With the NFL league year nearly a week old at this point, most of the New England Patriots’ free agents have either re-signed with the team or found employment elsewhere. For a few, however, their next landing spot remains uncertain.
Chris Hogan, wide receiver
Days after Cordarrelle Patterson headed off to Chicago and Phillip Dorsett agreed to another go-round with the Patriots, New England’s other free agent wideout remains unsigned.
There hasn’t been much news thus far about Hogan, who’s coming off the worst season of his Patriots tenure, apart from a New York Daily News report last week indicating his reps had been in contact with the Giants. Hogan’s a New Jersey native and has spent the last three seasons driving back and forth from Foxboro to Long Island, where his wife and young twins live, so either of the two New York teams would make a ton of sense as a potential landing spot.
Multiple reports during the NFL Scouting Combine, including one from NESN.com’s Doug Kyed, suggested Hogan would garner significant interest in free agency, but that market seemingly has not materialized. It’s unclear how much interest he would have in remaining with the Patriots (and vice versa), but New England still needs a lot of help at receiver after re-signing Dorsett, tendering the suspended Josh Gordon and taking fliers on Bruce Ellington and Maurice Harris.
Stephen Gostkowski, kicker
Gostkowski still being on the market is one of the more surprising developments of this free agent period for the Patriots. Though he’s had more misses in big games than Pats fans would prefer, the 35-year-old has been one of the NFL’s best at his position for more than a decade, allowing New England to sit comfortably while some less fortunate teams are forced to cycle through multiple mediocre kickers in a single season.
The reasons for Gostkowski’s prolonged stay on the open market aren’t clear, but his list of potential suitors is shrinking. The New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks already have added new kickers, leaving the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears as the Patriots’ two biggest contenders for the veteran’s services.
Money could be an impediment here. The Patriots currently have very little salary cap space (though a Tom Brady contract extension would change that) and Gostkowski’s $5 million cap hit last season was third-highest among kickers.
Ryan Allen, punter (UPDATE: Re-signing with Patriots)
Allen’s lack of a new contract is a bit puzzling, too, but the reason for his delay might be an administrative one: According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Allen recently switched agents. Retaining both specialists would be the ideal situation for the Patriots, especially since Bill Belichick’s insistence on employing left-footed punters limits the pool of potential replacements.
Allen, who’s been punting for the team since he beat out Zoltan Mesko as an undrafted rookie in 2013, had another solid season in 2018 after easily vanquishing UDFA Corey Bojorquez in camp and capped it with a phenomenal showing in Super Bowl LIII.
Danny Shelton, defensive tackle
The Patriots swapped out one run-stuffing defensive tackle for another last week when they signed ex-Jet Mike Pennel to replace Malcom Brown, who signed with the New Orleans Saints. Where does that leave Shelton? That remains to be seen.
New England still could use more depth in the trenches behind Pennel and Lawrence Guy. Shelton, who was a healthy scratch multiple times in what was a disappointing debut season in Foxboro, has expressed interest in re-signing. The big man also is interviewing elsewhere, reportedly visiting the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
Jeremy Hill, running back
It’s fascinating to think how different the Patriots’ season might have been had Hill, who’d won the starting running back job in the preseason, not torn his ACL in Week 1. The former Bengals star remained involved with the team throughout the season — even participating in a Patriots-sponsored charity event days before free agency opened — and still could be brought back on a one-year, low-cost deal to compete for a roster spot this summer.
The Patriots’ decision to bring Brandon Bolden back decreased the chances of Hill returning, however, especially since the $2 million guaranteed in Bolden’s contract all but ensures he’ll be on the team in 2019. New England will add another two or three backs to fill out their 90-man roster, but at this point, it’s more likely those players will be draft picks or undrafted rookies.
Albert McClellan/Ramon Humber, linebackers
McClellan and Humber both helped stabilize the Patriots’ uncharacteristically shaky special teams units after being brought in midseason. There have been no updates on either since free agency began. The Patriots made two special teams-focused signings last week, adding Bolden and safety Terrence Brooks.
Ulrick John, offensive tackle
The Patriots were John’s fifth team in five years, and he spent the entire 2018 season on injured reserve. Re-signing swing tackle LaAdrian Waddle as insurance behind expected starter Isaiah Wynn would have been preferable, but with Waddle now in Buffalo, New England could look to bring back John for camp competition purposes at the least.
