Bleacher Report Says The Patriots Overpaid Dont’a Hightower, And I Just Don’t Agree

It’s rare when the New England Patriots overpay a player, especially on defense, where scheme is usually more impactful than individual talent. The Patriots may have overpaid to keep linebacker Dont’a Hightower last offseason when they gave him a four-year, $35.5 million deal. Is Hightower a good player? Yes. Is he important enough to the New England defense to warrant a cap hit of $10.9 million? Probably not. Hightower has played in just 20 games over the past two seasons and had an average season in 2018. In 15 games last year, Hightower produced 48 tackles, one sack and one interception. These are not bad numbers, of course, but they aren’t the numbers one would expect to see from one of New England’s highest-paid players. Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

Maybe the reason for naming Dont’a Hightower the most overpaid player on the Patriots is because Kristopher Knox needed a player from New England for the purpose of his article, or maybe it is because he hasn’t watched a post season game in the last 5 years. Whatever the reason may be, claiming Dont’a is overpaid and that his production doesn’t match his pay should be a fireable offense.

I certainly won’t argue that Hightower got a chunk of change when we re-signed him in 2017. The “next man up” mentality of this organization has led to countless departures come Spring time. So rarely do we ever see Belichick let a player name an asking price and fork up the dough. So after the Jets failed attempt to woo Dont’a with birthday cupcakes, and we eventually signed High back to a 4 year, $35 million deal, I was excited but also shocked.

Let’s take this layer by layer.

Knox submits to saying Hightower is a good football player, but I would even disagree with that. He is a great football player. In the revolving door that is the Patriots defense, Hightower has been one of the few consistent pieces. In fact, Hightower is only 1 of 3 remaining defensive players from the 2014 team. Sure, Hightower was out for pretty much the entire 2017 season, but even that season still proved his worth. We had a rocky start to the season like every September, but even when the Pats got rolling in December, there was still an Achilles heal to the team. That weakness was exposed in the last game of the season where the Eagles ran and passed the ball all over the team and torched the defense over the middle of the field in a game where the front 7 recorded 0 total sacks. I think I have ever single member of the Foxboro Faithful behind me when I say I would have paid $10.9 million that year just for him to play one game.

In the endless arsenal of quotes from Coach Belichick there is one that comes to mind when defending Dont’a.

Sure, throw me the stat of Hightower’s 48 tackles, one sack, and one interception this last season. But when you look up a players stats, the NFL doesn’t include postseason. If you’re talking Hightower you can’t not mention the post season. That is like trying to explain why Brady is the best quarterback of all time or why Michael Jordan was the greatest and leaving out their entire playoff career. Hightower very well could be the greatest Super Bowl linebacker of all time. To leave out his postseason stats and look at his regular season numbers only, then claim “they aren’t the numbers one would expect to see from one of New England’s highest-paid players” is just plain ignorant. So if we are looking for stats, here are some stats.

2014 Super Bowl XLIX: 8 total tackles and the second most important defensive play of the game, arguably the first. If he doesn’t do this then Butler never gets an opportunity for a game clinching interception.

2016 Super Bowl LI: 4 total tackles, 2 QB hits, and 1 sack. That one sack? Yet again the most important defensive play of the game. A strip sack to give the Pats the ball and a chance to make the greatest comeback in sports history. Edelman doesn’t make his gravity defying catch if it isn’t for Hightower. If not for the strip sack, Flowers doesn’t get his opportunity to sack Matt Ryan to push the team out of field goal range. And finally, if not for that sack, James White doesn’t get to punch the ball into the endzone for our second title in 3 years. The Patriots defense had to play perfect in the second half of that game and Hightower is the man that led the way.

2018 Super Bowl LIII: 4 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, and 2 sacks. He was without a doubt the best member of the front seven in this latest Super Bowl. In the best performance by a defense in Super Bowl history, Hightower was the heart and soul. If Edelman didn’t have one of the best games of his career, it would have been hard to not give Dont’a the MVP.

These are the numbers that I would want to see from one of New England’s highest paid players. When the lights shine brightest, whoever comes to play is who deserves the extra numbers on their paycheck. That is the Patriot way and that is why Boom Tower has been around for so long. There might be linebackers in the league that weeks 1-16 have some better and flashier numbers than him, but I promise you there isn’t a linebacker that has the cold blooded, clutch gene that Dont’a has shown on the biggest stage in sports. Maybe to some people if you don’t play every game living up to your contract you’re being overpaid, but I can assure you that seeing my team win three Super Bowls in the last five seasons, that’s priceless.