Despite not seeing nearly as much “cat” coverage as I thought we would based on Mike Vrabel’s comments from that March press conference announcing a number of free agent signings, including cornerback Carlton Davis - “You got this cat, I got that cat” - the Patriots' secondary became one of the clear strengths of the football team late in the season and throughout the playoffs.
That’s not to say there aren’t questions that need to be answered, but if you told me they ran it back with the same group, maybe adding a draft pick to the mix, I wouldn’t argue.
However, there is a nuclear option, which I explore below.
UNDER CONTRACT: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Marcellas Dial, Kobee Minor, Brandon Crossley
FREE AGENT: Alex Austin
We went from wondering if Gonzalez was an ideal fit for what Mike Vrabel wanted to do on defense to now just assuming the Pats will pay that man his money. Gonzalez wasn’t as flawless down the stretch and in the postseason as some would have you believe, but he was damn good. He is a no-doubt blue-chipper on a roster that doesn’t have too many of those guys. You have to give him the cash, right? That would be my preference, but might this be the ultimate sell-high scenario?
Sauce Gardner got flipped after signing his huge extension and brought back a pair of first-round picks. If someone called and put that offer on the table, would/should the Pats consider/bite? I understand the allure, though you’re likely getting picks that are more likely in the back half of the first round than in the top 10 (those teams tend to hang on to their selections).
But - and this is a big but - there is no guarantee you get a player even remotely as good as Gonzalez. He can and was a weapon for this team when that switch flipped against Baltimore.
That leads me back to how much it’s going to cost. Gardner is the highest-paid corner in football, with an AAV of $30.1 million. The Texans' Derek Stingley got more guaranteed money ($89 million) than Sauce ($85 million). Gonzalez will get north of this. And then Drake Maye will probably double the AAV and guaranteed cash a year later. Yes, I know he’s not a cornerback, but bills are coming due.
Meanwhile, do you know who currently has the 14th most guaranteed money amongst cornerbacks? None other than Davis ($34.5 million). You know the year went better than expected when Davis, who had never played a full season during his NFL career, did that for the Pats (the Vrabel magic touch?).
He was good, too, especially in the postseason. The perfect 2nd banana to Gonzalez. Now we can argue if they overpaid a little, but when you don’t develop your own players, this is how life goes. Davis will turn 30 at the end of next season, and if the Pats can get something comparable from him in year two, he’ll have been well worth the money.
As we turn our attention to the slot, Jones had a terrific year. As usual, the local media got a little slap-happy thinking he was a Pro Bowl corner, but for much of the season, the pint-sized product out of Houston was the team’s best player in the secondary. Yes, the height and shorter arms can be a problem sometimes - we saw it in the Super Bowl - but Jones has a ridiculous