Bill Belichick will need to pull some strings to turn the New England Patriots into a Super Bowl contender in 2022.
There’s 16 unrestricted free agents, along with too much turnover on the offensive coaching staff to feel confident about a deep playoff run at the moment. The Patriots need to retain some pieces and utilize the cap space they have to bring in big-time playmakers. After a huge offseason of spending last year, New England is near the bottom in cap room and has to move carefully.
Devin McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Dont’a Hightower, Trent Brown and Matthew Slater are among some of the biggest unrestricted free agents. Potentially losing McCourty and Jackson could put a lot more pressure on the Patriots’ pass rush to bail out the secondary if Belichick fails to revamp the cornerback and safety positions.
This is where Chandler Jones could come in. The 31-year-old spent his first four seasons with the Patriots and he’s been with the Arizona Cardinals the last six seasons. He’s earned two First-Team All-Pro nods and has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times, with his most recent selection being this past season.
Belichick has a history of bringing back ex-Patriots who have lived out large contracts and are willing to take one or two-year deals. Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Ted Karras, Brandon Bolden, Trent Brown and Patrick Chung are just a few names that have made their way back to Foxborough.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen wrote a piece on the best fits for the top 50 free agents and Jones was No. 16 on it as he landed with the Patriots.
Why it makes sense: At this stage, Jones — who turns 32 this month — has good reason to seek a contending team. New England showed a willingness to spend big in last year’s free agency, and it can use its familiarity with Jones’ game to pair him with Matthew Judon off the edge. Jones could also serve as a hybrid weapon for the Patriots. — Fowler
Scheme fit: At this stage of his career, Jones fits best in a heavily schemed front, which he will get with Bill Belichick in New England. And the Patriots need another pass-rusher opposite of Judon who can be deployed from multiple alignments. — Bowen
The Cardinals, similar to the Patriots, are facing cap issues and they likely won’t retain Jones this offseason — especially as he approaches the age of 32. Belichick would have to work magic to come to terms on a cheaper, short-term deal — but, it would put Jones alongside Matthew Judon.
Judon, who signed with the Patriots on a monstrous $56 million deal, started off hot last season and finished with 12.5 sacks. He was a nightmare for quarterbacks and his main counterpart was rookie defensive tackle Christian Barmore. Jones had 10.5 sacks last year and he had 26 quarterback hits, with six forced fumbles.
The trio of Judon, Jones and Barmore would be disruptive for opposing quarterbacks and it would alleviate pressure on a secondary that could look much different than it has in recent years.
