Isaiah Wynn contract decision could have ramification on Trent Brown

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•05/31/22

The New England Patriots are managing some movement among their offensive linemen. Former first-round pick and starting left tackle in 2021, Isaiah Wynn, skipped voluntary OTAs this spring for the Patriots. NBC’s Mike Florio is saying that a veteran may slide over and take Wynn’s place heading into next season.

Trent Brown has taken over left tackle duties at practice in Wynn’s absence. Brown, entering his eighth season in the NFL, has logged the majority of his snaps at right tackle. In fact, the only season he primarily played left tackle was in 2018 with New England. He started 16 games there for the Pats before signing a four-year, $66 million deal with the Raiders.

After two seasons with the Raiders playing right tackle, Brown soured on Las Vegas and the front office sook a trade for the reliable O-lineman. New England swooped and gave up a fifth round pick in exchange for Brown and a seventh rounder to bring him back to Foxborough ahead of the 2021 season. He appeared in nine games rotating between several positions.

Isaiah Wynn could be on the move

Wynn’s absence from OTAs is only the latest in an up-and-down career. Before starting 16 games this past season, he’d never played more than 10 games in a season. Even when he did, his play wasn’t quite what you’d expect from a first-round pick.

Nevertheless, he performed well enough in 2021 for New England to pick up his fifth-year option just north of $10 million. But being a younger player and failing to stay healthy consistently, Wynn skipping OTAs may be a sign that he either wants a longer-term deal from New England or would like to be traded to a team that’s willing to give him more financial security.

Either way, Wynn could very well not be strapping on a Patriots helmet this fall. If not, Trent Brown has already proved he can reliably play either tackle position and could take the LT spot. Even if Wynn remains with the team, his health (and lack thereof) could cause Brown to move over anyway.