Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have seemingly made sure that they will have the services of one of the best young offensive linemen in the game for years to come after Shaq Mason agreed to terms with the team to a five-year, $50 million deal on Monday.
It may not manifest on his facial expressions, but Belichick is clearly elated with the news, as he kept the praises flowing for Mason while speaking in front of reporters, per Tyler Sullivan of 247 Sports.
“Yeah, I mean, I don't have any comment on [the contract extension]. We'll see how that goes,” Belichick said. “But Shaq's done a good job for us from the time he got here. He came from an offense that was quite different from ours and he adapted quickly and did a real good job of learning new techniques. He's an athletic player that has good strength, good balance, an excellent run blocker, can pull, run and hit. He's gotten better each year and he's done a good job for us.”
Another Patriots who should be happy about the news is none other than quarterback Tom Brady, who, at age 41, needs better protection in front of him.
New England had one of the best, if not the best, pass protection in 2017, and Shaq Mason was a big reason why. The 25-year-old Georgia Tech product led the offense last year with 1,136 offensive snaps (99.74 percent), helping the Pats’ offensive line record a league-best 3.9 percent sack rate, per Football Outsiders.
Mason was taken by New England in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
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