With the New England Patriots not using the franchise tag this year, all 17 members of their 2019 free agency class are now scheduled to hit the market once it opens on March 13 — a group that includes the team’s top pass rusher and consensus number one free agent, Trey Flowers. And while there is a chance that New England reaches an extension with him over the next few days, the most realistic scenario is Flowers entering free agency next week.
From the Patriots’ perspective, this is familiar territory. Over the years, the club has not shied away from letting their top players test the waters while simultaneously keeping an open line of communication — an approach that served them well the last two times core defenders saw their contracts come to an end.