According to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, the New England Patriots are somewhere between $7.9 million to $11.4 million over the salary cap.

Given, that is including Darrelle Revis‘s $25 million dollar cap hit, which the Patriots simply can not afford, but still there are other players that are highly overpaid. By the beginning of free agency the Patriots need to trim their cap. Otherwise they will have to let both Devin McCourty and Revis hit the open market.

The first goal the Patriots must set, is to agree to a long-term deal with either Revis or McCourty. Since the Patriots did not tag McCourty and there haven’t been substantial talks, their focus seems to be lying on Revis. If they can get Revis to take a deal that would pay him somewhere in the $12-14 million dollar per year range, they would almost automatically be under the salary cap.

To me, McCourty must also be a priority. But after paying Revis a lot of money, the Patriots wouldn’t have much left to pay McCourty, so they must find some places where they can cut their expenses. Vince Wilfork is the first player I would look to. Wilfork has a cap hit of about $8.9 million in 2015 (according to Spotrac.com), which is the fourth-highest total on the team. While Wilfork is a major locker room presence, that price tag is simply to expensive for a player that is well past his prime.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver(80) catches a touchdown pass ahead of Seattle Seahawks free safety(29) during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Wilfork seemed unwilling to take a pay cut last year, so I would assume that he is unwilling this year as well. If he does not take a pay cut, the Patriots must cut him, because that money can be spent better elsewhere. The cap hit of Wilfork in 2015 is about the amount that the Patriots weren’t willing to give McCourty through the franchise tag. McCourty is clearly a better player than Wilfork, so if one can use that cap space to keep either McCourty or Wilfork, I think any sensible person would pick McCourty.

Another player that will be highly overpaid if kept, is Danny Amendola. Amendola carries a $5.7 million dollar cap hit with him in 2015, and that is simply far too much for a Nr.3 wide receiver who only had 200 receiving yards this year. If the Patriots would cut him, they would save a lot of money and would probably be able to pick up a cheap No. 3 wide receiver in free agency. If both Wilfork and Amendola were cut, and the Patriots could come to terms with Revis, they suddenly would have at least 10 million to spend.

The Patriots could also try to agree on a long-term deal with Nate Solder which could lower his cap hit by a considerable amount as well. Solder is on his fifth-year option which also comes with a steep price tag. The Patriots clearly have a lot of options to keep their cap in check, but it will be interesting to see which one’s they will use. To me Wilfork and Amendola are must cuts and they must work hard to get a deal done with Revis.

The ultimate goal must be to retain both McCourty and Revis, as both players played a big part in the success of the secondary. Other than that, I wouldn’t expect the Patriots to be overly active. The Patriots will not overpay for any player, so if either McCourty or Revis asks for too much, they will walk and that is simply how the Patriots do it. Bill Belichick will do what is best for the team, and I think he has proven time and time again, that he makes the right decisions.