Trey Flowers is days away from becoming an extremely rich man.
As the top pass rusher available in this year’s free agent class, the New England Patriots defensive end is expected to land a significant contract once the NFL league year opens Wednesday.
How significant? That’s the big question.
According to a report Monday from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Flowers is in line for a “monster deal” that could top $18 million in average annual value. That lofty price tag would represent one of the richest contracts ever for a defensive end and almost certainly would be outside the Patriots’ price range.
Graziano listed the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions — teams led by former Patriots defensive coordinators — as two potential suitors for Flowers. A separate report last month suggested Brian Flores’ Dolphins were the “front-runners” to sign the 25-year-old.
Flowers has led all Patriots defenders in sacks, quarterback hits and tackles for loss in each of the last three seasons, and his stock continued to rise following Super Bowl LIII as edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dee Ford all received the franchise tag from their respective teams. The pool of available edge rushers got even shallower Sunday when Dante Fowler re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Possibly to shield against a potential Flowers departure, the Patriots reportedly swung a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last week for veteran defensive end Michael Bennett.
The trade, which featured a swap of late-round draft picks and cannot be finalized until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, gives New England a standout pass rusher who can either replace Flowers’ production or form part of a formidable 1-2 punch if the Patriots are able to retain their in-demand star.
Along with Bennett, the Patriots’ depth chart at D-end currently features Adrian Clayborn, Deatrich Wise, Derek Rivers, Ufomba Kamalu, Keionta Davis and Trent Harris, with Flowers and John Simon both set to hit free agency.
