Patriots Need To Save $10M In Cap Space By Extending Most Expensive Lineman

The New England Patriots round out the NFL’s top 10 in available cap space in 2026. The defending AFC champions currently have more than $35 million to work with, and that is before the expected parting of ways with their second-most-expensive player, Stefon Diggs.

However, there are more savings to be found in the team’s 2026 payroll. Their third-most-expensive player, and highest-paid offensive lineman (by a long shot), Mike Onwenu, is entering a contract year.

Onwenu is set to make $25.5 million next season, eating up more than 8% of the team’s cap all on his own.

Onwenu finished last season with a top-five run blocking grade on Pro Football Focus and a top-10 overall grade at right guard. This makes maintaining one of the few veterans in the offensive line room a no-brainer.

But if New England goes about the contract negotiations the right way, they can save $10 million in cap space next season as they chase another Super Bowl appearance.

Onwenu’s last deal was a three-year, $57 million free agent contract with an increasing cap hit each season. His new contract will likely be similar, with many estimates coming in the three-year, $60 million range.

An extension would allow for his current massive salary hit to be reworked into a bonus proration that could be spread over his remaining four years. Bonuses become essentially guarantees, making them very attractive to the negotiating player.

And for New England’s front office, it softens the blow of his massive cap hit in 2026. Instead of a more than $10 million instant payout next year, the new contract would chip away at that number by adding about $3 million per season.

Extending Onwenu early is a slam dunk move that locks up one of the team’s strongest offensive line pieces in the prime of his career.