FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In an informative interview with ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on the “Know Them From Adam” podcast, New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower shed light on his mindset as he enters unrestricted free agency this offseason.
Specifically, Schefter asked Hightower what he is looking for in a team.
“I love what I have in New England,” Hightower said. “I don’t have too much drawn up. I just want to be respected and loved.”
We highlighted Hightower’s value to the Patriots on Tuesday morning. He’s made two clutch plays in each of the team’s last two Super Bowl victories, and is in position to command a top-of-the-line contract.
He was asked by Schefter what he expects in free agency.
“I’m not sure. Obviously I have a few friends, a few teammates going into it with me. Chandler Jones [in Arizona], Logan Ryan, Duron Harmon, a lot of guys I’m close to,” he said on the podcast. “Jamie [Collins] obviously signed his deal [in Cleveland], I’ve reached out and talked to him a little bit.
“I’m sure it will be a journey, a rough and rocky one. But I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had five good years and I’m looking forward to what’s coming my way.”
Would he consider taking the proverbial hometown discount?
“We’ll see, man, we have a long time coming. We’ve got a long process going throughout,” he answered. “I’m sure [agent] Pat [Dye], Nick [Caserio] and Bill [Belichick] will be in touch whenever that time comes. I’m going to soak up this Super Bowl LI. I haven’t had enough of that yet.”
Hightower, who on ESPN’s NFL Live program on Wednesday didn’t seem averse to receiving the franchise tag, laughed when Schefter set up the following scenario for him to see if it was accurate:
“In the NFL, you don’t get many chances to become a free agent. You’re 26 years old. They exercised the fifth-year option [in 2016] because that was their right. Now you get to exercise free agency and see what’s out there. So in a perfect world, yes, you would love to be back in New England and if it works out, that would be great. But it is your duty and obligation to go out there, explore the market, see what’s out there, and if some team shows you much more love, respect and appreciation than New England does, as disappointing as it would be, then it would be time to move on.”
Hightower’s thoughts on that?
“I’m not going to agree with you 100 percent,” Hightower responded, “but I think you’re about there. I think you did a lot better job than I did.”
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Sheil KapadiaESPN Writer
Oftentimes when Seattle Seahawks coaches and players discuss the state of the offense, third-down efficiency becomes the focus.
Last season, the Seahawks struggled to extend drives, and the third-down issues factored significantly into the offensive inconsistencies. According to Football Outsiders, the Seahawks finished 20th in third-down efficiency in 2016 after finishing first the previous year.
Russell Wilson was 13th in YPA and 15th in yards per dropback last season. Just 38.5 percent of his third-down pass attempts (17th) netted first downs. In 2015, that number was 50.4 percent (third).
| Comp. pct. | YPA | Yds/drop back | Sack pct. | Pressure pct. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 67.20 | 9.02 | 7.13 | 9.10 | 33.50 |
| 2016 | 56.10 | 7.38 | 6.17 | 7.60 | 41.50 |
Pass protection was obviously an issue. In 2016, Wilson was pressured on 41.5 percent of his dropbacks (second-most). In 2015, it was 33.5 percent (17th). Wilson’s limited mobility, combined with bad offensive line play, produced poor results on third-and-long, specifically.
In 2015, the Seahawks ranked first in DVOA on third-and-long (7 yards or more). Last season, they dropped down to 18th.
Of course, short yardage was actually worse. The Seahawks ranked 25th in DVOA on third-and-short (3 yards or fewer), reflecting in part their inability to run the ball effectively.
The passing numbers by target are worth zeroing in on:
Tyler Lockett was only at 30.4 percent. Lockett played through multiple injuries in his second season. As a rookie, he led Seahawks receivers by catching 77.3 percent of his third-down targets, and 68.2 percent of his targets resulted in first downs.
