The New England Patriots' decision to bring in free-agent wide receiver Romeo Doubs was a genius move as far as scheme fit is concerned. But as it turns out, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf deserves a lot of credit for the way he structured Doubs’ $68 million contract as well.
First and foremost, there is a potential out built in after the 2027 season that could see New England cut ties with Doubs after sinking just $35 million into the deal for two years. The out carries an almost negligible dead cap hit of $7.5 million.
More importantly, Doubs carries just an $8.6 million cap hit in his first season with the Patriots. This is made up of a $3 million base salary, a $3.7 signing bonus, and a $100k game check for each week of the season.
WR Romeo Doubs: 4 years, base value $68 million, reported maximum value $80 million
Signing bonus: $15m
Total guarantees: $39m
2026
Base: $3m*
Cap: $8.6m
Roster bonus: $100k per game (up to $1.7m)
Workout bonus: $300k
2027
Base: $13m*
Cap: $18.6m
Roster bonus: $100k per game…
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 15, 2026
The Patriots' presumed wide receiver No. 1 is set to make as much as players like Adam Thielen, Josh Palmer and Dyami Brown (who all had less than 350 yards last season).
Doubs does not become a bank breaker after his incredibly cheap first season, either.
In 2027, he will make a $13 million base salary and carry an $18.6 cap hit. This is around the AAV levels of Christian Kirk and Jerry Jeudy.
If he makes it to the final two years of his contract, he will run New England $19.9 million and $20.9 million in 2028 and 2029. No void years are built into the initial contract, so there is plenty of room to restructure down the line.
All in all, the Patritos front office did a terrific job putting this deal together and has left New England a lot of room to continue making moves this offseason.