Will Disley Farrow Brown type than the John

Starting point is 00:28:06 new Smith type. We'll see what happens. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube. And thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen. For your second listen, check out Lockdown NFL scouting. Kyle Crabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this off season. Find Lockdown NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great day. We'll see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Standoff: Patriots Negotiations With Gabe Jacas Drag On

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.