The New England Patriots were able to get a positive update regarding one of their star offensive linemen earlier this week. Guard Mike Onwenu was back at the facility. This was noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss in his Sunday notes column.
It was reported in last week’s edition of Sunday notes that Onwenu did not show up for voluntary minicamp. This comes on the heels of the lineman wanting a new contract. It was a bit of a juxtaposition in comparison to some of his teammates. For example, Christian Gonzalez showed up to the first day of voluntary offseason workouts, as the letter also waits for a new deal.
In the meantime, Reiss offered new updates on this development.
Starting right guard Mike Onwenu was back in Foxborough last week for the second week of the voluntary offseason program, as he arrived behind most of his teammates.
Onwenu, who enters the final year of his contract and is the team’s longest-tenured player (since 2020), has a $200,000 workout bonus in his deal that calls for him to earn a base salary of $16 million (with a $25 million salary cap charge).
Onwenu Has Been Valuable For Patriots
This is certainly a step in the right direction for the Patriots. The Michigan product has been a key piece of the offensive line over the past couple of seasons. The 2025 season was yet another example of that. He ranked seventh among all guards with a Pro Football Focus grade of 78.2. He was top-five in pass blocking.
Onwenu has also been versatile for the organization. He has played right guard, left guard, and right tackle over the course of his career. His versatility has been important, as the Patriots have spent the last couple of seasons trying to find an identity on the offensive line.
Patriots Veteran Has Survived Tremendous Turnover
The lack of identity on the line has also highlighted his dependability. He has played in 98 games, starting 90 of them. This is especially impressive when you consider the turnover in coaches during his career. He has had three different head coaches and four sets of offensive line coaches since he came into the league. He worked with Bill Belichick from 2020 to 2023, and then with Jerod Mayo in 2024. Now, he hopes to find stability under Mike Vrabel.
In terms of offensive line coaches, he worked with Carmen Bricillo and Cole Popovich in 2020. Bricillo took over the offensive line once again in 2021-2022. 2023 saw him work with Adrian Klemm. More change happened the following season. 2024 saw the Patriots transition to Scott Peters before landing Doug Marrone this past offseason. It has not been easy in terms of stability on the offensive line.
That being said, Onwenu has somehow survived it all. This is certainly admirable given the rebuilding that the Patriots have gone through to get to this point. However, some tough decisions may need to be made down the road. He has no guaranteed money remaining for the final year of his deal, which ends after the 2026 season.
For now, he should be ready to go for the 2026 season. These contract negotiations will undoubtedly be worth monitoring. It could become a storyline over the course of training camp, and maybe even as the season progresses. Regardless, he is an extremely valuable member of this Patriots team, and he has been a cornerstone of the offensive line. Now the Patriots will have the opportunity to keep him in the fold.
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