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          Do Patriots have the inside track on re-signing Mike Onwenu?

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterMar 10, 2024, 10:00 AM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

          1. Onwenu's path: Offensive lineman Mike Onwenu is arguably the Patriots' most important free agent, and he's taking a different path that could play a significant factor in where he lands. Onwenu, unlike most players, who hire agents, is currently representing himself.

          What is the significance of Onwenu's decision? Could it give the Patriots the inside track to re-sign him?

          The answers are timely to explore with the NFL's legal negotiating period for free agents beginning Monday at noon ET, and J.I. Halsell is uniquely qualified to provide insight given his background.

          Halsell isn't advising Onwenu but previously worked for the NFL Management Council in contracts/salary cap management, with the Washington Commanders as a salary cap analyst and later as a certified agent with Priority Sports. He also served as an adviser to offensive lineman Russell Okung when Okung represented himself in 2017 and signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Chargers.

          "You have to understand who the player is -- in terms of his personality, not just who he is as an athlete," Halsell said. "This is a young man who went to the University of Michigan, a really challenging school academically. Start there. He has the tools, from a mental standpoint, to represent himself.

          "Also keep in mind that he is going into free agency, so this isn't a super complex negotiation where you have one year remaining on the deal and there are a lot of considerations in terms of playing while talking to the club about a new deal. Because he's going into free agency, he's assessing what the Patriots are willing to pay him, and once we get to the legal tampering period, what other teams may be interested in paying him."

          One notable change in the most recent collective bargaining agreement from 2020 should help the 26-year-old Onwenu.

          In the past, players representing themselves weren't allowed to speak with other teams during the legal negotiating period, instead having to wait until two days later for the official start of the new league year. But that is no longer the case.

          In a memo the NFL Management Council sent to general managers, head coaches and player personnel directors on Wednesday, it stated that "club front-office personnel are permitted to engage in direct communications and negotiations with a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor."

          So Onwenu, who had enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at Michigan while majoring in general studies, has surely cleared his schedule Monday at noon ET to communicate with other clubs. He already has done so with the Patriots, which is allowed since he has been under contract with them.

          "Mike is really smart, he's introspective, he's thoughtful and he understands. He knows what he wants, which is always good when you're dealing with a player," Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf said at the NFL combine.

          Onwenu is likely keeping tabs on the evolving market and how other deals could shape his negotiations. One example is right guard Kevin Dotson agreeing Thursday to a reported three-year, $48 million pact -- including $32 million guaranteed -- to return to the Rams.

          One thing Onwenu might miss without an agent: Halsell said agents can play the important "bad cop" role and help "push the envelope."

          "If you're a fan of the Patriots, you might have a concern, 'Is this going to be an awkward conversation between the player and the club?' Depending on the tenor, and what his expectations are, it doesn't have to be," Halsell said, pointing to linebacker Bobby Wagner (Seahawks, Rams) as an example of a self-represented player avoiding that.

          "The immediate thought when a player self-represents himself is that he wants to save the 1%, 2%, 3% commission fees to an agent. That is a part of the equation. But there's also something to be said for, 'If I believe I have the mental aptitude to speak on my own behalf, and I feel like I have a trusting enough relationship with my existing team that they won't try to get over on me, then I don't need a middleman to be the bad guy.'

          "I can tell you from my time in Washington's front office, when you do a contract with a player, the last thing you want is that player in the locker room feeling like the team got one over on him from a compensation standpoint."

          Similar to how Halsell helped Okung in 2017, Onwenu will have advisers working on his behalf.

          "There is so much contract information out there now, whether you're talking about [websites] OverTheCap or Spotrac, it's not hard for players, fans and the media to figure out what the value of these contracts are. What we don't see as much publicly is, 'How are those deals structured? What are the dates for an injury-only guarantee to convert to a true guarantee for skill, injury and cap?'

          "So where an adviser comes into play for a self-represented player is really to help them through the structure and mechanics of the deal. How do we structure and present the counterproposal to the club?"

          2. Tackle or guard?: One dynamic with Onwenu is that tackles are generally paid more than guards -- and he has played almost evenly at both spots. Of his 56 career starts, 24 have come at right guard, 24 at right tackle, five at left guard and three as a tackle-eligible tight end. ESPN's Giants reporter Jordan Raanan, citing sources, said Onwenu is hoping for a tackle-based deal.

          3. Patriots picks: After not being awarded any compensatory picks this year, the Patriots enter the 2024 draft with a single pick in each round. If that holds, it would mark the first time the Patriots made just one pick in all seven rounds of a draft.

          4. Volume vs. quality: If there was a year in which to not have as many draft picks, especially in later rounds, this might be it. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy noted the impact of NIL money in college led to more prospective late-round picks returning to school.

          ESPN's Field Yates, on a conference call, added: "Trying to put together my top 50 list was really hard; I probably had 75 guys I considered. So I feel like Days 1 and 2, this is a class commensurate with where those players should be taken. I'll say this, when you get to Rounds 5, 6 and 7, I'm all over the place with my board ... but I don't think it's gotten to the point where there's no value on Day 3."

          5. Okorafor intel: The Patriots' one-year deal (base value $4 million) with former Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor adds experienced depth at a position of need. Steelers radio analyst Max Starks, the former Pittsburgh offensive tackle who also is a co-host on Sirius XM NFL Radio, shared his belief that Okorafor is "a solid veteran right tackle with good all-around versatility in run and pass [games]."

          Starks, however, would be surprised if Okorafor plays left tackle at this point.

          6. Post-Henry plan: With veteran tight end Hunter Henry agreeing to return to the Patriots on a three-year deal before hitting free agency, the team remains engaged with several of its other free agents, per sources.

          That doesn't mean deals will be struck before Monday at 12 p.m. ET, as some have described a wide gap between offers between the sides, but reflects how Wolf's front office isn't sitting around waiting for offers to come back to them after the legal negotiating period. Some free agents were hopeful things might advance over the weekend.

          7. Dugger's tag: The $13.7 million transition tag was a disappointment to Patriots safety Kyle Dugger, who like most players in his situation prefers a longer-term deal that would come with larger guarantees.

          At the same time, the sudden influx of safeties on the market (Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Jordan Poyer et al) might contribute to safety salaries not spiking as high as once anticipated. So a case could be made that Dugger should sign the tag quickly, taking away the possibility that the team could rescind it in a possible depressed market.

          8. They said it: "The last 24 years, that place had a lot of success. I don't think you just want to burn it to the ground and forget what was done there. He has to find his middle ground." -- Matthew Slater, on the "Green Light" podcast with Chris Long, on the challenge ahead for first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo

          9. Receivers aplenty: This year's draft could be one where need meets opportunity for the Patriots' goal to "weaponize" the offense. Consider this from Yates' ESPN draft conference call: "I see 15 wide receivers with first- or second-round grades for me, and you could make a case for one or two others to enter that mix. It's incredible the value you can find there."

          10. Did you know: The most receivers selected in the first two rounds is 13 -- in 2020 and 2022.