Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Twitter Thursday and the Locked On Patriots Mailbag - 3/5/2020

Episode Date: March 5, 2020

It’s Twitter Thursday on Locked On Patriots. Host Mike D’Abate addresses some of the questions that are weighing on the mind of Patriots Nation. Will Tom Brady remain in New England, or did he leave his heart in San Francisco? Who might the Patriots target in free agency? And...last, but not least, what would be the first move that Mike would make if he was New England’s GM for a day?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. Welcome to Twitter Thursday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily dose of news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate. I am your host of Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. You are always more than welcome to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC.

And while you're roaming around out there on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, the topic of today's show is one of my favorites because the star of the show today is not me. It's not my guests. It's you, the listeners. I want to thank so many of you for submitting some great questions to the Locked On Patriots mailbag.

Questions about the draft, free agency, one where I even get to play Patriots general manager. And you know I'm going to have some fun with that. And of course, folks, brace yourself. There is a Tom Brady question. But it's a good one. And my answer to it, I hope, helps to talk people off the ledge a little bit when it comes to your anxiety about Tom potentially

leaving Foxborough. So settle in, folks. I hope that you enjoyed today's podcast. I'm always grateful and very humbled by each and every one of you that take time out of your day to submit a question to be answered here on Locked on Patriots. And again, folks, even if your question did not make it onto the show today, it doesn't mean that it won't be answered. As always, I'll make sure to answer each and every question that was submitted,

whether you did so via direct message, which is how a lot of you chose to submit questions this time, or if you chose to attach the question directly to the thread on Twitter. For the purposes of mailbag episodes like today's, either way is perfectly fine. But starting next week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, I'll be running a near month-long interactive exercise that won't only ask you to submit your questions, comments, and feedback, but it'll give you the opportunity to showcase your football knowledge. And the best part is, I'll be proud to share that knowledge right here on the airwaves

of the Locked On Patriots podcast. So keep a sharp ear out toward the conclusion of today's show. Those of you that listened to Locked On Patriots when my good friend and predecessor Mark Schofield was hosting might just have an idea as to what I'm alluding to. But regardless, folks, this is an exercise I think you'll all enjoy, whether you're an active participant or a listener. I'm really excited about it, and I can't wait to share more details with you a bit later in today's podcast. But before we take that deep dive into the Locked On Patriots mailbag here on Twitter Thursday,

we do have a bit of business to discuss first. And yet again, folks, it is Brady business. And I can sense the collective eye rolls you're all exhibiting right now. I'm right there with you. Every time a new tidbit comes out on this, I roll my eyes too. And not only will the story not go away, but it continues to develop more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco. And again, I make no assumptions here on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

Some of you may not be familiar with Lombard Street, or you may not know it by name. I think you've probably seen it in movies. It's a steep street up on a hill, and the cars that come down it look like they're traveling down a Plinko board. If you are still not sure, Google Lombard Street, you'll definitely get the analogy at that point. But my whole point in that reference was simply to acknowledge the fact that it's almost impossible to keep track of every new development that seems to arise on this story each and

every day. And those of you that listened to Locked On Patriots yesterday know that my guest was Karen Garigian of the Boston Herald. And our conversation for this podcast took place on Wednesday morning, before Karen had published a report on Wednesday afternoon that a conversation between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had indeed taken place regarding Tom's future with the team. Karen's initial report indicated that the conversation took place on Tuesday, and that quote, it didn't go well. And when Patriots Nation saw this, they didn't take it so well. And it was only about to get worse.

Shortly after Karen's report came out, Tommy Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported very similar details to what Karen had shared, saying that the conversation between Brady and Belichick really wasn't all that fruitful. And then the real panic began. And that was brought to you courtesy of a report from CLNS Media's Evan Lazar. Now, on a personal level, Evan is a friend of mine. But on a professional level, I can tell you that there is no one that takes his job more seriously.

