Some picked-up New England Patriots pieces and thoughts on the free-agent trail:
1. The Patriots currently have 75 players on their 90-man roster. With seven assigned draft picks and the potential for two additional compensatory picks, that would set the team up for a smaller class of about six undrafted free agents to get up to 90. There is always an aspect of flexibility with such a large roster, but we aren't expecting too many more additions leading up to the draft, with our radar on veteran offensive lineman Dan Connolly as one player the Patriots are hoping returns but has drawn interest from others as well.
2. Cornerback Robert McClain's contract with the Patriots is a one-year, $1.24 million pact, based on current information available. It includes a $150,000 signing bonus, $240,000 roster bonus ($15,000 per game), $800,000 base salary and a $50,000 workout bonus. Of the $800,000 base salary, $150,000 is fully guaranteed. There are also up to $760,000 of not-likely-to-be-earned incentives in the contract based on playing time.
3. Sometimes initial contract information is entered incorrectly when filed with the NFL players association, and such was the case with linebacker Chris White. The information is later corrected and that's when we circle back and do the same here. Along those lines, we previously reported that linebacker White's deal included a $250,000 workout bonus. But the deal does not include any workout bonus. White's contract is for one year, includes a $50,000 signing bonus, and a base salary of $745,000. That qualifies for the minimum salary benefit, meaning his salary cap charge is $635,000.
4. Here are more details on the structure of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork's two-year, $9 million deal with the Texans. It includes a $3 million signing bonus, $1 million fully guaranteed base salary for 2015 and a $1 million roster bonus (due March 24). He then has a $4 million base salary for 2016, and it will be interesting to see if there's any debate at that time among Texans management to pick it up.