New England Patriots: Are the Pats Looking to Replace Kicker Stephen Gostkowski?

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Source: bleacherreport.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
Like most teams, the New England Patriots experienced some major roster turnover this offseason, including the departure of stalwart WR Wes Welker . But is it possible the Pats are looking for a replacement for their leading scorer, kicker Stephen Gostkowski? On the surface, the notion seems far-fetched. After all, Gostkowski came just two points shy of the franchise's all-time single-season scoring record last year (he totalled 153 points; Gino Cappelletti notched 155 in 1964). But take a deeper look and you'll see his roster spot may not be as secure as it seems. First, there's the issue of his cap hit. Gostkowski's base salary next season is $2.5 million, the third-highest salary among NFL placekickers. According to PatsCap .com (the best source for updated Patriots salary cap information), the Patriots will save close to $1.4 million off the 2013 cap if they release Gostkowski. While there aren't many impact free agents left on the market, a few (like John Abraham and Israel Idonije ) remain. If the Pats decided not to pull the trigger on any big free agents, they could save the cap space for a midseason acquisition to buffer an injury, or even carry over the extra cap space to the 2014 cap. Of course, in order to cut Gostkowski, New England would need a replacement at the placekicker position. That's where 2011 Notre Dame graduate David Ruffer , recently signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots, comes in ...