8:12pm: The deal includes a $3.2MM signing bonus, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
7:38pm: The two-year pact is worth $9MM, according to Schefter.
6:47pm: The Patriots have signed offensive lineman Marcus Cannon to a two-year contract extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.
Cannon has served as the Pats’ third offensive tackle this season, giving New England depth behind starting left tackle Nate Solder and starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer. As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter) rightly notes, Nate Solder is due a fifth-year option that will significantly raise his base salary for 2015. With Cannon in the fold, the Pats have extra flexibility. It also stands to reason that the Pats could look to move on from Solder regardless of cost due to his inconsistent play. Solder has graded out as an average pass blocker and a rather abysmal run blocker this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In total, Solder’s play has given him an overall score of -4.1, good for just 41st out of all qualified tackles in 2014.
The 26-year-old was set to hit the open market after the 2014 season. Cannon’s previous deal paid him just $743K this past season, so his next two years should see a bit of a pay raise.