Adam Schefter and Field Yates report that the Patriots won’t franchise DE Trey Flowers, OT Trent Brown or K Stephen Gostkowski before today’s deadline.
Gostkowski had come up as a possible franchise tag candidate in recent weeks, but it appears as though New England feels that’s too high of a price to pay for him.
Flowers, 25, is a former fourth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2015. He played out the final year of his four-year, $2,838,932 contract with the Patriots and is now in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In 2018, Flowers appeared 15 games for the Patriots and recorded 32 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 6 edge rusher out of 103 qualifying players.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2019 NFL Free Agents list.
Brown, 25, is a former seventh-round pick of the 49ers back in 2015. He was traded to the Patriots last year in a pick swap.
Brown played out the final year of his four-year, $2.28 million contract and made a base salary of $705,000 for the 2018 season and is now in line to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career.
In 2018, Brown appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and is rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 32 offensive tackle out of 80 qualifying players.
Gostkowski, 35, is a former fourth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2006. He’s played his entire 13-year career in New England and just finished out his four-year, $17.2 million contract.
Gostkowski is in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In 2018, Gostkowski appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and converted 27 of 32 field goal attempts (84.4 percent) to go along with 49 of 50 extra point tries (98 percent).
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