Patriots on the verge of yet another contract extension

The New England Patriots apparently aren't done re-signing their own players.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson is the latest core Patriot on the verge of signing a contract extension. That's according to ... Rhamondre Stevenson.

"Yeah, it's pretty close," Stevenson said at Patriots minicamp on Monday in Foxboro, when asked if he feels close to an extension, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.

Under Eliot Wolf, who is now the Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel, the Patriots have made it a priority to retain their cornerstone players with new contracts, if not long-term extensions. They've reached new deals this off-season with the following players that were under contract with the team in 2023:

DT Christian Barmore
WR Kendrick Bourne
S Kyle Dugger
TE Hunter Henry
LB Anfernee Jennings
OT Mike Onwenu
LB Josh Uche

Stevenson, 26, averaged 4.0 yards per carry and caught 38 passes in 2023, totaling 857 yards from scrimmage and four combined rushing and receiving touchdowns. The yardage was a steep drop-off from 1,461 in 2022, although a lot of that has to do with the Pats' overall struggles on offense.

Stevenson is due a $3.116 million base salary in 2024. That number puts him at the 15th-highest average salary in the NFL at his position. That's less than his new teammate, Antonio Gibson.

MORE: Patriots sign yet another wide receiver, cut another

With that in mind, Stevenson deserves a slight raise over $3.1 million. But his relative lack of production in his most recent season, and his age - 26 isn't exactly old, but it's a little late for a four-year deal - should make his term and AAV reasonable.

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