Phil Perry and Mike Giardi break down why they believe rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk could be a starter Week 1 of the 2024 Patriots season
The New England Patriots have locked up another one of their own.
Starting center and team co-captain David Andrews has agreed to a contract extension with the Patriots through the 2025 season, ESPN's Field Yates reported Thursday.
Andrews was entering the 2024 season on the final year of a two-year, $12 million contract and carried a $8.4 million cap hit for this season, per Spotrac. Under the new contract, he'll earn a base value of $12 million over the next two seasons, with $8 million of that guaranteed and a maximum value of $13 million if he reaches certain incentives, per Yates.
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There was some speculation that Andrews might retire after the 2023 season, his ninth in the NFL. But the 31-year-old quickly put that speculation to rest this offseason, and now he's under contract for Years 10 and 11 in New England.
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“I took some time and got away and spent some time with my family, much needed," Andrews told reporters earlier this month about his decision to keep playing. "That desire was still down in there to wanna get up and go train and do all the things I need to do to take care of myself."
Andrews is the Patriots' longest-tenured player (alongside long-snapper Joe Cardona) and should provide valuable leadership on a team that features a completely overhauled coaching staff led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, three new quarterbacks (veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton) and a host of other fresh faces.
De facto general manager Eliot Wolf already has handed out new deals to Kendrick Bourne, Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, among others, and re-upping with Andrews is his latest move to keep the Patriots' "core" intact.