Meanwhile, Jermaine Kearse’s third-down numbers were among the worst in the league this season. Among 144 qualifying players, Kearse had the worst catch rate (26.3 percent) in the NFL on third down. Wilson targeted Kearse less (on 12.3 percent of his routes) on third down than the other players, and the pair struggled to connect all season long. It’s worth noting that in the previous four years, Kearse caught 56.3 percent of his third-down targets and converted 45.8 percent of his targets into first downs. The Seahawks have to hope he can bounce back in 2017.
Seattle has several areas to hone in on to improve its third-down efficiency next season. The offensive line has to be better — both in protection and on short-yardage runs. A healthier Wilson will make a difference. And the coaches have to make sure they have the right personnel on the field.
When the Seahawks return to practice in a couple months, Pete Carroll and the coaches will emphasize third-down improvement as much as ever.
The New Orleans Saints don’t have to force it yet.
Eventually they will have to replace quarterback Drew Brees, who turned 38 in January. But he isn’t really acting his age yet. Brees played his best football in five years last season, once again leading the NFL with 5,208 passing yards. And he has talked many times about his determination to keep thriving into his 40s.
However, Brees has only one year remaining on his contract — which is how the Saints wanted it. Brees wanted a long-term extension last year, but the Saints preferred to evaluate the position year-by-year.
In other words, if the Saints fall head over heels for a QB in Round 1 of this year’s draft — such as Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky or Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer — the transition could come sooner than expected.
If not, the position is still in awfully good hands for the time being.
That’s why I have QB ranked ninth in my position-by-position breakdown of the Saints’ offseason needs. But it might be No. 1 when it comes to intrigue.
Current depth chart:
Drew Brees: Age 38, signed through 2017. 2017 salary and bonuses: $13 million. 2017 salary-cap number: $19 million (Note: Brees’ contract also includes an $18 million salary-cap hit in 2018, even though his contract will void after this season).
Luke McCown: Age 35, signed through 2017. 2017 salary and bonuses: $1.5 million. 2017 salary-cap number: $1.75 million.
Garrett Grayson: Age 25, scheduled to be exclusive rights free agent in 2019. 2017 salary and bonuses: $540,000. 2017 salary-cap number: $540,000.
Analysis
For the third year in a row, the Saints will take a long, hard look at all of the top QB prospects in this year’s draft — as they should.
As I said, they don’t have to force it. And I’m in the camp that believes Brees can still be a top-10 NFL quarterback for at least three more seasons if healthy, so the Saints shouldn’t rush to shove him out the door — especially if they can use valuable assets like a first-round draft pick on someone who can help them make a playoff push while Brees is still thriving.
In fact, I would be comfortable signing Brees to another two-year extension through 2020 at his current rate of $24.25 million per year.
However, I also realize that the perfect QB might only come around once a decade, if that. So New Orleans has definitely reached the window in Brees’ career where it should be on the lookout.
Ideally, the Saints would find their version of Dak Prescott in Round 4. But that’s like saying they should just go out and buy the winning Powerball ticket. The Saints took a shot when they drafted Grayson in Round 3 in 2015, but he hasn’t panned out yet — though he is determined to try to salvage his career this offseason.
I don’t know if Watson, Trubisky or Kizer will be enough to sway the Saints into using the No. 11 pick on a QB. All of them seem to come with disclaimers, and none is universally rated as a surefire top-10 pick among draft analysts. But quarterbacks always seem to scream up the charts and wind up going higher than initially projected by the time the draft rolls around. So the Saints might not even have a shot at Watson or Trubisky unless they trade up.
They could wait until Round 2 or 3 and draft someone such as Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes or Miami’s Brad Kaaya. Or they could ignore the position entirely in the draft, especially since they like McCown as their backup and still have Grayson as a developmental option.
It seems even more unlikely that the Saints would get in on the Jimmy Garoppolo trade sweepstakes (if the New England Patriots are willing to trade him at all). Perhaps Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent Mike Glennon could be considered, since Sean Payton has talked in the past about how much the Saints liked Glennon coming out in the draft.
At this point in Brees’ career, nothing can be ruled out.
Previous rankings:
No. 12 Specialists
No. 11 Wide receivers
No. 10 Tight ends