I'm not saying there are people that don't take their jobs as seriously, but nobody takes it more seriously than Evan. He's a dedicated journalist, not a hot taker, not an attention seeker, and would only report on a story like this for two reasons. One, that he felt very strongly about the information he got,

and two, that he was 100% confident in the source that provided him with that information. And while most of you probably know what his report said, Evan essentially stated that he spoke with a team source on Wednesday afternoon, and this source told him that there was, quote, little chance that Tom returned to the Patriots at this point. And he followed that up with a tweet that essentially said that even though he regretted needing to be the bearer of bad news, and I'm paraphrasing there folks, I am using his exact words when he said Patriots fans, quote, should be preparing for a departure. So how did we all take that in Patriots Nation? Well, I get to use one of my favorite movie quotes again, folks. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. That willy or won't he

Brady scale definitely tipped in favor of Tom leaving at this point. And because this time the story was coming from sources like Tom Curran, Karen Geregian, Evan Lazar, sources that are not known for chasing the quote-unquote hot story, but reporting the facts, this one seemed to have a lot more legs. And because of that, you could sense the mood of Patriot's Twitter go down to an all-time low.

In fact, I think a lot of us out there were preparing for the worst. Maybe for the first time, we were starting to think seriously about life without Tom Brady. But much like it's done since this story's inception, the pendulum was about to swing back the other way. NFL Network's Mike Giardi came out with a tweet right around the middle part of Wednesday afternoon, and he confirmed through his sources that the conversation between Brady and Belichick did indeed take place, but that there wasn't much detail surrounding how the conversation went.

Also, Giardi went on to say that the potential free agent market for Brady might not be as robust as people are reporting, and that reports that are linking him to other teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, and yes folks, that reference to Lombard Street was indeed intentional, and I'll get into that in just a moment when I open up the old Lockdown Patriots mailbag. But those reports that link Brady to the other teams right now might be put out there as posturing to help his negotiations with the Patriots. Hmm, that's interesting. If the Patriots have already made up their mind that Tom is not their guy any longer,

and if Tom's already made up his mind that he's leaving New England, why would there need to be any posturing? I'll tell you what, we'll get back to that one in a moment. But not too long after Giardi's tweet came out, Evan Lazar once again took to Twitter, and he added to his earlier report by saying that the Patriots were indeed engaged in trade talks in the hopes of luring some additional offensive help

to help convince Tom to return to New England. I know, folks, it's got to be hard to keep up. It's hard for me to keep up. But stay with me. This all locks in in just a moment. Because we couldn't possibly made it through the news cycle without a weigh-in from the two national heavyweights, Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network and Adam Schefter of ESPN.

And each of their reports seemed to be even keeled. As all the previous journalists I've mentioned, Schefter confirmed that the conversation between Brady and Belichick did indeed take place, but Schefter didn't confirm that it was on Tuesday. He simply said that it was earlier in the week, and that the tone of the conversation was quote, business as usual. Rappaport essentially corroborated this story. He confirmed that there was a dialogue, again, didn't make any confirmation on which day

it happened, but his assessment was that neither side was particularly angry or upset by the tone or the nature of what was discussed. So by the end of the day, folks, we were pretty much right back where we've started. Sensing a pattern here? That's good. Everybody is. It's pretty much been the same narrative for every story that's been reported on Brady Watch 2020. It's hard to keep track of all the narratives, starting with whether or not the two sides spoke at the combine, what Tom said at the basketball game, were he and Julian Edelman FaceTiming Mike Vrabel?

Did they or did they not talk earlier in the week? Once it was established that they did talk, how did the conversation go? Not well. Not bad. Business as usual. It is madness. But folks, if there's any silver lining to come from all this,

I'm going to do my best right now to help you make sense of all this. And really, there's a very simple solution. And that is, for the next 11 or so days that we have left of all this, as the late, great Macho Man Randy Savage once said, you might not like it, but accept it. Because unfortunately, this is how the free agency game is played, and it's not going away. The easiest thing in the world to do is blame the media. They're the ones that are bringing you these stories. They're the ones that have conflicting

reports all over the place. And I see it all the time. I get them myself. Stop reporting it then. Stop talking about it. All you do is mention Brady. You don't know anything. Stop making things up. Well, folks, I can't speak for everyone in the media, but I can tell you every name that I've mentioned today on this podcast is the name of a journalist that I very much respect. Now, some of them I know personally, and those at a national level I don't know personally. But I can tell you, either from personal knowledge or from reputation, that the integrity and veracity of the information that they provide to all of you is something they take very seriously. They're not throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks. I'm not saying that's not happening out there. It's happening, folks, and it's happening quite often.

