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The New England Patriots’ upcoming class of free agents is a big one: a total of 26 players will see their contracts with the team expire next month. That group includes some long-time cornerstones — offensive linemen David Andrews and Joe Thuney, running backs James White and Rex Burkhead, defensive tackles Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler, cornerback Jason McCourty — as well as 2020 starting quarterback Cam Newton.
The Patriots are not the only team in the AFC East that has a long list of players set to enter the market once it opens on March 17th. A look at the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets illustrates that New England’s division rivals also have some work ahead of them.
Buffalo Bills
2020 record: 13-3
Projected salary cap space: -$202,851
Free agents: 18 (14 unrestricted, 4 restricted)
Bills 2020 free agents
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
| Matt Barkley | QB | UFA | 4.9% | 31 | $2,000,000 |
| Ike Boettger | G | RFA | 57.2% | 27 | $572,000 |
| Corey Bojorquez | P | RFA | 30.4% | 25 | $570,000 |
| Jon Feliciano | G | UFA | 52.5% | 28 | $3,625,000 |
| Taiwan Jones | RB | UFA | 0.4% | 33 | $1,750,000 |
| Tyler Kroft | TE | UFA | 27.4% | 29 | $4,000,000 |
| Dean Marlowe | S | UFA | 21.5% | 29 | $1,150,000 |
| Isaiah McKenzie | WR | UFA | 24.8% | 26 | $962,500 |
| Matt Milano | LB | UFA | 31.3% | 27 | $665,379 |
| Trent Murphy | DE | UFA | 32.0% | 31 | $7,500,000 |
| Josh Norman | CB | UFA | 32.1% | 34 | $6,000,000 |
| Ty Nsekhe | OT | UFA | 5.0% | 36 | $5,000,000 |
| Andre Roberts | WR | UFA | 5.7% | 33 | $1,300,000 |
| Andre Smith | LB | RFA | 4.4% | 24 | $750,000 |
| Levi Wallace | CB | RFA | 57.1% | 26 | $750,000 |
| Daryl Williams | OT | UFA | 96.3% | 29 | $2,250,000 |
| Brian Winters | G | UFA | 56.6% | 30 | $3,000,000 |
| T.J. Yeldon | RB | UFA | 3.9% | 28 | $1,600,000 |
The biggest question for the Bills heading into the offseason is whether or not they will be able to keep their offensive line intact. After all, five of the nine offensive linemen on their final 2020 roster are in need of a new contract — including three starters: while guard Ike Boettger will likely be tendered as a restricted free agent, the future of unrestricted free agents Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams is far from certain.
What hurts Buffalo’s chances of retaining its starting O-line from a year ago is the team’s financial situation. At the moment, it is over the projected $180.5 million salary cap and thus in need to generate some wiggle room. This, in turn, could hurt the Bills’ ability to be competitive when it comes to retaining players such as Feliciano or Williams even though they certainly will have priority status this spring.
Miami Dolphins
2020 record: 10-6
Projected salary cap space: $26 million
Free agents: 18 (13 unrestricted, 1 restricted, 4 exclusive-rights)
Dolphins 2020 free agents
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
| Vince Biegel | LB | UFA | 0.0% | 28 | $2,133,000 |
| Matt Breida | RB | UFA | 14.2% | 26 | $3,259,000 |
| Julie'n Davenport | OT | UFA | 4.9% | 26 | $746,605 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | UFA | 46.4% | 39 | $5,500,000 |
| Isaiah Ford | WR | UFA | 35.1% | 25 | $750,000 |
| Kavon Frazier | S | UFA | 4.6% | 28 | $1,047,500 |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | UFA | 16.7% | 27 | $650,487 |
| Kamu Grugier-Hill | LB | UFA | 19.8% | 27 | $3,000,000 |
| Matt Haack | P | UFA | 27.7% | 27 | $2,133,000 |
| Mack Hollins | WR | UFA | 26.9% | 28 | $758,917 |
| Ted Karras | C | UFA | 100.0% | 28 | $3,000,000 |
| Calvin Munson | LB | ERFA | 4.5% | 27 | $577,500 |
| Nik Needham | CB | ERFA | 53.3% | 25 | $540,000 |
| Adam Pankey | G | RFA | 2.6% | 27 | $690,000 |
| Elandon Roberts | LB | UFA | 38.9% | 27 | $2,000,000 |
| Jake Rudock | QB | ERFA | 0.0% | 28 | $750,000 |
| DeAndre Washington | RB | UFA | 8.1% | 28 | $910,000 |
| Jomal Wiltz | CB | ERFA | 0.0% | 27 | $540,000 |
While the biggest name on Miami’s free agents list might just be veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, other players are more intriguing from a long-term perspective. Fitzpatrick, after all, is expected to move on from the Dolphins after having lost his starting position to first-round rookie Tua Tagovailoa midway through the 2020 season. The same cannot be said for other players headed for the open market, who played prominent roles on the team throughout the season.
