Normally when a team chooses not to place the franchise tag on a player it doesn’t get much of a rise out of Pats Nation. We know the New England Patriots are, more often than not, frugal in spending and not prone to paying another team’s star. However, in the case of a certain offensive lineman who will now hit unrestricted free agency, the Pats could address a major need with one big check and possibly rekindle a legacy connection as well.
The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs decided they will not be placing the franchise tag on stud offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Brown, who played the 2022 season under the franchise tag with the Chiefs, now is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency. For what it’s worth, the franchise tag for offensive linemen is $18.24 million - nice money if you can get it for sure.
The fifth-year veteran, who finished as Pro Football Focus’ third highest graded left tackle from Week 10 on in 2022, is likely to nab a payday that, like his 6-foot-8, 345-pound frame, is massive. Estimates have Brown earning somewhere in the neighborhood of a five year, $22 million per season deal, putting him in line with the top paid tackles in the game.
New England currently has three tackles signed on the roster - veteran Trent Brown, swing tackle Conor McDermott and second-year project Andrew Steuber, who missed the 2022 season with a non-football injury. Stepping out and signing Brown would allow the Pats to shift Trent Brown back to right tackle, where he had a successful 2021 campaign, giving the team massive bookends on the 2023 offensive line. Plus, Patriots coach Bill Belichick has a connection to the soon to be sixth-year lineman as he coached his father, Orlando Brown, in Cleveland. And seemed to be quite fond of him as well.
Whether or not wanting to coach a former player’s son contributes to the team’s desire to land a stud left tackle remains to be seen, given the likely high price tag. The Patriots do have money to play with (roughly north of $36 million in available salary cap), but also other needs, not to mention in-house free agents to consider, like cornerback Jonathan Jones and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, both of whom they’d like to retain. But if building a wall to protect Mac Jones, and a battering ram to blast open holes for Rhamondre Stevenson and company, is a priority, then a prime candidate who has emotional ties to the coach himself might soon be right there for the bidding.
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