But a good lesson that my father taught me, and one that served me very well in this business, is when someone tells you something that you can't immediately or empirically prove, consider the source. And that may help you to make sense of it all. For the most part, what's being reported out there is information that is meant to get to the media. It's meant to get to the public. Otherwise, these quote-unquote leaks from either the Brady camp

or the team would not be put out there. If there are any two entities in all of professional sports that recognize the value of the discretion and accuracy of information, it's the Tom Brady camp and the New England Patriots organization as a whole. It's part of the game of negotiation. And that's right, folks. I use the word game because it is a game. Albeit a game with very high stakes.

We're dealing with the future of the premier NFL franchise and the most important player that's ever put on its uniform. How this all turns out is anyone's guess, including my own. My stance on this hasn't changed at all. I still believe Tom Brady is coming back to New England. I believed it then. I believe it now. Does that mean he definitely won't leave? Absolutely not.

It's certainly a possibility. It may be a better possibility than all of us, including myself, want to acknowledge. And as we get closer to the quote-unquote deadline of March 16th, that will-he-or-won't-he pendulum is going to swing back and forth quite often. It's going to be really hard to do it, folks, but try to take it all in stride. Remember that this is how the game is played. Ultimately, all the information that's swirling around right now is probably not going to be the deciding factor in whether Tom Brady takes his snaps in New England or in another home next year. To be honest, the biggest factor in all this is probably the CBA, which according to multiple reports on Thursday,

is expected to be voted on before Tom makes his decision. So that could amp this up in a hurry. In the meantime, I know the emotional investment that we all have to the New England Patriots, especially Tom Brady. In the entire history of Boston sports, there's never been an athlete that has provided as many celebratory moments as Tom. Thinking about him in another uniform is almost unthinkable to anybody, myself included. And if, in fact, Tom does indeed leave the Patriots, it's going to be very emotional for all of you.

But until someone reports that Tom Brady is definitely leaving New England, meaning that he signed a contract with another team, or if Tom or the Patriots issue a detailed statement clearly stating that he will not be the quarterback of the New England Patriots in 2020, all of the information that's being reported out there is just that, a report, not a confirmation. Attacking the messenger is not going to make any of this go away, nor is it going to sway the direction of that pendulum that we keep talking about. At the end of the day, the New England Patriots will take the field for the 2020 season, and Tom Brady will be taking snaps in an NFL uniform. Until we know which uniform, let's try to take all these reports in stride,

and most importantly, let's try to be a little kinder to one another. But folks, today is Twitter Thursday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and in just a moment, I will open up that Locked On Patriots mailbag and we will get to your questions, your comments and your feedback. But first, I just wanted to take a moment to address all of you out there. Yes, you listening. If you've been a listener of the Locked On Patriots podcast, I'm sure you've heard all of the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans.

But you may not know that Locked On Patriots is a great way for your local business to reach passionate Patriots fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On Patriots gives your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners. Not just any podcast listener, a Locked On Patriots podcast listener. If your company wants to connect with Patriots fans and a predominantly male audience that is well-educated with disposable income, then let's put your company right here on Locked On Patriots. Local fans love to support local businesses. Text the word advertising to 33777 or visit LockedOnPodcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are.

We'll get our team to help your team achieve Locked On advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit LockedOnPodcast.com We look forward to hearing from you. Patriots fans, it is Twitter Thursday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And once again, I remain so appreciative of all of you who took the time to send in a question for today's

show. I never cease to be amazed at the level of football knowledge that the New England Patriots fan base displays in exercises like this. I once again received some amazing questions, and it was hard to narrow them down to the top four. But even though it's a tough job, folks, someone's got to do it. So without further ado, the first question that I'll be answering today on Twitter Thursday comes from Maggie at M-B-E-C-K-2-2-6-1. And Maggie's question begins with, I'm confused. And folks, I'm sure you can see where all of this is going. Maggie's confused.

It's got to be about the Brady situation, right? Correct. And she goes on to say, How could Tom Brady end up in San Francisco? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Jimmy Garoppolo under contract to be the 49ers quarterback for at least another few years? She goes on to add, San Francisco worries me because I know Tom is from there. Maggie, you're right on both accounts.

There's no secret that Tom grew up in the Bay Area. He grew up idolizing the San Francisco 49ers. Joe Montana was the player he most wanted to be like. And I'll address that point in a moment. But when it comes to Jimmy Garoppolo, you're absolutely right. He is still under contract to be the San Francisco 49ers quarterback. In February of 2018, Jimmy signed a deal that at the time made him the highest paid player in the NFL with the 49ers.