Center Ted Karras and linebacker Elandon Roberts, who arrived in Miami after starting their careers in New England, are both in need of new contracts after seeing regular action last year. The same goes for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and core special teams players Matt Haack and Kamu Grugier-Hill. All in all, though, Miami is in a comparatively good position heading towards free agency.
New York Jets
2020 record: 2-14
Projected salary cap space: $68.23 million
Free agents: 24 (19 unrestricted, 4 restricted, 1 exclusive-rights)
Jets 2020 free agents
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Status | 2020 snaps | Age | Current APY |
| Josh Adams | RB | RFA | 7.6% | 25 | $750,000 |
| Josh Andrews | C | UFA | 31.4% | 30 | $910,000 |
| Tarell Basham | LB | UFA | 64.4% | 27 | $808,878 |
| Daniel Brown | TE | UFA | 2.8% | 29 | $960,000 |
| Trevon Coley | DT | UFA | 17.3% | 27 | $825,000 |
| Pat Elflein | G | UFA | 41.9% | 27 | $936,960 |
| Matthias Farley | S | UFA | 17.5% | 29 | $1,290,000 |
| Joe Flacco | QB | UFA | 25.3% | 36 | $1,500,000 |
| Frank Gore | RB | UFA | 38.4% | 38 | $1,050,000 |
| Bryce Hager | LB | UFA | 12.0% | 29 | $910,000 |
| Neville Hewitt | LB | UFA | 99.2% | 28 | $2,000,000 |
| Bennett Jackson | CB | UFA | 0.0% | 30 | $675,000 |
| Jordan Jenkins | LB | UFA | 46.4% | 27 | $3,750,000 |
| Harvey Langi | LB | RFA | 45.0% | 29 | $615,000 |
| Frankie Luvu | LB | RFA | 22.6% | 25 | $750,000 |
| Arthur Maulet | CB | UFA | 35.5% | 28 | $875,000 |
| Marcus Maye | S | UFA | 99.9% | 28 | $1,638,503 |
| Bradley McDougald | S | UFA | 38.0% | 31 | $4,500,000 |
| Patrick Onwuasor | LB | UFA | 0.0% | 29 | $2,000,000 |
| Breshad Perriman | WR | UFA | 65.8% | 28 | $6,500,000 |
| Brian Poole | CB | UFA | 42.3% | 29 | $5,000,000 |
| Jeff Smith | WR | ERFA | 32.2% | 24 | $540,000 |
| Vyncint Smith | WR | RFA | 5.1% | 25 | $615,000 |
| Ross Travis | TE | UFA | 0.3% | 28 | $825,000 |
The second longest list of free agents behind the Patriots belongs to the Jets: 24 members of the team will need to either be re-signed, tendered or let go. That group includes some prominent names such as starting defensive backs Marcus Maye and Brian Poole, wide receiver Breshad Perriman, and running back Frank Gore. All of them saw regular action at their respective units over the course of the 2020 season.
The one position group that might face the most turnover, however, is linebacker. The top four at the position in terms of playing time last year — Neville Hewitt, Tarell Basham, Jordan Jenkins and Harvey Langi — are all set for free agency. With the exception of RFA Langi, the Jets’ linebacker room could see some considerable turnover this offseason. That being said, New York is among the league leaders in salary cap space and as such in a solid position to keep at least some of its linebacker talent around.