As the Patriots begin their summer vacation this weekend, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting contract situations, and what it will take for the Patriots and those players to come to long-term deals. (Not included are the handful of veterans entering “prove-it” years — Martellus Bennett, Chris Long, Terrance Knighton, and Aaron Dobson, among others.)

FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots’ run for a fifth Super Bowl is obviously the top story line for 2016, but a close second is the sheer number of key players they have entering a contract year — Jamie Collins, Malcolm Butler, Dont’a Hightower, Jabaal Sheard, Logan Ryan, Rob Ninkovich, Sebastian Vollmer, and several others.


■ LB Jamie Collins: Collins’s situation has several fascinating dynamics, complicating the negotiation and making Collins a prime candidate for the franchise tag next offseason.

The Patriots’ second-round pick in 2013 hasn’t made life-changing money yet — he’s in the final year of a four-year, $3.77 million contract. The Patriots are likely hoping that Collins is so eager for a big payday that he’ll agree to a below-market contract just to put some cash in his pocket now.

But Collins is also one of the most athletically gifted players in the NFL, a true three-down player who can rush the passer, chase down ball carriers, cover running backs and tight ends, and block field goals. NFL scouts drool over the type of player Collins has developed into, and he’ll be just 27 years old next spring.

Luke Kuechly is the standard-bearer for inside linebackers, signing a seven-year, $61.8 million deal with $27 million in guarantees. Lavonte David has the highest contract for an outside linebacker, at five years and $50.25 million, and Bruce Irvin has the highest guarantee at $14 million. Considering that teams are flush with cash from the TV deals, the salary cap keeps going up each year, and Collins is an elite prospect in the prime of his career, Collins should be able to crush David’s and Irvin’s contracts, and should approach if not surpass Kuechly’s.


If Collins’s top motivation is to max out on his contract, there’s a good possibility it won’t come in a Patriots uniform. Rarely do the Patriots pay top-of-the-market rates for players.

But that’s only if Collins is willing to wait until next March to get paid. The Patriots will most likely try to get him to bite on a more team-friendly deal in training camp, and if they can’t reach an accord simply use the franchise tag on him next year. This year, the tag for linebackers was $14.129 million.

■ CB Malcolm Butler: No question, Butler deserves to be paid more than $600,000 this year — his similar salary-cap number is 55th highest on the Patriots. The problem is he has almost no leverage to demand anything.

Since Butler entered the league as an undrafted rookie, he will be a restricted free agent next offseason and won’t be a true unrestricted free agent until 2018. The Patriots will almost certainly place a first-round tender on Butler next year, guaranteeing him a salary projected to be about $3.9 million. Add in this year’s $600,000, and the Patriots are projected to spend about $4.5 million on Butler for the next two seasons, an incredible bargain for a No. 1 cornerback.

And there’s not much Butler can do about it. Yes, as a restricted free agent he can sign a megadeal next offseason, but the odds of another team paying Butler big dollars and giving up a first-round pick are slim to none. He could hold out, but that would subject him to fines in training camp, force him to miss his weekly game checks of $35,294, and wouldn’t exactly endear him to the Patriots.


If Butler were an unrestricted free agent next summer, he could probably approach Janoris Jenkins numbers — Jenkins got $28.8 million guaranteed from the Giants in March. But since Butler is under the Patriots’ control for the next two seasons at such a discounted rate, he’s going to have to settle for a very team-friendly contract extension from the Patriots, if he gets one at all.

The Patriots might not even be inclined to work out a new deal with Butler until next summer, because any deal done this year will increase his $600,000 salary-cap number, potentially by several million.

■ DE Jabaal Sheard: Re-signing Sheard becomes an even bigger priority now that Chandler Jones has been traded away and Ninkovich is 32. Sheard is wrapping up a two-year, $11 million deal this year, and was excellent in his first season with the Patriots, notching eight sacks and four forced fumbles in a rotation with Jones and Ninkovich at defensive end.

Sheard turned 27 in May, has the versatility to play outside linebacker, and was the Patriots’ best defensive end on a per-snap basis in 2015, yet isn’t in the same financial ballpark as Olivier Vernon ($40 million guaranteed), Von Miller, or the league’s elite pass rushers. Sheard could enter that conversation if he has a huge 2016, but more likely the Patriots will try to lock him up at a reasonable rate early in the season.


■ LB Dont’a Hightower: The Patriots have two excellent young linebackers, and might not have the appetite to spend big on both. Hightower is not as physically gifted as Collins, but has replaced Jerod Mayo as the leader of the defense and is an important voice in the locker room, not to mention an excellent run defender and pass rusher. Hightower might not be able to get Kuechly money on the open market, but there are plenty of teams that would love to have a smart, savvy, physical linebacker leading their defense.

The Patriots would probably like to strike a deal with Hightower early in the year and lower his $7.751 million cap number. And Hightower surely would like to continue playing in New England, where he has thrived. But Hightower has made a handsome $15.49 million over five years, and can afford to sit and wait for the right deal.

■ CB Logan Ryan: Butler is not the only starting cornerback with a contract issue. Ryan, the third-round pick in 2013, has 11 interceptions in three years, and developed into a solid starting cornerback in 2015, earning a higher grade than Butler from Pro Football Focus and having some impressive performances against Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas.


The Patriots are likely in wait-and-see mode with Ryan, to see if he can put together another solid season. Ryan is also viewed around the league as more of a system player and not a true No. 1 cornerback.

But Ryan is still very young — he doesn’t turn 26 until February — and $12 million guaranteed over the next three seasons would be very reasonable for both sides.

Video: Patriots OTA report

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin.