Patriots 2026-27 Off Season

[SparzWizard]

Patriots back in the playoffs again!

Reunion for AJ Brown and Mike Vrabel!

[Vermont Green]

Does anyone understand how much Brown will earn (that the Patriots will have to pay) in the remaining years of his contract?  My understanding is that as currently structured, there is a $53M cap hit in 2030, but there are option years or something.  I further understand that the Pats can restructure his contract and probably will.  You expect that this has all been worked out as well.

This looks like a good trade.  I wish I understood the cap hits/salary implications better but it a big improvement for the team.  Since Boutte was not included, I would say that there will be no Diggs return.  Brown, Boutte, and Dobbs is a very strong core WR group.  Then Hollins and Douglas as depth with Kyle Williams as a developing player.  That is a strong WR group.

Now if the OL can hold up, this should be a very good offense.

[Goldstar88]

Have to give Kraft credit for opening up the wallet. Haven?t had a legit #1 WR since Moss. Can?t wait.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Woohoo! HUGE upgrade. Best receiver Pats have had since Moss.

I'm not sure of the cap implications, and I'm generally not good at evaluating NFL pick values, but this seems like a good deal.

[Phantom255x]

Does anyone understand how much Brown will earn (that the Patriots will have to pay) in the remaining years of his contract?  My understanding is that as currently structured, there is a $53M cap hit in 2030, but there are option years or something.  I further understand that the Pats can restructure his contract and probably will.  You expect that this has all been worked out as well.

This looks like a good trade.  I wish I understood the cap hits/salary implications better but it a big improvement for the team.  Since Boutte was not included, I would say that there will be no Diggs return.  Brown, Boutte, and Dobbs is a very strong core WR group.  Then Hollins and Douglas as depth with Kyle Williams as a developing player.  That is a strong WR group.

Now if the OL can hold up, this should be a very good offense.

That final year is a void year, so the Pats don't have to actually pay that. This tidbit is in Mike Reiss' article he posted earlier:

"The Patriots inherit Brown's contract, which runs through the 2029 season and averages $32 million per season, which is the seventh-highest in the NFL among receivers."

But also, here's a better breakdown and honestly, the cap hits are very modest IMO:

NE Cap Hits
2026: $7.04M
2027: $10.9M
2028: $17.8M
2029: $23.6M
2030: $53.5M (void)

That is not bad at all tbh.

Hell, if I am the Pats, I just pay Gonzalez, bring back Diggs on a reasonable 1-year deal (assuming the market is not there for him elsewhere) and legitimately contend for the forseeable future.

I wouldn't be surprised though if Boutte is traded away now, given he's in his final year and his contract is due. I think they will prioritize extending Gonzalez + Maye before Boutte obviously. But still, I'd have no issue bringing back Diggs on a short-term deal if he's still out there and interested. A Top-3 of Brown-Diggs-Doubs would be phenomenal with Hollins, Henry, Stevenson, Henderson and Kyle Williams in the mix.

[Vermont Green]

Sorry, but I still do not understand the contract. When you say they do not have to pay the $53M in 2030 because it is void, does that mean they will already paid it in bonuses?   And this is just a cap hit?  So they have cap relief for four seasons but then suffer this cap hit for one season in the future?