New England Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and left tackle Trent Brown all will be hitting the open market as unrestricted NFL free agents after the team decided not to franchise tag them before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.
The only players to receive the franchise tag were DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Robbie Gould, Grady Jarrett, Frank Clark and Dee Ford, per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Flowers is set to become one of the top free agents available at any position. He's coming off a fantastic 2018 season during which he tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks, along with 52 total tackles, two passes defensed and three forced fumbles.
The 25-year-old pass rusher reportedly is expected to make between $14 million and $17 million per season with his next contract. One team that could potentially be a fit for Flowers is the Miami Dolphins, who recently hired former Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores as their new head coach.
Flowers spent his first three pro seasons with the Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
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Gostkowski was the second-longest tenured Patriots player behind Tom Brady. New England drafted Gostkowski in 2006. Brown was acquired by the Patriots in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers last April. He was the Patriots' starting left tackle last season and will be among the best offensive linemen in free agency.
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