Franchise Tag for Stephen Gostkowski Changes Landscape for Patriots Offseason

Looking at it now, it all seemed so simple.

All the New England Patriots had to do was place the franchise tag on safety Devin McCourty, paying him $9.6 million for the 2015 season, and they may have been able to retain two key cogs to their secondary by then reaching a long-term agreement with cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Instead, the team chose to make kicker Stephen Gostkowski their franchise player, and in doing so, they opened up the gate for both Revis and McCourty to take off for greener pastures (figuratively and literally, and in a double-meaning kind of way too with regard to the pile of cash both men could be swimming in by this time next week).

The Patriots elected to forgo their only guaranteed opportunity to hang onto one of the two key players, and now, they are left facing a situation where they may need to conjure up a Plan B—because it appears there is none currently.

Player	Ht	Wt	Exp
Darrelle Revis*	5'11"	198	8
Brandon Browner	6'4"	221	5
Malcolm Butler	5'11"	190	1
Kyle Arrington	5'10"	190	6
Logan Ryan	5'11"	195	2

Sure, Brandon Browner is still on the roster and a highly capable starting cornerback, but he is prone to flags and is not at Revis' level when it comes to moving around and matching up against anyone.

Kyle Arrington is good in his role as a slot cornerback, but we've seen what happens when he gets planted on the outside, and it looks a lot like Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews leaping over him for catches of 44 and 45 yards in the Super Bowl. 

Logan Ryan's career got off to a strong start, but he found himself fighting for snaps with undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler all season.

Player	Ht	Wt	Exp
Devin McCourty*	5'10"	195	5
Patrick Chung	5'11"	210	6
Duron Harmon	6'1"	205	2
Tavon Wilson	6'0"	215	3
Nate Ebner	6'0"	210	3

The same could be said of the safety spot.

Patrick Chung had a career renaissance in 2014, but he's not going to play center field in McCourty's Cover 1 role anytime soon. Duron Harmon has made meaningful contributions to the team, but he lost significant playing time to Chung last season. Tavon Wilson is playing well on special teams, but his role on defense is almost non-existent. 

The Patriots have not lost hope that they can bring back one or both of their star free-agent defensive backs. In fact, the Patriots could help themselves in two ways by re-signing both to big-money, long-term deals. Not only would the Patriots avoid having to replace two elite players at their positions, but they would also put a dent in a sizable chunk of cash they have to spend this offseason.

Per the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams must spend 89 percent of their salary cap in a two-year span. Right now, the Patriots have only spent 82 percent of the cap the past two years.

But if it's not Revis and McCourty, it could be two other defensive backs to fill those spots.

There are budget options available. Rahim Moore (Denver Broncos) and Nate Allen (Philadelphia Eagles) are the two most attractive second-tier options at safety. Moore is more infamous than famous and will always be remembered for the one that got away in the 2012 divisional round. Allen has been up and down in his time in Philadelphia but could be a fit for the Patriots defense for his versatility.

At cornerback, the options are even more bountiful. Antonio Cromartie (Arizona Cardinals), Brandon Flowers (San Diego Chargers) and Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans) are all available, but much like at safety, they are not up to the talent level of the man they would be asked to replace.

On second thought, who would be?

In the Patriots system, McCourty's value is unprecedented and wildly underrated. Few safeties can cover up the entire back end in deep coverage like McCourty. Likewise, Revis' abilities are unparalleled in the NFL when it comes to matching up with anyone he lines up across from. If the Patriots are unable to bring back one or both men, it could mean wholesale changes to the defensive philosophy that was successful for them last season.

And that, in a nutshell, sums up the dilemma the Patriots have put themselves into: a situation where they could be forced to replace two potentially irreplaceable players.