Patriots Reportedly Trading Shaq Mason To Bucs In Cap-Clearing Move

The New England Patriots re-signed James White, Matthew Slater, and Devin McCourty. They decided to release Kyle Van Noy to free up some cap space. Well, this is not the only move the Patriots made to increase their cap space. According to several reports, the Patriots are trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Phil Perry was among the first to confirm the trade.

Mason, 29, first joined the Patriots as a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Patriots made some changes to determine his role with the team. Well, the Georgia Tech prospect got a starting job on the right side of the line in the 2016 NFL season.

The Patriots are trading Shaq Mason and have enough money to get another name

Mason is one of the best interior offensive linemen the Patriots have had on the roster. He is also the longest-tenured player of the Patriots offensive line. Mason saw action in 103 regular season games and played in 13 playoff games. Of course, we can’t ignore the fact that Mason won two Super Bowls with the team. In 2018, the Patriots gave Mason a five-year deal worth $50 million. He was supposed to stay on the Patriots roster through 2023.

It didn’t happen. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get Mason and now he will be able to join forces with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Playing with the best quarterback in the NFL is a big deal, right? We have a few good reasons to believe that Mason will try to get the best of it.

Mason’s trade gives the Patriots extra cap space. They are getting about $7 million in cap space. Miguel Benzan reported that the Patriots have $13 million.

Pro Football Focus ranked Mason as one of the top 10 guards in the last six seasons. The Patriots lost a valuable player but the offseason has just started. They have plenty of time to fix the damage and get the players they need. Head coach Bill Belichick needs receivers and also needs linebackers. Let’s see what happens later in the offseason. There are so many options on the table right now.