And that was a five-year deal worth $137.5 million. The guaranteed money on that totaled $74 million. But the details of this deal were very unique, and I want to credit Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston for giving a great breakdown earlier this month. The deal's structure guaranteed $34.2 million in 2018, and it had a massive cap hit of $37 million. Last season in 2019, he was guaranteed $17.2 million, and the cap hit for the Niners dropped down to $19.9 million. But 2020 is a very interesting year when it comes to this contract. If the Niners for any reason wanted to get out of it, this is the year to do it. And I briefly touched upon this when I interviewed Karen Garigian yesterday for the Locked On

Patriots podcast. The Niners have the ability to cut bait with Jimmy before April 1st. That's when a clause in his contract would guarantee him the $15.7 million in salary that he's scheduled to make this year. If the Niners choose to move on from Jimmy, they'd only get hit at that point with a cap charge of $4.2 million. That's thanks to a pretty low signing bonus. They would also free up $22.4 million in cap space. So financially, there's definitely a good amount of motivation for the Niners to at least consider moving on from Jimmy.

From a practical standpoint, Maggie, why would the 49ers consider moving on from a quarterback that took them all the way to the Super Bowl this year? Well, some would have you believe that it was the strength of their defense and their running game that propelled them to that level. In fact, I've even seen Jimmy portrayed a lot as simply a passenger, or someone that was along for a Super Bowl ride. I think that's a little bit harsh. I believe Jimmy played better than people are giving him credit for this year. Keep in mind, he's only one year removed from a pretty bad ACL injury that kept him out of action for nearly the

entire 2019 season. He's only 28 years old, still growing and showing promise each and every year. But NFL teams don't always think with a mind on the future. To be honest, most would rather strike when the iron is hot. And with the exception of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who has a hotter iron in the fire right now? That's right, the San Francisco 49ers. They have a championship caliber defense, a tremendous running game, big-time players at the offensive skill position, and all things considered, they're pretty well coached by Kyle Shanahan. So with that type of stacked lineup, why aren't you Super Bowl champions? Again, some will point to the performance of Jimmy Garoppolo in the Super

Bowl and say he wasn't enough to get the job done. In the clutch moments, he wasn't able to connect on key passes that would have given the Niners at least a chance or even the lead. If you combine that with Jimmy's injury history, that could create some doubt in the mind of the San Francisco 49ers front office, particularly general manager John Lynch. If Lynch believes that subpar quarterback play was the only reason why the Niners weren't able to beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54, you might think about using that out clause in Jimmy Garoppolo's contract to upgrade the position. Now, from a raw talent perspective, Jimmy ranks up there with the top quarterbacks in

the league. He's got a tremendous upside. But a lot of people will argue that maybe the clutch gene just simply isn't there. If that's how the Niners feel, they may want to go out and look for the best clutch quarterback on the market. And folks, that's Tom Brady, the hometown boy that grew up a Niners fan. If San Francisco happens to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and they make a strong free agency push for Tom, things could get interesting.

If you're Tom Brady, the lore of being able to quarterback the team that you grew up idolizing may be very difficult to turn down. Also, unlike the other teams that are linked with Brady, such as the Raiders or the Chargers and even the Titans, who have a very good team. They were the ones that knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs last year. But the 49ers are the best equipped to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. They seemingly have everything logistically that Tom Brady would be looking for. To help put matters over the top, it's his hometown.

It's where his family is from. And if you're Tom Brady, what better way to ride off into the sunset and leave his heart in San Francisco? So, Maggie, to answer your question, yes, while it's possible that the Niners might move on from Jimmy and then in turn try to pursue Tom in free agency, I still think it's unlikely. Even though Jimmy's performance in the closing moments of the Super Bowl weren't the stuff that legends were made of, he still didn't fall flat on his face. I think John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, and the San Francisco 49ers brass recognizes this. There has been no formal indication, other than just minor media speculation,

that the 49ers are even interested in going this route. Until they show a tangible willingness to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, I still believe he's the Niners quarterback in 2020. But my eyebrow will be raised if, in fact, francisco decides to exercise that out clause to me the only reason why they would do that is to pursue tom brady and as staunchly as i believe and i still do maggie that tom will return to foxborough to me san francisco is the only one and i include tennessee in that mix as well that really makes the strong enough case to be able to sign him the hometown factor the supporting cast factor that all is going to make it very tough on Tom to make that decision.

