Even though they had already invested a first-round pick in their offensive tackle position, the New England Patriots decided to double-dip at the offensive tackle position for the second straight NFL Draft. After picking Utah’s Caleb Lomu 28th overall, they added Texas A&M’s Dametrious Crownover with the 196th selection in the sixth round.
Unlike Lomu, Crownover has already signed his rookie contract. Let’s take a closer look at the four-year pact and its impact on New England’s salary cap from 2026
through 2029.
OT Dametrious Crownover: Contract details
Base value: $4,656,432
Maximum value: TBD
Guarantees: $276,432
Signing bonus: $276,432
2026 (age 24):
Base salary: $885,000
Signing bonus: $69,108
Salary cap hit: $954,108
2027 (age 25):
Base salary: $1,050,000
Signing bonus: $69,108
Salary cap hit: $1,119,108
2028 (age 26):
Base salary: $1,165,000
Signing bonus: $69,108
Salary cap hit: $1,234,108
2029 (age 27):
Base salary: $1,280,000
Signing bonus: $69,108
Salary cap hit: $1,349,108
As with the deal of the player drafted before him by the Patriots, fifth-round cornerback Karon Prunty, this one is also pretty straight forward. It includes annually progressing base salaries, that are the minimum amount for that particular season as defined by the NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. None of those salaries is guaranteed.
The only guarantee in Prunty’s pact is his $276,432 signing bonus, which is prorated over four years equaling annual installments of $69,108. Should Crownover be released at any point, the remaining prorations will hit the team’s books as dead cap.
As for the cap, Crowover currently is not a Top 51 player from a fiscal perspective: his $954,108 salary cap hit in 2026 is not among the 51st highest on the team right now, meaning that only his yearly guarantee — i.e. the first of those $69,108 signing bonus prorations — is currently weighed against New England’s cap. The Top 51 rule will expire right before the Patriots’ regular season opener in Seattle, at which point the full cap number would be counted; if he is on the 53-man roster, that is.
