Free Agents

Head coach Bill Belichick knows he has to make changes to the Patriots in order to reverse the sliding trend. Fortunately, two were made for him.

LB Junior Seau announced his second retirement. This time he says it is permanent. He wants to spend his days surfing. And defensive coordinator Dean Pees, whose contract expired, won’t resign and will pursue other options.

While this may slightly clear things up, there are still plenty of decisions left to make regarding New England’s free agents. The decision for the exclusive free agents shouldn’t be hard. Between Brett Lockett, Gary Guyton, and Chris Taylor, Guyton should be resigned. Some thought must go into what to do with the remaining free agents though:

Restricted

K Stephen Gostkowski – A young, accurate kicker with a strong leg and a Pro Bowl under his belt should be back. By virtue of the position he plays, he won’t be too expensive to keep.

OG Logan Mankins – His reputation is growing, as evidenced by his second Pro Bowl selection. He doesn’t seem like a guy that wants top dollar. If he’s willing to accept a below market value contract (that’s just the Patriot Way), he will remain between LT Matt Light and C Dan Koppen.

OLB Woods – Woods can play in a pinch, but will become a full-time starter on defense. He’s a special teamer, but that’s not enough reason to keep him, even though Woods would come cheap.

Unrestricted

DE Jarvis Green – He’s solid, but Green is no longer a pass rush specialist like in past years. With that being said, it’s safer to keep him than hope a replacement can come in and do the job as well as Green.

DL Vince Wilfork – I thought Wilfork would be signed because the Patriots freed enough cash after trading DE Richard Seymour. But without a contract and a strong possibility to be franchised, Wilfork seems more like trade bait than being resigned.

OLB/DE Derrick Burgess – He was expected to provide consistent pressure from the outside, but Burgess couldn’t do it. Maybe as a last resort Derrick is resigned, but there’s a lot of time to find someone that can do the job better than Burgess.

OLB Tully Banta-Cain - He accounted for almost one-third of New England’s 31 sacks. TBC cashed in 5.5 sacks in 2006 for a considerable contract with San Francisco. Imagine what he’ll be worth when he shops around 10 sacks in 2009. Banta-Cain will take the money and run for a second time.

CB Leigh Bodden – Bodden gambled by signing a one-year deal to erase his days in Detroit and prove to the league his ability. It worked. Leigh says he wants to stay, but some team will come along and reward Bodden.

RB Kevin Faulk – Faulk is respected throughout the league, but he doesn’t seem interested in playing anywhere but New England. The Pats should be happy to oblige.

TE Ben Watson – He’s not a bust, but for all the talent and athleticism Watson possesses, he’s never been anything but average. The Pats can do better.

OG Stephen Neal – Immediately after the Wild Card loss, Neal floated the idea he might contemplate retirement. The Patriots would make it worth his while to come back, but if Neal hangs it up, New England can depend on Dan Connolly.

P Chris Hanson – You’d think that because Bill Belichick publicly stresses special teams that he would find a good punter. Hanson ranks near the bottom of the league in average (37) and net average (36). His run with the Pats should come to an end.