Will Vince Wilfork need to take a paycut to stay with Patriots?

The Patriots find themselves in an interesting dilemma this offseason. With Tom Brady turning 37 before the start of the 2014 season, the window for championship contention is unlikely to stay open for much longer. The team has several key players set to hit free agency, plus several needs to be shored up on the roster.

However, the Patriots are currently facing the prospects of facing this critical offseason with limited cap space. If the 2014 cap sticks to it's $126.3 million projection, the Pats will have only $3.9 million to play with. There are some obvious moves to open up space (cutting Adrian Wilson and Isaac Sopoaga will save the team $3.6 million), but even that will leave them several million short just of the space needed if they opt to franchise Aqib Talib. Simply put, they need to make some moves to open up some cap flexibility.

One of the logical options to do so will be addressing the $11.6 million cap number for Vince Wilfork this year. As CBS Sports Joel Corry notes, Wilfork has the second highest cap hit on the team (trailing only Tom Brady's $14.8 million) along with the fourth highest for his position in the league.

Wilfork has undoubtedly been worth every penny of his 5 year, $40 million contract so far, but the Patriots should be leery of that cap number, especially considering Wilfork's age (32) and the gravity of the Achilles injury he's attempting to return from. The fact that big Vince is entering a contract year certainly complicates matters as well.

This leaves the Patriots with three options. They can ask Vince to take a pay cut by restructuring the last year of his deal. They can cut him, although this seems extremely unlikely considering Vince's role as one of the team's unquestioned leaders. Finally, they could reduce his cap hit by signing the big nose tackle to a contract extension.

A contract extension could be iffy, as no one will know how effective Vince can be post-Achilles surgery until he takes the field again. However, they will have a good idea of how Vince has physically progressed through his rehab. Despite physical appearances, Wilfork's dedication and conditioning have never come into question; there's no question that the 10 year veteran will continue to do all he can to return to his dominant form.

At 32 and coming off of a major injury, Wilfork likely knows that his days of making $10 million+ a year are over. However, his future of the team could hinge on just how much of a pay cut Wilfork is willing to take. It's unlikely that he wants to leave the only team he's ever played for as a pro, and the Patriots surely don't want to lose a player of his importance both on the field and in the locker room. However, Vince is a proud man (remember he stood his ground to the point of a brief holdout during his last contract negotiations) who is unlikely to allow himself to get lowballed.

With the hypothetical free agent market unlikely to unearth any big offers for a defensive tackle with his combination of age and injury concerns, the best option for both parties is likely an extension. If Wilfork is willing to agree to an extension paying him around the range of $4-5 million a year, the Patriots will be able to double their cap space, freeing up money that will likely go towards either an extension or a franchise tag for Aqib Talib.