NFL Free Agency: Candidates to Sign Dont’a Hightower
NFL free agency will now see a blue-chip linebacker become available
Reports emerged Tuesday afternoon that the New England Patriots would not use the franchise tag on linebacker Dont’a Hightower, allowing him to become a free agent.
While the Patriots have a history of allowing some of their best players not named Tom Brady test free agency, losing Hightower could be a major loss for New England.
Hightower will be looking to become one of the highest-paid middle linebackers in the NFL. Who other than the Patriots could afford him this offseason through the NFL free agency market?
We first asked on Twitter what the fans and analysts think will happen with Hightower:
Which team, other than New England, will Dont'a Hightower play for next season?
— NFL Mocks (@NFLMocks) February 28, 2017
The masses spoke and a majority believe Hightower will play somewhere in California next season.
Both the Raiders and 49ers make a great deal of sense for Hightower. Each has a large hole at middle linebacker and a large amount of cap space to make Hightower the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history.
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Oakland showed last offseason they were not afraid to spend money to clog the holes on their depth chart. While not every signing worked perfectly, a single player such as Kelechi Osmele was a great addition to the offensive line.
Insert Hightower next to/behind Khalil Mack over Ben Heeney and the Raiders front-seven looks vicious.
San Francisco needs youth and talent across their roster in order to return to the Super Bowl contenders they were just a few seasons ago. The organization will transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense and need to fill out the roster.
New Orleans will have a tighter salary cap but they desperately need a star on defense. They released Jairus Byrd on Tuesday, a constant remembrance of why teams do not go all-in on big money free agents. Regardless, the organization needs a veteran leader on defense and who better than a reigning Super Bowl champion linebacker?
Fans should also keep an eye on Miami and Dallas as sleepers in the Hightower free agency market.