Free Agency Primer: Potential End of Tom Brady Era in New England Draws Nearer

Enjoy your weekend. Because come Monday, drama will unfold in the NFL.

March 16 marks the opening of the NFL's legal tampering window, which is when teams can begin making their pitches to free agents. Then when free agency begins on Wednesday, March 18, players can put ink to paper and find their new homes across the NFL landscape.

For the New England Patriots, though Tom Brady is the most important free agent that could depart the historic franchise, he's not the only important piece they could lose. That's why Bill Belichick and company are looking at the most important offseason of their lives, because how the next several weeks play out could determine if the Patriots' run of success can continue into a third decade or will come to a screeching halt.

Let's review everything you need to know about New England as they embark into the 2020 free agency period.

2019 Record

The Patriots finished the 2019 regular season with a 12-4 record, finishing first in the AFC East and third in the AFC. Their season came to an abrupt halt in the Wild Card round of the playoffs when they lost to the Titans 20-13.

2020 Unrestricted Free Agents

Tom Brady (QB)
Kyle Van Noy (LB)
Devin McCourty (S)
Jamie Collins (LB)
Joe Thuney (OG)
Ted Karras (C)
Matthew Slater (ST)
Phillip Dorsett (WR)
Nate Ebner (ST)
Danny Shelton (DT)
Benjamin Watson (TE)
Marshall Newhouse (OT)
Nick Folk (K)
Shilique Calhoun (LB)
James Ferenz (C)
Elandon Roberts (LB)

2020 Restricted Free Agents

Adam Butler (DT)
Jermaine Eluemunor (OL)
Keionta Davis (DE)

Salary Cap

The Patriots are projected to have $29.06 million in salary cap space when free agency begins, per Boston Sports Journal's Miguel Benzan. That numbers takes into account the $13.5 million cap hit Brady leaves behind when his contract voids on March 18.

To create some cap space, there are a few things New England could do, but some of it is barring how the CBA voting pans out over the weekend because of the 30 percent rule that is in play.

First off, they could extend linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who is the final year of his four-year, $35.5 million contract. Doing such would reduce is salary cap hit in 2020 and add an additional $6.5 million to their books, per OverTheCap.com.

The Patriots could restructure Stephon Gilmore's five-year, $65 million contract, which the team has done the past two seasons to free up cap space. He is on the books for an $18 million cap hit in 2020, so restructuring his contract could save $4.7 million, per OTC, and extending Gilmore would free up more money than restructuring ($7.6 million). Julian Edelman is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million deal, so extending him could do the trick to free up cap space, as they could save about $4.04 million. One would think an extension would include voidable years, however, since at age-33 it looks like retirement is right around the corner for Edelman. Restructuring his contract could also save a little bit as well ($2.25 million). Lastly, restructuring Marcus Cannon's and Shaq Mason's contracts could save $2.3 million and $3.1 million, respectively.

In terms of cut candidates, the only one that makes sense is running back Rex Burkhead. With Damien Harris being inactive for most of the 2019 season, it would make sense to remove a veteran from the backfield in 2020 to make space for Harris on the active roster. If the team were to cut Burkhead they could add approximately $2.9 million to their salary cap.

Free Agent Game Plan

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they have some pending free agents that will be sought-after by teams. Because of that, it looks like they will need to find a new starting left guard, backup center and two linebackers, since Joe Thuney, Ted Karras and Kyle Van Noy are in line for big paydays when they hit free agency. Jamie Collins won't get a big contract from another team, but he will be offered more money than New England will want to match.

Teams like the Lions, Dolphins and Giants will likely be in the market for safety Devin McCourty, as they all have head coaches who coached in New England and know McCourty's value to a football team on and off the field. But the Patriots will try to do what they can to lock him up in hopes that his long-tenured past with the team will keep him in New England at a modest rate. Picking up Jason McCourty's 2020 option earlier this week should help retain him as well.

Matthew Slater and Nate Ebner are players I could easily see re-joining the Patriots at a team-friendly rate. New England would also welcome back Shilique Calhoun and James Ferentz, as they are under-the-radar players that can provide valuable depth at their positions. Danny Shelton and Adam Butler are players that the Patriots would like to have back as well, but a small bidding war could potentially take place that may have them playing elsewhere in 2020.

Because of offensive lineman like Yodny Cajuste and Hjalte Froholdt - both who did not play at all in their rookie seasons - there may be a game plan in place to give one of them a large role in 2020, with the latter likely being that candidate based on reporting this offseason. That makes New England's attempt to sign a reserve guard more likely in free agency as opposed to trying to sign a starting-caliber offensive guard. Defensive tackle Byron Cowart is likely in line for an expanded workload in 2020, which makes signing a rotational player at that position more likely as opposed to trying to bid for Shelton or Butler.

Five Free Agent Targets

1) Austin Hooper (TE) - Tight end was easily the weakest position on the Patriots roster last season, so acquiring a top-market player at the position will not only drastically improve New England's offense in 2020, but could also convince Tom Brady to stay in New England. Hooper is the best tight end on the market, so he will be the Patriots' No. 1 priority when free agency begins.

2) Emmanuel Sanders (WR) - As a player that has openly admitted he would have had a Hall of Fame career had he been drafted by the Patriots, the 2020 offseason brings about the perfect opportunity to create a marriage between two parties that have been interested in each other for quite some time now. That's why if the Patriots cannot get Hooper, they will try to sign Sanders, who they should be able to get at a modest enough rate given his age and desire to play in New England and with Brady.

3) Tyler Eifert (TE) - Eifert was a player that the Patriots were reportedly interested in trading for before last season's deadline, and rightfully so. Coming off the first season in his career in which he didn't miss a single game, the soon-to-be former Bengal showed he has one it takes to be a No. 1 tight end for an NFL team. His elite pass-catching ability and high-graded pass protection grades will make him a tight end that New England could secretly make a run at before anyone else on this list. Because of his injury history and overall lack of production in recent memory, they could get him at a modest price.

4) Nelson Agholor (WR) - If the Patriots want a cheap, speedy wideout to add at to their versatile receiving corps, Agholor is the man for the job. After a lackluster start to his career in Philadelphia, the price tag will be low for the former first round pick as he enters free agency for the first time in his career. His 4.4 speed and great route-running ability downfield could make him a low-risk, high reward pawn for the six-time Super Bowl champions. They would likely only make a run at Agholor if they can't sign Hooper and/or Sanders.

5) Jon Bostic (LB) - New England needs to address the linebacker position in some way during free agency, and Bostic could be a player they make a run at. As a jack of all trades but master of none, Bostic has some familiarity with New England's system, as a he played 11 games with the Patriots back in 2015. Because of that, he could come into their system, know exactly what to expect from Belichick and the coaching staff, and be a cheap, versatile option for them at linebacker that won't demand a big contract.

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