The New England Patriots are dissembling their offensive line in the early days of free agency. Not only did they let right guard Ted Karras walk in free agency, but they also traded away right guard Shaq Mason.
Tackle Trent Brown is a pending free agent, and if he follows Karras and Mason out the door, the Patriots will have three openings to fill on the offensive line. Of course, guard Michael Onwenu is almost a sure thing to fill one of those openings. But past that, the Patriots don’t have any proven starters to jump into the lineup.
The Patriots are certainly better equipped to retain Brown with Mason’s departure freeing up about $7 million in cap space. And ultimately, that’s why the Patriots made this trade. They were over the salary cap after re-signing a handful of veterans: Devin McCourty, James White, Nick Folk, Brian Hoyer. New England needed to start freeing up salary-cap space. Mason was an easy player to create that space.
But for a fifth-round pick? That’s the surprising part of this trade. Mason has never received a Pro Bowl nod — for whatever reason — but he is absolutely among the best players at his position in the NFL. It seems that’s just the going rate for a top-end veteran whose contract is an imposition to the team. The most recent comparison is Amari Cooper, who netted a fifth-round pick to the Cowboys when they sent him to the Cleveland Browns.
Ultimately, New England wanted — or felt like it needed — to move on from Mason. So there’s a lingering question: Did the Patriots make this transaction to help them round out their roster with smaller signings and a bigger draft class? Or will the Patriots make a big move in free agency?
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