Analyzing the cap space for free agency
Who can the Patriots afford? Well, it’s a tricky question. The Patriots seem to have around $10 million in cap space. They freed up $4.5 million on Wednesday by trading Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions.
That should make them players for just about every option on the free agency market. But if they were to trade guard Joe Thuney, they could free up another $15 million. And if they were to renegotiate deals with Dont’a Hightower and Stephon Gilmore, then the Patriots might have somewhere near $30 million.
They might even throw a decent deal at Jameis Winston, who could make around $15 million on a one-year contract. He’s probably the best remaining quarterback on the free agency market. What is more likely, however, is that the Patriots target someone like Blake Bortles, who made just $1 million last year with the Rams. They could wipe the dust off an undervalued player, who has a bad reputation from a bad situation.
But the free agency market is hardly their only option.