The New England Patriots chose not to use their franchise tag this offseason, meaning several players from the Super Bowl LIII-winning squad will hit free agency next week.
Two ESPN NFL writers expect a couple of them to be paid handsomely on the open market.
ESPN.com published a 2019 NFL free agency guide Thursday, with national writers Dan Graziano and Kevin Seifert highlighting important players to know, team needs and more before contract negotiations kick off Monday and the signing period officially begins Wednesday.
Graziano identified several players “most likely to get overpaid” as part of the preview, and offensive tackle Trent Brown and defensive end Trey Flowers — two Patriots standouts — landed atop his list.
Here’s what Graziano wrote about Brown, who protected quarterback Tom Brady’s blind side in 2018 after joining New England in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers:
Brown was seen as a top right tackle when he was with San Francisco. The Patriots traded for him, moved him to left tackle and won a Super Bowl. Now he’ll get paid as a left tackle. But is he, really?
Here’s what Graziano wrote about Flowers, a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2015 who developed into an extremely valuable contributor on New England’s defense:
The beneficiary of all those teams franchising all those edge rushers. Flowers is the cream of the remaining crop and could clear $17 million a year on his next deal. The Patriots’ former defensive coordinator (Matt Patricia) is coaching the pass-rush-starved Lions — just sayin’.
It’s possible Brown and/or Flowers don’t just get overpaid relative to their peers, real value, etc. this offseason. Seifert listed both players among those “most likely to break the bank” in the same free agency preview piece.
Here’s what Seifert wrote about Brown, who turns 26 next month:
You rarely find an available free agent capable of playing left tackle at a relatively high level. It isn’t any easier in the draft. Brown demonstrated he could do that last season for the Patriots.
Here’s what Seifert wrote about Flowers, who turns 26 in August:
Is Flowers one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers? Probably not. But is he the best on the market? Quite possibly. Teams always pay for that … and teams always need reliable pass-rushers.
The Patriots could bring back Brown and/or Flowers despite their expected price tags, but Bill Belichick has a track record of drafting/signing undervalued players and turning them into very productive NFL regulars, so don’t expect New England to panic if both players depart.
