Why the Patriots should make re-signing Mike Onwenu a top priority.

The article Why the Patriots should prioritize re-signing Mike Onwenu first appeared on NBC Sports. Boston

The New England Patriots will have a busy few months as they prepare for the Jerod Mayo era.

While the Patriots have the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, free agency will be crucial to assembling a team that can recover from a dismal 4-13 season. Mayo has made it apparent that he intends to spend heavily this spring.

“We’re bringing in talent, tenfold,” Mayo stated on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI. “Have a sizable cash and cap space. Burn a little cash.”

The Patriots need to make decisions on which of their own players to hold onto in addition to adding talent from outside the team. Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, tight end Hunter Henry, and offensive tackle Mike Onwenu are some of their most prominent upcoming free agents.

Our Phil Perry thinks the Patriots should prioritize re-signing lineman Mike Onwenu as part of that money-burning scheme. On Wednesday’s Arbella Early Edition, he expanded on that perspective.

“I think four years, $60ish million, $15 million a year, puts him right in line for what he is,” Perry remarked on Onwenu. “Jack Conklin, a fantastic right tackle, recently got a $15 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. That is the standard fee. You will eventually have to pay up if you want a starting tackle and don’t want to have to start from scratch at one of the most crucial positions in the game. They ought to use Onwenu for it.”

Tom E. Curran, a fellow Patriots insider, concurs with Perry’s assessment, emphasizing the need to address the offensive line as opposed to concentrating only on the skill positions.

“I would be stunned and amazed if right now the Patriots are at a point where they’re crossing players off who have been great contributors,” Curran stated. “They have no idea how the bidding will be after Bill (Belichick) if Onwenu and his agent have already decided, in their conversation, that they won’t be returning there and that they will instead test the market. They never re-signed upcoming free agents, thus your offensive line is essentially a group of rehashed players. Basically, that’s what they have there.

Thus, you will eventually need to contribute. You are essentially saying, “We’re still plenty of time away,” if you don’t re-sign Mike Onwenu or make a move at him and instead choose to replace him with Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi, and Conor McDermott. Our funds will be allocated to talent in the skill positions first. Although there is a part of me that sees the rationale in going down at No. 3 and selecting (the best tackles in the draft) Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu, I believe it’s putting the carriage before the horse.”

The Patriots are in severe need of offensive tackle quality, whether it comes from Onwenu, one of the best picks in the draft, or another upcoming free agency. As of right now, they don’t have any tackles signed for 2024.

It’s unclear exactly who will be negotiating contracts with free agents this offseason with Bill Belichick gone. In the event that owner Robert Kraft chooses to hire an internal general manager, director of player personnel Matt Groh seems to be the front-runner to take on that role.