Add the offensive line to the areas of the Patriots’ roster that are undergoing a shakeup this offseason.
According to a league source, the Patriots are trading starting right guard Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The trade frees up over $6 million for the cap-needy Patriots, per cap wizard Miguel Benzan.
Since the Patriots selected Mason in the 2015 NFL Draft, he started 98 games and was consistently among the league’s best players at his position, leaving a giant void on the right side.
Along with Mason’s departure, the Pats also lost starting left guard Ted Karras to the Bengals on Monday, while starting right tackle Trent Brown remains a free agent looking for a new deal.
Rumors surrounding Mason’s trade market began swirling at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as teams began calling the Patriots about the 29-year-old around the time.
Around the same time teams were calling about Mason, New England offered Karras a three-year contract worth a total value of $15 million. Karras decided to test free agency this week and received a reduced offer by the Patriots at three years, $13 million.
Eventually, Karras signed a three-year deal with a maximum value of $18 million with the Bengals, indicating that the Patriots might’ve misread his market heading into free agency.
Third-year G/T Mike Onwenu will be a fixture on the line next season, potentially returning to his college position at the University of Michigan as New England’s starting right guard.
However, the Patriots will still need to fill one guard spot (likely LG) and decide on the right tackle. Currently, a source close to Trent Brown indicates talks with the Pats are still ongoing.
According to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, the Pats are also considering trading for the Cowboys’ right tackle La’El Collins, who has graded out as one of the top OTs in the league over the last two seasons. Acquiring Collins would certainly stabilize things on the O-Line.
Still, the Patriots dealt Mason despite already losing Karras and potentially Brown. Once upon a time, former O-Line coach Dante Scarnecchia would plug in new players without skipping a beat. But with uncertainty on the offensive staff, the optimism isn’t the same.
The Patriots now have multiple spots to fill on their offensive line, a cornerback depth chart sans J.C. Jackson in need of an influx of talent, and still want to add impact front-seven defenders and a top wide receiver.
Although that feels like significant ground to cover, moving on from Mason and lining up other cap-saving maneuvers indicates there’s a big shoe that has yet to drop in New England. Stay tuned.
