The case can be made that Mike Onwenu is Bill Belichick’s “last best” draft pick.
Trapped in a sea of mediocre-to-bust Belichick picks – years of them, in fact – the longest-tenured current New England Patriot continues to grind at age 28, having tasted the Super Bowl one year ago.
A sixth-round selection out of Michigan, he lived up to Belichick’s tenet that guards are a dime-a-dozen and are not drafted early. They are made.
Planting roots with Vrabel
After being shuffled around the line through the late Belichick years and Jerod Mayo's one season, sliding over to tackle out of necessity, Onwenu settled in under Mike Vrabel at his natural position of right guard.
He and veteran tackle Morgan Moses were as solid as could be, even as the left side went under siege in the postseason.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Onwenu reported to minicamp in June ready to go for the season after training on his own earlier in spring.
Mentoring the young guys
When training camp opens on July 24, fans can expect Onwenu to be in the best shape he’s started a camp at in the past three or four years. He takes on a pivotal role that could be even intensified if the rookie Caleb Lomu forces his way into the starting lineup.
Lomu could start at right tackle, with second-year man Jared Wilson sliding over from right guard to center. That would leave Onwenu between two guys with very limited experience.
Unlike other years, Onwenu’s contract situation is not a topic of discussion, and it won’t be throughout 2026.
Contract status now clear
Originally signed to a top-of-market, three-year, $57 million deal in 2024, Onwenu earned the two years basically guaranteed at about $38 million total.
Instead of forcing the team’s hand with an outrageous cap number in 2026, he took a much more team friendly $10 million guaranteed this year.
His spot on the roster is now absolutely safe, and you could expect Onwenu to be focused on a solid year, considering he will be playing for one more life-altering free-agent contract.
