Top 10 highest-paid New England Patriots players going into 2024
With the sacking of Bill Belichick after 24 seasons and the hiring of former linebacker turned coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots kicked off the 2024 offseason with a bang. After that, he assembled his new squad, appointing Eliot Wolf as the team's acting general manager. Since since, the two have taken some significant votes on the team's roster.
Luckily for them, New England possessed a considerable amount of cap space in the NFL, and considering the roster's need for improvement, it was the ideal moment to allocate funds.
In an effort to stabilize the team while they rebuild and make prudent use of their financial resources, the new administration has placed a high priority on extending and re-signing some of their most important players.
They haven't spent carelessly yet, which is the proper decision, but they still have plenty of cap space to employ coming into training camp—something most supporters hope they will use to extend a couple more elite players.
That's why Bill Belichick gave contracts to most of the players around the top of the list, some of which were and may still be a little too generous, when it comes to the most costly contracts for the 2024 season. However, a number of players who were recently awarded extensions are currently ranked in the top 10, many of whom Belichick would have probably moved on from.
The top ten Patriots players in terms of salary heading into 2024
All things considered, the Patriots are lucky to have a quarterback on a rookie contract to help spread the wealth rather than paying one guy an outrageous amount for the upcoming campaign.
Not having a top-tier wide receiver on the roster has also helped, as those contracts have increased following a season in which clubs all over the league extended the finest players at the position.
Due to this, the majority of their highest-paid players are on defense, which has been the team's stronger position for a number of years. Furthermore, the guy who OverTheCap predicts will have the biggest cap hit also happens to be a player who is seeking an extension, which he should be able to get before training camp starts the following week.
Cap Hit for 2024 season
Matthew Judon $14,675,850*
Jonathan Jones $12,573,529
Davon Godchaux $11,800,000*
Michael Onwenu $10,941,176
JuJu Smith-Schuster $10,280,392
Jacoby Brissett $7,882,353
Deatrich Wise $7,641,176*
Kyle Dugger $7,500,000
David Andrews $6,675,000
Drake Maye $6,661,775
* indicates players who have already earned all of their guaranteed money