New England Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers will be among the most sought after NFL free agents if he hits the open market, and signing him is expected to be very expensive.
Flowers is in line for a huge raise with his first big contract, and Florida Sun-Sentinel NFL writer Omar Kelly reported Sunday the expected annual salary range of the Patriots star's next deal.
Would the Patriots re-sign Flowers for that price? He's certainly been an important piece of Bill Belichick's defense, but the Patriots aren't afraid to part with players set to earn huge salaries as free agents.
New England elected not to re-sign left tackle Nate Solder, cornerback Malcolm Butler and running back Dion Lewis in free agency after the 2017 campaign. The moves were met with criticism at the time, but the Patriots ended up on the winning side. They filled those positions with multiple players, including left tackle Trent Brown, cornerback Jason McCourty and running back Sony Michel, and these players played key roles in the Patriots beating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII in February.
Flowers could be a different case, though. He's just 25 years old and is a critical component of the Patriots pass rush. He tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2018 and has been pretty durable in his three-year career.
If the Patriots don't franchise tag Flowers and he reaches the open market, plenty of teams likely will bid for his services, and the rival Miami Dolphins could be one of those potential suitors.
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