The Patriots’ edge rush contingent was dealt a major blow when Matt Judon suffered a torn bicep which has landed him on IR and threatens to keep him out for the rest of the year. New England has had to rely on Josh Uche as a result, but the latter’s time with the organization could be nearing an end. 
Uche and the Patriots have not held talks on a contract extension, reports Henry McKenna of Fox Sports. The 25-year-old is playing out the final year of his rookie contract, meaning he is due to reach free agency in March. Unlike many recent Patriots draftees, Uche has a case to warrant a new deal with New England in large part based on his 2021 production.
The Michigan alum held a rotational role during his first two seasons, and he totaled only four sacks in that span. Only a slight uptick in usage (38% defensive snap share) last year produced a major spike in production, however. Uche racked up 11.5 sacks, 14 QB hits and 25 pressures in 2021, leading to increased expectations for this season and the chance he would become a rare Day 2 selection to earn a second contract from the team.
The last Patriot second-rounder to be retained beyond their rookie pact was Rob Gronkowski, a sign of New England’s struggles developing homegrown playmakers over several years. Uche could have cemented his status as a top financial priority with a strong Year 4 in the league, but he has managed only a pair of sacks so far and one since the season opener. Tackling issues and struggles in coverage have contributed to a PFF grade of 63.2 this year, a major step back from last year’s evaluation.
Sitting at 1-5 and facing major questions about the short- and long-term direction the organization will be headed in, the Patriots could find themselves as sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Uche could provide at least a depth option for contenders in search of help on the edge, and his age and status as a rental could yield a market for his services. With Judon’s contract set to expire after 2024, though, the Patriots would have incentive to retain Uche on a multi-year pact in the hopes of repeating last season’s success.
The latter has a base salary of just over $1.34MM this year, so a prorated portion of that figure would be easy for an acquiring team to absorb in a trade. If Uche remains in New England for the rest of the season, though, it will be interesting to see what kind of production he can provide and how willing team and player will be to discuss a new contract.
There isn’t a single person from NE’s 2019 draft class still on their roster. Keep proclaiming how great Bill is.
I guess if we point out one draft class then, yeah, he is one of the worst
Gronk was drafted in 2010. Does 12 years straight of whiffing on 2nd round picks help? It’s in the article. Bill hasn’t re-upped 1st round pick in 10 years. Keep proclaiming how great Bill is.
Not sure if you have comprehension issues or what but I never proclaimed such a thing and honestly, no one did. You were the first to comment.
Billy the goat has a whopping .416 winning percentage since Tom left (2020). That’s having no talent because of the GM and bad coaching as well.
So you are saying the quarterback matters in football? This is groundbreaking. I wonder if Andy Reid will be terrible after Mahomes retires. Then we will see Andy for who he really is.
Actually, if you knew football you would know the answer already. Andy was 130-93-1 in 14 seasons w/ Philly. No HoF QB there.
I mean, I thought McNabb was good. Still speaks to the need for a good QB as you say.
I agree. McNabb was good. Not a HoF’er. Andy has won much more than Bill when both didn’t have HoF QB’s. In fact, Andy is above 500 where Billy the goat isn’t. 9 seasons for proof on Billy’s record to for the record book. What other QB has Bill ever coached to good, comparable to McNabb?
Andy Reid single handedly resurrected AlexSmith’s career.
Reid, never got over the hump til he got Mahomes. He was just fat, jolly and average.
Belichick also had an overall losing record with the Cleveland Browns and was 5-11 his first year in Foxboro.
You really have to separate him into two different people, Coach Bill, and GM Bill. Coach Bill is one of the greatest of all time, GM Bill is average at best
Hard to really get the most out of any first rounder when 40% or so re up with the team that drafted them. For those not good at math, that’s less than half. Must mean more than half of the GMs that are drafting aren’t very good, either. Unless you are the Vikings GM. They like to just pass on their selections. The success rate is much higher when you don’t select at all.
Take away Brady and Belichick is no better than Jeff “7-9 Forever” Fisher.
and Mr Bill is/was annoying and borderline creepy
I particularly like they way he mumbles through his post game press conferences and reminds us who the next opponent they are “on to” like he just put it into Google maps
Ok, let me try my unreasonable take: the 2019 draft class debacle will cost Belichick a HoF induction
Go back to the mattress.
1-16. Say bye bye, Bill.