The Patriots have decided not to pick up the fifth year options for defensive tackles Malcolm Brown and Danny Shelton. While this may seem surprising, it really is not that surprising.

Let’s start with Brown. If the Patriots picked up Brown’s option for 2019, they would have to pay him $7.8 million. Bill Belichick does not want to do that. Instead, he would prefer to try and sign Brown to a long term deal prior to this upcoming season. Brown had the best season of his career last season so he is probably not going to take a home town discount in an extension.

As for Shelton, the Patriots are taking a wait and see approach. They want to see how he fits into their system and what he does in a Patriots uniform before they commit to him long term. Belichick would like to keep Shelton but not at the expense of Brown.

The Patriots are set with Brown and Shelton at defensive tackle and they have depth behind them. As always, Belichick attaches a value to each position. He will not overpay unless the player is elite at his position. It will be interesting to see if Belichick views either player as “elite”.

The Patriots passing on each player’s fifth year option is not a surprise. Belichick is not exactly a fan of the fifth year option. If he views a player as an elite talent, he is much more likely to pick it up than not pick it up. He obviously thinks both players are good but not elite.

It will be interesting see where the Patriots go with both players.