The New England Patriots have some important decisions to make in the next three days.
The Patriots currently are about $4.4 million over the salary cap, according to PatsCap.com, and that figure includes Darrelle Revis’ $20 million option for next season. Releasing Revis would help get the Patriots below the cap, but it also could mean losing the All-Pro cornerback on the open market.
All-Pro safety Devin McCourty will hit free agency Tuesday at 4 p.m., and it could be more difficult to sign the former first-round draft pick if other teams start throwing out offers. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is hopeful that the Patriots will be able to get some deals done.
“We have a fixed salary cap in the NFL so everyone spends the same amount of money,” Kraft said on Fox Business, via CSNNE.com. “So when players become free, their contracts become free. The good players are in great demand. Fortunately we have quite a few good players who are now free agents. We’ll do our best to keep them, but at the same time the lifeblood of the NFL is the draft and the college players. So the scouting that goes on, we’re really a month behind our competition because we had the privilege of going to the Super Bowl. Our head coach and the staff and all our scouts are working very, very hard at this point.”
The Patriots are just one month removed from winning Super Bowl XLIX, and they likely want as many players back as possible for the team’s upcoming ring ceremony.
“We’re in the process now, a number of companies are working on design of the ring, and we’ll have a big party in my backyard in June and present them, and hopefully have a lot of fun with that,” Kraft said. “You never know if it’s going to happen again, so you like to make it special.”
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
