Tough Decisions for the Champs

It's completely okay to still be on some sort of high from the Super Bowl win, right? Definitely. I'm actually pretty bummed that we have to wait 7 months for another football game...and preseason just isn't the same. Luckily, we have free agency, the combine, the draft, and training camp to keep us occupied until September. 

When it comes to New England...

What are the Patriots' biggest offseason concerns? 

• Resign Revis for a team-and-Darrelle Revis-friendly deal. He's good, but I wouldn't break the bank for him. Nor do I think the Patriots would do that. Now that he's got a ring, I hope he doesn't decide to chase the money. Stay in New England and take another shot for ring number 2. 
• Resign McCourty. I honestly see the Patriots using the franchise tag on D-Mac. He wants to stay, but he also deserves to get paid. He's earned it. If the Patriots don't use the franchise tag on him, he won't be returning to New England. He'll make big noise in free agency. 
• KEEP VEREEN. I see a lot of people saying that the Patriots should let Vereen walk. In my opinion, he's just as much a priority as McCourty. His versatility and productivity would be hard to replace. Think about how useful he was during the playoffs. I don't love the idea of a Patriots' offense without Vereen. Pay the man.
• Rework Amendola's deal. I don't want to get rid of him, but I think we could rework his contract and get a team-and-Amendola-friendly deal done. 
• Interior offensive line. Do you bring back Dan Connolly, who's 33, or take another risk with the O-Line and bring in someone new, and a few years younger? 
• I think you keep Akeem Ayers, and let Alan Branch go. 
• I'm not sure we need Stevan Ridley. As much as I'd hate to see him go, I like Gray, Blount, and White. IF we want to bring Ridley back, I hope it's a one year, "prove it" deal. 
• Gostowski deserves to be paid...to a certain extent. He is money, that's for sure. But he's also 30 years old, and we can't spend a ridiculously high amount on a kicker. 
• Vince Wilfork - our best defensive lineman. Just how valuable is he? He's due a $4million bonus in March, and his 2015 cap hit is just shy of $9million. That's a lot of money for a 33 year old defensive lineman. Wilfork did have one of the best seasons of his career, while coming back from a gruesome injury. We want him back in New England, and I think he wants to stay. Though it didn't go so well last March, asking Big Vince to restructure his contract might be worth a try. If not, the Patriots have a major role to fill via free agency or the draft. And I don't know that another Big Vince is available right now...
• Restructure Jerod Mayo's deal. With Collins and Hightower coming along SO well, I honestly think that the Patriots would be just fine without Mayo. I hate to say that, because Mayo is one of the best veterans in the league, and his leadership on the sideline is almost irreplaceable. Asking Mayo to rework his contract or take a pay cut is the only way keeping him makes sense.

The Patriots have a lot to address this offseason. Obviously, not everyone is coming back. Picking up Revis' $25 million option would be crazy, and almost un-Patriot like. He's good, but is he that good? Of course if we don't bring him back, who do we bring in? Who fills that top corner position? And if we don't keep Solder, as much as I dislike him, do we trust Cannon and/or Fleming to fill his spot? Lots of big decisions and changes are coming. Unfortunately, we can't keep our championship team together; but with the right moves, we won't miss a beat, and can be favorites to win it all again, next year. 

As always, Go Patriots.