According to Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Globe, the Patriots are reportedly in contract negotiations with free agent left tackle Matt Light, and hope to have a deal completed for the veteran tackle later today.
Re-signing Light would certainly be a good move by the Patriots, especially if the deal if the deal is at a reasonable price/length. Personally, I think a contract around two years and $12 million would be ideal for Light. It would give Light the financial security he wants while at the same time being short enough in length that the transition to left tackle of the future would be that much easier for first round pick Nate Solder.
In addition, re-signing Light may not be as much of a financial burden for the Patriots as you think. Back in February, it was widely reported that the Patriots planned on releasing tackle Nick Kaczur. If Light were to leave, there would be reason to believe that Kaczur would provide value to the Patriots even with his expensive contract ($3.4 million in 2011). But if the Patriots were to re-sign light, there would no need to hold on to Kaczur as releasing him would save the team $3.1 million.
Of course, stay tuned for more on the Light story, and if the Patriots can actually get the deal done at some point today.