The veteran offensive tackle will see his contract void on Monday.
Three weeks before the start of the NFL’s legal tampering window, the New England Patriots will have to make their first big decision of this year’s free agency period. Starting left tackle Trent Brown will see his contract void on Monday.
If the Patriots decide not to take any action — i.e. sign Brown to a contract extension — he will be scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency on March 13. He would still remain on the team’s books, however: his remaining signing bonus proration worth $2.04 million would stay behind as a dead salary cap charge.
Brown, 30, has spent the majority of his NFL career in New England. Originally entering the league as a seventh-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, he joined the Patriots via trade during the 2018 offseason.
He earned the starting left tackle job that season, and played a critical role in the team’s victory in Super Bowl LIII. However, Brown left New England after only one year to sign a then-record four-year, $66 million deal with the Raiders.
Brown’s stint with the Raiders ended in disappointment, though, and he was traded back from Las Vegas to the Patriots in 2021. He started out as the team’s right tackle, but was moved back to the left side for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. While he did perform well, last season in particular was underwhelming by his standards.
He was only able to start eight games all year due to a variety of medical issues and later voiced his frustrations with the club. Whether the Patriots’ change in leadership this offseason will be enough to get the two parties back on the same page remains to be seen.
Monday will serve as a first clue when it comes to that.
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