As Karen Gregan said here on Locked On Patriots yesterday, that might be the offer that Tom can't refuse. So right now, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but keep a sharp eye out if San Francisco decides to make a move at quarterback, that could be a very big telltale sign. So thank you Maggie for that question. Definitely appropriate. Certainly it's timely and very insightful. For our next question, we'll continue a salary-like feel. And who better to ask a salary-related question

than our resident salary-related guru? That's right, my friend Miguel Benzon, the Pats Cap, who can be found on Twitter at Pats Cap, but I'm sure you already knew that. And Miguel's question is a good one. He asks, what restricted free agent tenders will be offered, if any, to Adam Butler or Jermaine Illuminor? And Miguel, this is a great question. And to answer it, I believe one will definitely be offered. And I'm not so sure about the other one. Not discounting it, but I'm not saying it will happen either. The one that I believe will happen is Adam Butler. The Patriots could sign him to a one-year original round tender,

which according to Over the Cap, and you may have an updated version of this, Miguel, so let me know if my number is correct, but according to my research, it would be about $2.1 million. Butler had a career-high six sacks and seven quarterback hits to go with five pass deflections in 2019. I think he might go on a similar path to what we saw Jonathan Jones do last year. He played under a $3 million tender in 2019, and he tacked on a three-year extension worth $21 million. The Pats could decline the tender Butler and work out a long-term deal if he intends to

stay, but that would make him an unrestricted free agent, and I don't think the Patriots want to do that. Butler was a key part of that defensive line this year. I think they do everything they need to to keep him here, especially with the $2.1 million. It's a low risk, high reward, and I expect them to offer the tender to Adam Butler. To me, Illuminor is an interesting candidate, and I don't believe he will be offered, but I still keep it on the table. The Patriots hold all the cards for him. They brought him over from the Ravens before the season, but he could barely get on the field with things really opening up at the guard and tackle spots.

Marshall Newhouse filled in at left tackle. Isaiah Wynn was on IR, but yet he still couldn't see the field. The reason why I say it's possible, not probable, but possible, is because the Patriots are likely facing losing Joe Tooney at the guard position. If they don't use the draft or other free agent means to fill that role, they may look to Illuminor. And if that's the case, they may want to keep him on a restricted free agent tender. I think that's highly unlikely because they could let him walk and then attempt to re-sign him after. I'm not really sure if the market is going to be

that robust for Jermaine's services, so I think it's unlikely they offer him the RFA, but you never know. The Patriots may be strapped for some offensive line help, and they may need to do whatever they need to do to keep him around. So Butler, I'd say, is pretty close to a definite, and Illuminar is pretty close to a negative, but I wouldn't discount it just yet. Thanks again, my friend, for the great question, and I always appreciate your support. Our next two questions here on Twitter Thursday via the Locked On Patriots mailbag

come to us from our friends across the pond in the UK. And the first one comes from Claire L. Cooper, a.k.a. Miss Hey Girl. Hey, Claire. And she can be found on Twitter at ClazyClaire, at C-L-A-Z-Z-Y-C-L-A-R-E. And Claire asks, with the extensive need at the tight end position overall, what do you think the Patriots' best and most realistic options are

between veterans and draft picks? Claire, with the exception of the whereabouts of Tom Brady, I think this is the most important question that's facing the Patriots this offseason. This is a great question, and one that really doesn't have a simple answer. What's certain is the Patriots need help at the position. Benjamin Watson is likely retired. Matt Lacoste, Ryan Izzo were simply not the answers. So that means if the Patriots are looking for upgrades, that means free agents or draft

picks. From a free agent perspective, the market is not quite as cut and dry as it seems. Hunter Henry from the Los Angeles Chargers is a quite as cut and dry as it seems. Hunter Henry from the Los Angeles Chargers is a name that I've touted several times. To me, if you're looking for a player that can sort of fill the role that Rob Gronkowski filled here, it's probably Hunter. He's young with a lot of upside, good blocker, very good receiver. The problem with Hunter Henry, however, is that the Los Angeles Chargers seem intent on keeping him in LA. They're probably going to use the franchise tag on him.

