Foxboro Foreword? Breaking Down the Patriots Reported Trade of Shaq Mason to Buccaneers

Per reports, the New England Patriots have agreed to trade standout offensive lineman Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fifth-round draft selection.

Despite what you may hear on terrestrial radio, there is never a dull moment in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

With the New England Patriots having taken a conservative, quiet approach to free agency this far in 2022, they made a shocking splash in the trade market on Tuesday afternoon.

Per multiple reports, the Patriots have agreed to trade standout offensive lineman Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fifth-round draft selection. For the Pats, the move was a financial one, intended to create room under the salary cap. As for Tampa Bay, the trade will reunite Mason with his former Patriots teammate Tom Brady, who recently announced his ‘unretirement’ for the 2022 NFL season.

As reported by Jeff Howe of The Athletic, trading Mason frees close to $7 million in cap space. However, Patriots’ salary cap expert Miguel Benzan is reporting a cap clearance of approximately $6.3 million, when accounting for the $825,000 salary of the player who will replace Mason on the Top 51 list. The Patriots will reportedly take on $3.15 million in dead money. Conversely, Tampa Bay will take on $6.5 million in Mason’s base salary and $1 million in roster bonuses in 2022. They will also take on up to $8.875 million for the Georgia Tech product in 2023.

Despite being the subject of offseason trade rumors, Mason’s trade does come as a surprise. On Monday, New England’s starting left guard, Ted Karras, reportedly agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Karras’ departure seemed to ensure that New England will retain Mason’s services for the upcoming season. In 2021, Mason once again demonstrated why he is one of the Patriots most effective offensive linemen. While the 28-year-old has been a run-blocking force for the Patriots, he also showed some prowess in pass protection, allowing only one sack and 18 pressures on the season. His efforts earned him a spot on the Pro Football Focus (PFF) All-Pro Second Team, with an overall PFF Grade of 85.2. Mason was also well-disciplined, having been flagged for only four penalties. The former fourth-round draft pick by the Patriots appeared in 15 of a possible 17 regular season games, taking 955 offensive snaps.

With a clear need for stability and experience along the line, Mason’s departure now leaves two major voids at guard. Having now lost both starters at the position [Mason and Karras] from 2021, They do have Michael Onwenu in place to fill at least one of those spots. At his best, Onwenu has shown a consistent and impressive ability to overwhelm defenders in the run game, while anchoring well to protecting the passer. It is a rare occasion on which he is easily bypassed on a pass block. Onwenu was thought to be the primary choice to replace Karras at left guard. However, having played right guard at the University of Michigan, he may slot into that position for 2022.

It should also be noted that 2021 starting right tackle Trent Brown is set to enter unrestricted free agency as of Wednesday, March 16 at 4:00pm ET. If Brown does not re-sign with New England, their depth chart along the offensive line would be estimated as follows: 

Left tackle: Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, Will Sherman

Left guard: James Ferentz, Drew Desjarlais

Center: David Andrews

Right guard: Michael Onwenu, Arlington Hambright

Right tackle: Justin Herron, Yasir Durant

Of course, as with all moves of this magnitude, the Patriots may be making these moves with something larger on the horizon in their sights. The upcoming NFL Draft has several interior offensive line prospects such as Tulsa’s Tyler Smith and Boston College’s Zion Johnson.

As for their next move, the Patriots are never one to rest on their laurels. Free Agency may have started slow for the New England Patriots in 2022. However, the actions of Tuesday afternoon may have signified the awakening of a sleeping giant. Either way, things just got a bit more interesting in New England.