Patriots Reportedly Plan To ‘Aggressively Pursue’ This Pro Bowler

Mike Vrabel clearly wants to rebuild the Patriots through the trenches, so we shouldn’t be surprised about where New England reportedly is focusing as the start of the new NFL year nears.

The Patriots intend to “aggressively pursue” Ronnie Stanley in the coming weeks, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, citing intel from an NFL executive at the scouting combine. Stanley is one of the best overall players set to hit free agency later this month, let alone offensive linemen.

Stanley is coming off the second Pro Bowl season of his career, which he’s played entirely in Baltimore to date. The Ravens selected the 30-year-old with the sixth overall pick in 2016, and he’s been a fixture on John Harbaugh’s offensive line ever since.

The Notre Dame product is poised to fetch a contract with an average annual value of around $20 million, per Reiss. Baltimore is “optimistic” about its chances of retaining Stanley, but the Ravens rank among the NFL teams with the least available salary cap space. The Patriots, meanwhile, have the most and seem hellbent on bolstering their protection for franchise quarterback Drake Maye.

Should Stanley and the Ravens not find common ground on a new deal over the next week-plus, the Patriots can start negotiating with the standout tackle March 10 when the NFL’s legal tampering period opens.