Patriots Free Up $3.3M in Cap Room Ahead of Trade Deadline

The New England Patriots have given themselves some breathing room ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The club restructured tight end Hunter Henry's contract this week, converting half of his base salary into a signing bonus to free up approximately $3.3 million in salary-cap space, according to a report from the Boston Globe's Ben Volin. The move leaves New England with roughly $5.245 million in available cap room as the November 10 deadline approaches. Henry signed a two-year, $16 million extension in August that included $14.5 million in guarantees and a $4.2 million signing bonus, and the restructure does not by itself signal that a trade is imminent. But it does give the Patriots flexibility at a moment when they have clear needs, most notably along the interior offensive line.