New England Patriots links 2/25/22 – Signs of spring: Which free agents re-sign or get sprung?

Daily news and links for Friday

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2022 Mock Draft Tracker.
• Mike Dussault suggests five positions of Patriots need to watch at the NFL’s Scouting Combine.
• Patriots Unfiltered 2/24: Franchise J.C. Jackson?, NFL Draft, Brady movie. (2 hours)
• Patriots Playbook 2/23: Offseason to-do list, will New England franchise J.C. Jackson? (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Nick O’Malley says it’s a good thing the Patriots drafted Mac Jones last year because the 2022 QB class doesn’t look great.
• Zack Cox makes cases for and against re-signing each of the Patriots free agents.
• Khari Thompson identifies a few Patriots who could be cap casualties this offseason.
• Mike D’Abate (PatriotMaven) For the Wynn – Why making a decision on Isaiah Wynn’s future may impact Patriots chances for success in 2022.
• Isaiah Houde (PatriotsWire) Free agency: Does Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower still have the same juice?
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Free agency: Can the Patriots afford to lose safety Devin McCourty?
• Matt Dolloff suggests seven free-agent slot receivers to bolster the Patriots offense in 2022.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) PFF projects Patriots to sign WR Juju Smith-Schuster in sizable FA haul.
• tcrowley (98.5 Sports Hub) What’s the Patriots’ plan for pass-catching running backs?
• Andrew Callahan profiles five potential draft targets at linebacker in the first round.
• Dakota Randall’s Patriots positional outlook: D-Line future might be bright, but what about the present?
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Patriots offseason preview: Where does New England stand at CB?
• Alex Barth revisits the Patriots’ franchise tag history under Bill Belichick to see what it tells us about J.C. Jackson’s potential future in New England.
• Evan Lazar’s Patriots Mailbag: Way too early to panic about J.C. Jackson’s future with Pats.
• Chris Mason’s Friday Patriots mailbag: Is JuJu Smith-Schuster a fit in New England?
• Zack Cox’ Patriots Mailbag: Could Calvin Ridley fill New England’s receiver need? Plus: Scoping out a few potential draft targets.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Patriots and NFL thoughts: Five things to know. 1) With all the talk going on about J.C. Jackson, the obvious question is if the two sides can’t reach an agreement, their depth is a huge question mark.
• Mark Morse (PatsFans) Thoughts on the upcoming NFL draft Combine, Ben Coates honored.
• Andy Hart fantasizes about Amazon luring Bill Belichick to TV. /Won’t happen, but I’d tune it if it did.
• Evan Lazar discusses how the Patriots can get the most out of Mac Jones in their offense. (4 min. video)
• Chris Mason mentions 13 ex-Patriots were taken in the USFL Draft, including former QB J’Mar Smith.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Albert Breer (SI) Mailbag: What Is Jordan Love worth in a trade? Plus, would Tom Brady play for the 49ers in 2022? Could Brian Flores succeed Mike Tomlin? Who will be Carolina’s QB next year? More!
• Jason La Canfora (CBS Sports) NFL insider notes: Ranking 13 teams most desperate for a franchise QB, with Steelers, Buccaneers at the top.
• David Heim (Audacy) The Patriots’ No. 1 receiver may already be on the roster: Kendrick Bourne.
• Kevin Patra (NFL.com) All 32 teams’ WR situations ahead of free agency, draft. ‘New England needs a go-to target to shift coverage and who can win every down.’
• Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) NFL free agency 2022: Breaking down the offensive tackle market.
• Gennaro Filice & Nick Shook (NFL.com) 2021 NFL rookie grades: Ranking the classes, 1 to 32. Patriots 6th best.
• Cynthia Frelund (NFL.com) Restructure or release? Eight AFC players to keep an eye on.
• Adam Rank (NFL.com) 2022 NFL free agency: Five players who should stay with current teams, five who should go
• Tim Kelly (Audacy Sports) NFL Mock Draft. Pats pick Utah LB Devin Lloyd.
• Tom Fornelli (CBS Sports) 2022 NFL Mock Draft. Pats pick Michigan EDGE David Ojabo.
• Steven Ruiz (The Ringer) The 49ers’ QB decision isn’t as clear-cut as you think.
• Danny Heifetz (The Ringer) The Colts cannot possibly return from Wentz they came. /Included for the headline.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: Amazon, Fox will call Tom Brady about analyst gig.
• Jesse Pantuosco (Audacy) 5 candidates to replace Troy Aikman in the Fox broadcast booth.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Report: If ESPN can’t land Joe Buck, it likely will turn its attention to Al Michaels.
• Dan Mennella (Audacy Sports) Report: Drew Brees a ‘trade’ candidate amid shakeups in NFL announcer booths.
• John Wertheim (SI) Marvin Lewis on the Brian Flores lawsuit and the future of black coaches, including himself.