Even with the uncertainty surrounding the CBA, it seems likely they want to keep Henry as one of the centerpieces of an offense that will have a new quarterback in 2020. To me, Henry was the best free agent option because he gave you the most production for probably the most reasonable amount of salary. The most talented tight end out on the market right now is without question the Atlanta Falcons' Austin Hooper. Hooper is probably not going back to Atlanta, but I doubt he finds his way to Foxborough. Again, he's the best free agent at his position,

which likely means a pretty hefty contract offer. I don't believe that he's going to be within the Patriots' price range. So where will they look for tight end help? Because they definitely need some. I believe there could be two options here. First, they will look to the draft. And the name that a lot of Patriots fans are now clamoring for, especially after his performance in the Combine, is Adam Trotman of Dayton. The Patriots don't need to use the first round pick on him at number 23. I think that's a little too aggressive. However, I don't see him going beyond the second round to be available for the Patriots,

considering that his performance at the combine, especially his performance in the three-cone drill, is ascending him up the draft board. I think you may see the Patriots package some lower round picks, especially some of the compensatory ones that they're scheduled to get, to get into the second round and take Trotman. Again, I think that's the most realistic option. Whether Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust will do that is another thing. But Trotman has excellent hands, the ability

to block, and he's shown a lot of promise in being able to pick up playbooks pretty quickly. To me, he's the best fit as a rookie for this position. To be very honest with you, I'm surprised they didn't choose a rookie last year when the tight end class was very deep. This year's pretty top heavy without a lot of substance in the late round. So if they want to go the draft route, and I think they're going to have to, they probably are looking at having to trade up to get someone like Trotman. A trade is always a possibility, but they would need to find a suitable partner. A lot of people mention OJ Howard from Tampa Bay.

And to be honest, he's probably the best fit for the Patriots, whether it be through trade, the draft, or free agency. But Tampa Bay is going to have to be willing to deal him, and I just haven't seen anything out of Tampa Bay that leads me to believe they will deal him. So if they're going to use the draft to acquire Trotman via trade, I think they may look for maybe a lesser name through free agency. Two free agents that have a lot of talent and might come a lot cheaper than Hooper are Eric Ebron, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, and Tyler Eifert from the Cincinnati Bengals. I prefer Ebron over Eifert because I think he's more of a reliable target, but quite frankly, Claire, either one of them would be an upgrade over what they have right now.

So, Claire, thank you for a great question. I hope I was able to give you a little bit more insight on the tight end position. I always appreciate your support and you listening to Locked On Patriots each and every day. I know the time difference is always a struggle, but you always pull it off, and I for one cannot thank you enough for that. So have a great day, and again, hey girl. And as we move on from West Midlands in the UK

and Claire's question, we finish the day with the question that I hoped someone would ask me, and I couldn't wait to answer here on Locked On Patriots. And it comes from my good friend Matt Inkster, co-host of the Patriots Nation UK podcast, and he can be found on Twitter at Matt Inkster. I've had the privilege of being on his show a couple of times. It's a great listen for any Patriots fan, not just those in the UK, anywhere.

And Matt, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to play Patriots GM. And in putting on my general manager hat, Matt asks me, Who would you target in Patriots free agency? Forget the gossip columns or the popular opinions. Tell me who you would choose. And Matt, this is a great question. And Matt, to be honest, I really wouldn't do too much shopping outside of the organization for free agents this year. I simply believe that the Patriots bringing back a lot of their own

would solve a lot of their problems. Unfortunately, I would have to say goodbye to Joe Tooney. As much as I would love to break the bank to sign him, I think that the offers that he's going to get on the open market are going to quickly price him out of the Patriots' range. Therefore, the two guys that I would basically do anything I needed to to re-sign would be safety Devin McCourty and special teams captain Matthew Slater. Now, Slater may come back on a more team-friendly deal, but McCourty may take

a little bit extra in his contract to get the job done. Keep in mind that the Patriots have exercised the option in his brother Jason's contract to bring him back for 2020. I think that's going to be a big selling point. Kyle Van Nooy is a player that I absolutely love at the linebacker position. If I'm the Patriots, I look to bring back either he or Jamie Collins. I think the cheaper of the two options is going to be Collins at this point. I think Van Noy had a tremendous season in 2019, and he's ready to cash in. If Van Noy by any chance is willing to take a little bit of a hometown discount,

this is a no-brainer for me. I bring back Kyle Van Noy, but I don't believe that's going to be the case. And I don't mean that as a negative knock to him. Kyle had a tremendous season and deserves to seek all he can get on the open market. When I look around at the NFL landscape for free agency as a whole, I don't see a whole lot that I would necessarily break the bank to sign if I'm the New England Patriots. So where as GM would I make that big splash? I would do it via trade.

