Patriots Latest Moves
The Pats cut longtime center and captain David Andrews. They replaced him with former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury. It now looks like the middle and right side of the Pats line is solidified. The left side is still completely up for grabs. Hopefully, the Pats draft a left tackle and then one of their other recent picks can hold down the left guard spot.
I’m not sure if Bradbury will be much of a replacement. And without a doubt we will miss the leadership of David Andrews. Overall, there has been a big leadership drain the past couple years and the only two guys left who won a Super Bowl with the Pats are Ja’Whaun Bentley (1) and Joe Cardona (2).
Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins signed massive deals to stay in Cincy. Chase signed a 4-year deal for $161 million ($112 million guaranteed) which is the largest non-QB contract ever. Higgins got a 4-year deal for up to $115 million, the highest for WR2 in NFL history.
I understand that this does not solve their defensive issues, but it is good to see that the Bengals will spend money to keep their best players in town. They can now focus on extending Trey Hendrickson and drafting a lot of defensive guys.
Derek Stingley Jr.
Stingley Jr signs a record deal for a cornerback with a 3-year, $90M extension ($89 million guaranteed). I don’t know if Stingley deserves to be the highest paid CB ever, however I think this is a great move. With Sauce Gardner looking for a deal, the smartest thing to do is just get the deal over with. Teams (like the Bengals) that wait always end up paying the price down the road. The Texans decided they wanted Stingley long term and now have him for the next 5 years. By the time the deal is over, if he keeps playing like last year, it will look like a bargain.
Wheelhouse Blog 