98.5 The Sports Hub staff report
Thanks to multiple reports, more contract details are out for Patriots rookie tight end Dalton Keene.
Pats cap expert Miguel Benzan of the Boston Sports Journal posted a four-year breakdown of Keene’s rookie contract, which the tight end out of Virginia Tech agreed to on May 11. Keene gets a guaranteed $832,292 signing bonus, while his cap hits average out to about $1,078,703 per season.
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According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the big picture for Keene is four years and $4.99 million. Per Benzan, who has the entire Patriots salary cap at BSJ, here’s how the cap hits break down:
2020: $818,073
2021: $1,022,592
2022: $1,173,073
2023: $1,301,073
Tight end Dalton Keene is confident that his versatility will translate well at the NFL level. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
The Patriots traded up to the 101st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft in order to select Keene. The tight end totaled 59 catches for 748 yards and eight touchdowns at Virginia Tech.
Keene told reporters in his introductory conference call that he feels his versatility will translate well to the Patriots and Bill Belichick’s system.
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“Yeah, I mean the level of versatility at Virginia Tech – I think they tried to do a lot of different things with me,” Keene said. “It was awesome that they trusted me to do so many different things and I think it says a lot about how I play and as a football player. That’s why I’m so excited that I got picked up by the Patriots because I think they do so many different things with their tight ends and are really creative there. So, I couldn’t be happier right now with where I ended up.”
The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Keene started all 13 games as a senior, making 21 catches for 240 yards and five touchdowns. He represents the Patriots’ new blood at tight end in the post-Rob Gronkowski era, along with fellow third-round pick Devin Asiasi out of UCLA.
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