New England Patriots Devin McCourty 2015 Free Agent Profile

Even though he isn’t an impending free agent, the New England Patriots most talked-about player in the offseason so far is star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was as important to the team’s Super Bowl-winning season as we thought. Revis confirmed his standing as either the best or second-best cornerback in the NFL by shutting down nearly every top receiver he faced, and his consistency is legendary.

The Patriots negotiations with Revis will determine how everything else falls into place, because even though he’s incredibly talented and valuable to the team, he’s not worth $20 million. Aside from quarterbacks, only J.J. Watt would ever be worth that kind of money in one season, so the Patriots will have to get the shrewd, business-oriented Revis to accept something more feasible for the Pats to take on.

Talks with Revis will have the greatest impact on how much money the Patriots are able to give the other star in their secondary, Devin McCourty, who is a favorite of Bill Belichick’s and has been one of the three best safeties in the NFL ever since converting from cornerback in 2012. D-Mac was a good corner despite his horrible 2011 season, which was more of a reflection of the coverage behind him, but his instincts, tackling, and ball skills made him an elite FS.

As with the Kansas City Chiefs and superstar outside linebacker Justin Houston, there’s simply no way the Patriots let McCourty walk in free agency. I’d rather pay D-Mac what he’s worth and let Revis go than overpay Revis and let McCourty go. While Revis is the better player, McCourty is a couple of years younger and is equally as important to the organization. Revis can take out the opposition’s best player on his own, which Belichick values, but McCourty can completely negate the deep ball; he’s largely responsible for the defense’s standout performance against T.Y. Hilton.

It’s unclear which player is the bigger priority for the Patriots, because that opens up a huge discussion related to value. For instance, did Patrick Chung suddenly improve, or did that have to do with Revis’s ability to allow Chung to play close to the line of scrimmage, his preferred role, for the first time in his career?

Given the uncertainty surrounding Revis’s contract situation, it makes plenty of sense for the Patriots to play it safe and slap the franchise tag on McCourty. He’s too important to let go, and they can’t run the risk on striking out on two elite defensive backs who are two of the best at their respective positions. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are the Patriots two most important players, but Revis and D-Mac are clearly third and fourth with additional locker- and film- room value.

According to CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora, the franchise number for safeties is expected to be $9.53 million this offseason, and that’s a perfectly reasonable amount of money to hand to McCourty for a season of vitally excellent play at the position. The Patriots have two young, quality safeties in Duron Harmon and Tavon Wilson, but neither have the smarts, ball skills, or vastly underrated tackling ability that McCourty brings to the table. Per Pro Football Focus, McCourty missed just six tackles last season despite recording 68.

The New England Patriots have several standouts on defense in Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Chandler Jones, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, McCourty, and Wilfork, and it will be interesting to see how much money the Patriots can save by restructuring Wilfork’s and Mayo’s deals. Of course, getting Wilfork to restructure after what happened last year will be difficult, but it’s perfectly reasonable to expect some savings from restructuring Mayo’s contract. Mayo can’t be better than Hightower and Collins, who are both true star LBs, at this stage, and he’s coming off of two season-ending injuries.

It’s clear that the Patriots can’t let McCourty hit free agency, and it would be a shock to see one of the NFL’s best safeties in the prime of his career hitting the open market. Jairus Byrd made big bucks last offseason when he signed with the New Orleans Saints, but I’d say that McCourty is an even better player since he can cover and stop the run. And despite his low INT totals (just three in the past two seasons), his ball skills are elite; it’s just that he’s so good in coverage that teams don’t bother challenging him anymore.

Sep 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty (32) returns an interception during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

If McCourty somehow hits the free agent market, then he’ll be one of the most sought-after players on the open market, and he would undoubtedly be one of the highest-paid defensive backs in the game. His body of work is impressive, and he’s the kind of leader that teams seek at the safety position.

Of course, players don’t make money because of their leadership or character traits; they make money because of their skills and how they use them. D-Mac has all the tools of a cornerback and a safety rolled up into one monster who allowed a QB Rating of just 62.6 into his coverage last year, per PFF.

Arguably the second-best safety in the game behind Earl Thomas, Devin McCourty has almost no chance of hitting the open market this offseason, and I would be surprised he if doesn’t want to re-sign with the Patriots. Both organization and player are a perfect fit, and he’s an integral part of a team that will have a shot to win a couple of more rings.

Every financial detail for the Patriots hinges on Revis, so the franchise tag makes the most sense for the Pats at this point of time. I would be surprised if a deal can be reached before the start of free agency, but I will be even more surprised if McCourty sees the light of free agency in 2015.

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