The Patriots have a Mike Onwenu decision hanging over them, and it’s one they can’t afford to fumble.
New England’s offensive line is still the kind of unit that forces real scrutiny, and Onwenu sits right at the center of that conversation. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox pegged the left guard as the team’s most important free agent after 2026, and the reasoning is easy to follow: Onwenu has been one of the Patriots’ steadiest linemen for years, and he brings the kind of versatility teams covet up front.
He’s played all over the line during his career, including time at left guard and offensive tackle, but Knox noted that he has settled in as New England’s right guard. The bigger point is his durability and consistency.
Onwenu has appeared in 99 games with 91 starts, and he has started all 35 regular-season games since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. He’s still just 28.
But the contract picture is where this gets messy. After the 2023 season, the Patriots front office gave Onwenu a bloated deal that was revised before the 2026 season and paid him tackle money. That kind of spending on a guard is hard to defend, especially when the roster still has bigger financial priorities ahead.
Onwenu is set to carry a $17.5 million cap hit in 2026, and that number is a major reason the Patriots have to be careful. Guards are supposed to be more replaceable than that. New England boxed itself in by paying him at a premium, and now the club has to decide whether that money is better used somewhere else.
There is still a path to keeping him, though. If Onwenu is willing to come back on a deal that’s far more reasonable, the Patriots can make that work. Knox’s case for keeping him is rooted in the idea that he’s a quality starter with rare positional flexibility and plenty of experience.
If he won’t take less, the Patriots have another option: move on. Letting him walk would allow them to keep pushing a true offensive line rebuild instead of sinking more money into one interior spot. And if the season goes sideways, New England could also try to trade him for value, with a mid-round draft pick cited as an example.
That decision gets even sharper when you look at what’s coming next for the Patriots. They recently paid Christian Gonzalez, and they’ll need to do the same with Drake Maye after 2026, only on an even larger scale. That makes another big guard contract tough to justify.
The larger lesson here is pretty clear. New England has already spent heavily on less-critical positions after the 2023 season, including Onwenu, Jabrill Peppers, Davon Godchaux, and Jahlani Tavai.
Under Mike Vrabel, that approach is supposed to be in the past. If the Patriots can’t draft later-round guards who can play - Onwenu was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan in 2020 - or find cheaper help in free agency, that’s the kind of problem they need to solve instead of paying top dollar to keep repeating it.
In Other News...
Patriots Just Sent A Brutal Message To Mack Hollins
Mack Hollins came out of Week 1 with four catches, and for a player trying to carve out a bigger role, every target matters. Now the Patriots have quietly made the road a little steeper, increasing the reception thresholds on his 2026 contract incentives while leaving the bonus amounts unchanged, a small adjustment that still says plenty about how much production they expect before the extra money kicks in.
The timing only adds to the intrigue. With A.J. Brown set to miss roughly six weeks because of a high ankle sprain, Hollins could be in line for more chances in the passing game, but New England has already shown it is not eager to make those opportunities easy to cash in on. For a veteran receiver trying to turn early usage into real leverage, the next few weeks should tell a lot about where he stands. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Injury Report Leaves Two Key Availability Questions Before Steelers
The Patriots latest practice report offered a little clarity and a little more uncertainty as they work toward their matchup with the Steelers. Offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover sat out because of a knee injury, while cornerback Carlton Davis III did not practice with a neck issue, leaving New England to monitor two important spots on the injury list heading into the week.
There was some encouraging news elsewhere, with running back TreVeyon Henderson taking part fully after being ruled out previously. Ben Brown, DreMont Jones and Robert Spillane were among the others listed as limited, giving the Patriots a mix of short-term concerns and possible returns to sort through before game day. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Big Week 2 Question Against Pittsburgh
New Englands injury picture looks far better heading into its Week 2 home game against Pittsburgh, with the report staying relatively clean as the Patriots turn the page from opening week. Head coach Mike Vrabel has been able to offer mostly encouraging updates, and the early-week practice field has included signs of progress from players who had been limited or out previously.
A.J. Brown is still working back from an ankle sprain, but he has been active in those early practices, while Rhamondre Stevenson and Cole Henderson have also moved forward after their own absences. The Patriots will still be watching how everyone responds across the rest of the week, but for now the bigger question is less about availability than how close this group is to being fully ready for a tough matchup with the Steelers. [Read more 🡒]