The Patriots took care of some important in-house business Monday night, reportedly re-signing offensive lineman Michael Onwenu on a three-year deal worth $57 million.
The deal includes $38 million guaranteed, and Onwenu gets a $22.5 million signing bonus. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news.
The 26-year-old Onwenu, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2020, has developed into a crucial piece on New England's offensive line, with the versatility to play both tackle and guard.
With the Patriots already needing to add elsewhere on the O-line, losing Onwenu would have made improving the group an even more difficult challenge for first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
For that reason, locking up Onwenu always seemed like a no-brainer for the Pats. It may have taken a little longer than anticipated, but New England ultimately got the deal done on the first day of the legal tampering period of free agency.
