Later today, at noon, the NFL's legal tampering period will begin. For the next two days players about to become unrestricted free agents once the new league year starts will be allowed to talk to other teams and discuss parameters of a potential contract.
For the New England Patriots, this means that 12 players will be very busy beginning today. Among them are two of the team's top defensive backs: free safety Duron Harmon and cornerback Logan Ryan. And according to CSNNE's Michael Giardi both will be heavily courted the next two days.
Multiple NFL sources believe Duron Harmon will command between 5 to 6 million per season. That would put him mid-market for that position
Harmon has been the Patriots number three safety since New England selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft. His experience and playmaking ability as a deep safety as well as the "two-time Super Bowl winner"-tag will make him a popular free agency option, something Giardi's report reflects
A yearly average between $5.0 and $6.0 million would make the 26-year old one of the top 30-paid safeties in the league. Given how big of a role he plays in New England and how there is no viable replacement on the roster as of now, the Patriots could very well opt to offer Harmon a similar deal to what the market will present.
The same might not be true for Logan Ryan, though. According to Giardi, he is expected to receive lucrative offers:
ICYMI: Source with knowledge of Logan Ryan's market expect significant traffic during legal tampering period. He's about to make $$$
While Patriots certainly have the salary cap space to pay Ryan as a solid number two cornerback, the question is whether or not the team is willing to do that. After all, the positional depth chart at cornerback is deeper than, for comparison, at the safety position. While Ryan has shown to be an effective player in New England he might more easily be replaced than Harmon.