One of Eliot Wolf's first tasks as the New England Patriots' chief roster decision-maker will be figuring out whether he wants to give Michael Onwenu or Kyle Dugger the franchise tag. Wolf didn't rule anything out when it comes to the Patriots' two premier free agents this offseason, stating a desire to bring both players back to New England for 2024.
“All the options are on the table,” he said on Tuesday. “We definitely want to keep Mike and Kyle and we’re hopeful to continue to work with Kyle’s agent and Mike to make that happen.”
Onwenu and Dugger are viewed as two of the best free agents at their respective positions this offseason. Pro Football Focus ranks Dugger as the second-best free-agent safety and Onwenu as the league's third-best free-agent offensive tackle.
When you consider positional value, there's a case that Onwenu is the more worthy free agent between the two players. He made headlines over the weekend when he decided to fire his agents, leaving open the possibility that he might not have representation when free agency begins on March 1st.
Wolf isn't too concerned about Onwenu's agent switch affecting a possible return to New England, though.
“Mike’s a core player for us. It’s no secret we want to try to keep Mike,” Wolf said. “It’ll just be a little bit of a wrinkle dealing with him. Mike’s really smart. He’s introspective and he’s thoughtful. He knows what he wants, which is always good when you’re dealing with a player. He’s certainly someone that we view as a cornerstone for us.
Considering the NFL's increase in salary cap for 2024, both players are in line for big paydays. If Dugger gets franchise-tagged, he'd a receive fully guaranteed tender of $17,123,000. If Onwenu gets franchise-tagged, he'd receive a fully guaranteed tender of $20,985,000.
Pro Football Focus projects Dugger to receive the franchise tag from the Patriots. However, it expects Onwenu to receive a hefty contract, projecting him to earn a four-year, $58 million deal with $33.25 million guaranteed.
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