Patriots’ 3-Time Super Bowl Champion Projected to Be Released

The New England Patriots will enter the 2021 NFL season with a completely different roster. They will have to find a new franchise quarterback. New England needs tight ends, receivers, linebackers… Head coach Bill Belichick will be really busy in the offseason. Guess what… A Patriots champion will probably be released in the next few weeks.

Who’s the first to go? There will be a lot of trades and releases. The Patriots are expected to bring back some of the players that opted-out of the 2020 season.

Patriots champion to be released in the offseason

The Athletic’s report suggests that the Patriots will release three-time Super Bowl champion Marcus Cannon. This would give the team even more flexibility.

Here’s what the report suggests:

“Cannon’s performance was on a downturn before opting out last season. He had the best season of his career in 2017, allowing just 13.5 disruptions (all sacks, QB hits and pressures), but that total increased to 29 in 2018 and 41 in 2019. The Patriots drafted Yodny Cajuste in the third round in 2019 to potentially replace Cannon, though injuries have prevented Cajuste from making his debut. And then-rookie Mike Onwenu was tremendous at right tackle in 2020. And still with two years remaining on his contract, Cannon changed agents last year, which seemed to indicate the organization’s desire for him to renegotiate. If the Patriots cut Cannon, they’d save about $7 million against the cap.”

Dont’a Hightower was really missed in 2020. Patrick Chung goes at No.2. Cannon provides depth but Mike Onwenu is great, and the Patriots may decide to stick with him.

Onwenu will probably be better in 2021. Cajuste has yet to play a down in the league but experts have great thoughts for him. He is set to be available for preseason workouts heading into the upcoming season. If he stays healthy, the Patriots will probably release Cannon.

New England has over $63 million in salary-cap space as confirmed by cap expert Miguel Bezan. If the team releases Cannon, they will have even bigger cap space. This would help the team get the top quarterback.