Report: Patriots ‘essentially know’ offensive tackle Mike Onwenu won’t re-sign
"The Patriots essentially know Onwenu isn't coming back, and he will have high bidders."
Could the Patriots lose one of their top offensive linemen to free agency?
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Mike Onwenu isn’t likely to return. Onwenu just wrapped up the final season of his four-year rookie deal.
“Many teams view Onwenu as the top offensive lineman in free agency because of his physicality, quickness, and ability to play guard or tackle,” Fowler wrote. “The Patriots essentially know Onwenu isn’t coming back, and he will have high bidders.
The Patriots have around $70 million in cap space according to Spotrac. They’ll have to decide how much they would be willing to spend if they want to keep Onwenu.
ESPN reported last month that Onwenu and the Patriots were in a ‘waiting game’ when it comes to his contract situation. New England has experienced a change in leadership with Jerod Mayo replacing head coach Bill Belichick. New England has yet to bring in a general manager.
There’s a chance the new leadership could decide that retaining Onwenu is a priority. However, as of last month, there hadn’t been much progress.
“From my agents, they said there haven’t really been much talks,” Onwenu told ESPN. “There has been communication, but there haven’t been any offers or any contracts that were sent. It’s kind of just a waiting game to see how it goes.”
The Patriots selected Onwenu in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has started 56 of the 64 games he’s played with the Patriots since then.
“Being in the position I’m in now, it’s a testament to believing in myself and to those who helped me to get here and believed in me from the start,” he told ESPN. “Getting an opportunity is the most important thing, and I got that. Every day I tried to treat it like my last.”
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