This Patriots offseason is apparently brought to us by the letter “V,” which, of course, stands for value.
The Patriots have acquired 10 new players, but they haven’t had to splurge. Rex Burkhead has the highest value contract, at a modest $13.5 million over three years. Adrian Clayborn has the largest guarantee, $5.5 million for one year.
But the players that have left, boy are they cashing in. Five of the Patriots’ free agents have signed elsewhere, and represent some of the biggest contracts awarded in free agency. Nate Solder signed for $62 million, Malcolm Butler signed for $61.25 million, and Danny Amendola, Dion Lewis, and Johnson Bademosi all got nice pay increases by leaving the Patriots.
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The Patriots are clearly going for value and depth over sizzle, as we detail in the charts below. They’re happy to let other teams pay their premium free agents.
The average player that has joined the Patriots has a guarantee of $1.7 million, a signing bonus less than $1 million, and a cap number of $2.2 million. The average player that left the Patriots and signed elsewhere has a guarantee of $14.75 million, a signing bonus of $5.85 million, and a cap number of $5.86 million.
Here is a look at the nine players the Patriots have signed (contract information for offensive tackle Matt Tobin is not yet available) versus the five players that have signed elsewhere in free agency.
| Player | Max Years | Max Compensation | Years Guaranteed | Signing Bonus | 2018 Cap Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB Rex Burkhead | 3 | $13,500,000 | 2 | $3,000,000 | $2,312,500 |
| DE Adrian Clayborn | 2 | $10,000,000 | 1 | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| WR Cordarrelle Patterson | 1 | $5,000,000 | 0 | $0 | $3,250,000 |
| ST Nate Ebner | 2 | $5,000,000 | 1 | $1,200,000 | $2,025,000 |
| CB Jason McCourty | 1 | $3,000,000 | 0 | $0 | $2,968,750 |
| DT Danny Shelton | 1 | $2,030,955 | 1 | $0 | $2,030,955 |
| RB Jeremy Hill | 1 | $1,500,000 | 0 | $150,000 | $1,331,250 |
| ST Brandon Bolden | 1 | $880,000 | 0 | $60,000 | $720,000 |
| ST Brandon King | 2 | $260,000 | 1 | $400,000 | $1,178,125 |
| OT Matt Tobin | n/a | ||||
| Totals | $41,170,955 | $8,810,000 | $19,816,580 | ||
| Averages | $978,888.89 | $2,201,842.22 |
| Player | Max Years | Max Compensation | Years Guaranteed | Signing Bonus | 2018 Cap Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT Nate Solder | 4 | $62,000,000 | 2 | $16,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| CB Malcolm Butler | 5 | $61,250,000 | 2 | $10,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| RB Dion Lewis | 4 | $23,500,000 | 1 | $2,250,000 | $4,312,500 |
| WR Danny Amendola | 2 | $12,000,000 | 1 | $0 | $6,000,000 |
| CB Johnson Bademosi | 2 | $6,250,000 | 1 | $1,000,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Totals | $165,000,000 | $29,250,000 | $29,312,500 | ||
| Averages | $5,850,000 | $5,862,500 |
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin