Patriots not tendering RFA offensive tackle

The New England Patriots are now up to two restricted free agents (RFAs) who will not be getting a tender. On Thursday, Mark Daniels of MassLive reported the team won't tender offensive tackle Yasir Durant.

Durant, 27, signed with the Patriots last June put was placed on IR just a few days into training camp. He'd previously played two seasons in the UFL, and began his NFL career with stints in New England, Kansas City, and New Orleans. In total he's appeared in 19 NFL games with two starts, with his last NFL game coming in 2022.

As a restricted free agent with less than four years of service time, the Patriots could tender Durant and guarantee a right of first refusal with any contract he signed with another team. The minimum RFA tender this year is worth $3.52 million according to OverTheCap.com. If a player is tendered and doesn't reach a contract, he plays under the tender as a one-year deal.

This doesn't preclude the Patriots from re-signing Durant, it just makes him an unrestricted free agent. They can still exclusively negotiate with him through Monday at noon when the legal tampering period begins, at that point he can start speaking with other teams.

Durant will be one of three Patriots tackles to hit free agency. Last year's primary backups - Vederian Lowe and Thayer Munford - are set to be unrestricted free agents. Given that loss of depth, tackle should be a need for the Patriots this offseason.

Along with Durant, it was reported the Patriots also won't be tendering RFA cornerback Alex Austin. That leaves them with three RFAs left to decide on in quarterback Tommy DeVito, defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, and linebacker Jack Gibbens.