Patriots starter breaks silence on contract situation

Davon Godchaux spoke about his contract for the first time since apparently staging a hold-in at Patriots minicamp earlier this month.

Entering the final year of his contract, the nose tackle did not participate in any team periods and stood behind his teammates while he also watched some individual drills. Godchaux is set to make $8.3 million in 2024, according to OverTheCap, but none of that is guaranteed. By coming to the obligatory minicamp but not participating, he cannot be fined for an unjustified absence.

On social media Monday evening, Godchaux responded to a question about his situation and made it clear he wanted a reworked deal, but would be willing to spend the rest of his career at Foxborough.

Here is Godchaux’s full message (as written by the defensive tackle):

Hopefully we can do something right for me and my team before camp starts! I love NE, I would love to retire here but it has to make sense for us! What I do on the football field in the trenches most of the time doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but turn on the film, you’ll see it if “you know” the ball! I would love to finish my career here in NE, but it has to make sense for me and my team!

As it stands, no one on the roster can really replicate what the 330-pounder does in the middle of the defense. Godchaux is 15 pounds heavier than anyone else on the defensive line and was terrific with New England’s two-gap technique during his time with the Patriots.

During minicamp, Jerod Mayo said the Patriots know what Godchaux brings, calling him one of the team’s “best players,” but it remains to be seen if they are willing to re-do a deal that can still bringing him more than 8 million dollars. year.

“There are guys who obviously want to re-contract and stuff like that. And not just the GM, it’s a group of guys that want to do these things, and we’re working on it,” Mayo said. “Eliot (Wolf) and his team are doing an excellent job managing this. I’m not interested in player contracts.

“What I will say is one thing I’ve learned is that sometimes the value the team has on a person is a little different than the value the market has on a person. So, these are just things I’m learning, guys. As I told you before, I’m green, but I’m learning. I’m evolving, and these are the conversations that need to be had.