Patriots Extend Vince Wilfork, Steve Neal

Be Happy Big Daddy | Courtesy Patriots.com

The highly anticipated contract extension for Vince Wilfork is finally here.  And boy is it big.  According to multiple reports, the Patriots have inked Wilfork for five years at $40 million, with $25 million in guarantees.  $18 million will be in signing bonuses.

This is a huge move for the Patriots.  First, it sends a great message throughout the locker room, and gets rid of that perception that the Patriots “don’t pay.”  Clearly, after giving Wilfork the richest contract for a nose tackle in league history, the Patriots do pay for the right guys.  Vince Wilfork is the right guy.  The deal is also very reasonable.  At $8 million a year, the deal is slightly less than he would probably get on the open market, but he also gets all that money guaranteed, doesn’t have to adjust to a new location, etc.  By the time this deal expires, Vince Wilfork will be 33, but will have been a Patriot for 11 years.  At that point, there’s no telling what the Patriots roster might look like.  But if Vince continues to play the way he has, he will go down as one of the all-time Patriots’ greats.

Re-signing Stephen Neal will be an underrated move | Courtesy Patriots.com

The Patriots also made one more move on the opening day of free agency by signing guard Stephen Neal to a contract extension.  Neal, when healthy, is one of the best pass protecting guards in football.  Although he is 33, he is still very effective getting out on screens, and it is well documented that the Patriots line as a whole plays better when he’s in the lineup.

No word yet on what the contract will be for Neal,  but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the line shapes up now that he will be back.  The interior seems set: Logan Mankins will be back at left guard, Koppen at center, with Neal at right guard.  But there are a lot of questions surrounding the two tackle spots.  The two most talented tackles on the roster are Matt Light and Sebastian Vollmer.  However, the Patriots recently extended Nick Kaczur, who was expected to move to right guard if Neal retired or signed elsewhere.  The most likely option is that Light will continue to start on the left side, with Vollmer replacing Kaczur on the right, with Kaczur the team’s top backup.  However, there is a chance that the Patriots do ship one of their veteran tackles out of town, namely Light or Kaczur.  This will certainly be an area to watch heading further into the offseason.

Overall, this was a solid first day of free agency for the Patriots.  They re-signed three key players in Vince Wilfork, Tully Banta-Cain, and Stephen Neal.  While the Patriots didn’t bring in any outside help from the likes of Julius Peppers and Anquan Boldin, they secured three starters.  In the coming 48 hours, I’d expect them to move closer to a deal for Leigh Bodden.  After that, look for them to address the defensive line, wide receiver, and tight end through some low cost veteran additions.