So the question is, Matt, GM would I make that big splash? I would do it via trade. So the question is, Matt, who would I trade for? Well, in your tweet, you said that I may have to seek the wisdom and counsel of Miguel Benzon, aka the Pats Cat. But I have a funny feeling that Miguel may not want to help me with this, because the person that I would target via trade is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefan Diggs. Now again, folks, there's no indication that Minnesota's going to be willing to trade Diggs. I don't have any inside information as to whether or not he's going to be available. However, Matt's question allowed me to play fantasy football GM, and that's exactly what I'm doing.

Look, the Patriots need at least one more wide receiver to come in and help solidify their core. To me, of all the players that have somewhat been linked to the New England Patriots, Diggs is by far the best fit, both from a logistical standpoint and a salary standpoint. On the field, Diggs would be a phenomenal fit in New England's system. He's one of the best route runners in the game. He has an impressive blend of speed, quickness, run after the catch ability, and contested catch skills for a receiver of his size. He's very versatile, so he can play on the outside or in the slot, and he put up very solid numbers last year, despite maybe not having the greatest relationship with Kirk Cousins. In a Josh McDaniels-run offense, Diggs would be phenomenal. But from

a financial standpoint, he also might be a pretty good fit in New England. As a matter of fact, his 2020 salary might even be cheaper than that of a free agent. Diggs has a contract that runs through 2023, and it's a very reasonable contract by most standards. This coming season, he is scheduled to make $10.9 million in base salary. From 2021 to 2023, his annual salary increases to $11.4 million. So instead of going the free agent route and having to outbid and maybe even overpay for a player that might not be as ideal of a fit in Foxborough as Stephon Diggs would be, as general manager, I would be working the wire to try to make this deal.

Again, I preface this by saying that there is absolutely no indication out of the Minnesota camp that they're willing to trade Diggs, and no indication from the Patriots standpoint that they're looking to trade for him. However, if you recall, I did note earlier that Evan Lazar in his report yesterday indicated that the Patriots are trying to work the trade wire in order to acquire some additional help at the offensive skill position. Again, there's no indication that Diggs is somebody they might be targeting. We don't really even know who they're targeting at this point.

But if for any reason Diggs is being quietly shopped by Minnesota, then I would definitely expect the Patriots to be doing their due diligence to try to bring someone of his caliber of talent to Foxborough. And, oh yeah, if for no other reason, their biggest free agent target just happens to be a guy who played quarterback here in Foxborough for the last 20 years. And what better way to entice Tom Brady back to Foxborough than to trade for a young, durable, and explosive wide receiver? So to finalize my answer to your question, Matt,

I re-signed some key free agents on this team, used the trade market to upgrade the offensive skill position, and as for the biggest free agent fish in the pond, well, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to bring Tom Brady back to New England. So with that, we close up the Locked On Patriots mailbag for now. However, before we put a lid on this Twitter Thursday episode, you may recall that earlier I alluded to a nearly month-long interactive exercise in which I would be looking for your feedback.

Well, seeing as I just got a chance to play Patriots GM for a few minutes, I'm going to ask you, my listeners, to do the same thing. If you have ever wanted to be an NFL draft analyst for your New England Patriots, well, then this is the exercise for you. You've heard of the phrase, beware of the Ides of March? Well, this month, be aware of the Mocs of March, as in mock drafts. That's right, folks. The Calling All Mock Drafts exercise is back here on Locked On Patriots. And this weekend, keep a sharp eye on my Twitter account and the

Locked On Patriots Twitter account, and I'll be providing you with all the details you need to submit your mock drafts, and I'll break them down pick by pick, analyze them, and provide you with my feedback. And as an added bonus, with your permission, I'll share your mock draft right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast with all of our listeners. Show off your general manager skills, and let's see if you can match wits with Bill Belichick and the Patriots Brain Trust.

Again, keep a sharp eye on social media for all of the details. I hope you find this exercise informative and fun, and I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am. And as for me, I will be back tomorrow to close out the week here on Locked On Patriots by bringing you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate.

I thank Maggie, Miguel, Claire, and Matt for submitting some great questions, Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Maggie, Miguel, Claire, and Matt for submitting some great questions, as well as all of you who took the time to submit a question for this Twitter Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. I'm always humbled by your support, and I thank you all for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Have a great day, everyone.