After an unusually tough season for the Patriots, hit hard by COVID-19 and the departure of future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady, Bill Belichick did not hold back in free agency. After going 7-9 with few offensive weapons and a lack of depth on defense, New England spent more money than any other team in the league by a significant amount. But why did the Patriots unload an NFL record of $165 million in guaranteed money when they have never done anything close to that in the past? If you ask experts in the field, they would say the writing was on the wall. The Patriots found themselves in a position of enormous cap space this season, and due to a declining salary cap number, there was limited competition in the free-agent market. Additionally, owner Robert Kraft recently shared his disappointment with the team’s draft mistakes and believed the spending extravaganza was the best opportunity to plug those holes that failed draft picks left in their roster.
The Patriots’ catalog of all 23 recent acquisitions can be broken down by newcomers and returnees. Notable fresh faces include WR Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, TE Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, LB Matt Judon, and DB Jalen Mills. Re-signed players include DT Lawrence Guy, DE Deatrich Wise, C David Andrews, K Nick Folk, and RB James White. LB Kyle Van Noy, C Ted Karras and OT Trent Brown are all returning to New England following short stints with other franchises. Notable departures include retiring S Patrick Chung, OL Joe Thuney who signed a 5 year, $80 million contract with Kansas City, and OT Marcus Cannon, traded to Houston most likely due to his large cap hit at $12 million.
Henry and Smith represent Belichick’s long-time dream of deploying a consistent two-TE look on offense, which can spread out the defense and lead to nightmare matchups for the opposing team. They can also provide elite run-blocking and improve the Patriots’ already-imposing power run game. Following 2020 opt-outs from LB Dont’a Hightower and Chung, it became apparent there were major weaknesses on the defensive side. Judon and Mills will become veteran pieces of a much-improved defense in 2021. Despite all these improvements, look for the Patriots to make moves at QB, WR, S, and RB during the draft. These positions all appear to be in jeopardy in the next few years and a solid pick this year would develop into valuable talent at each position.
Many Patriots fans are still left uneasy about the team’s most important position, quarterback. New England re-signed last season’s signal-caller to a team-friendly deal at one year with a base value of $5 million. Heavy incentives could bring the total up to $14 million if Newton were to lead the team to the playoffs, Super Bowl, win MVP, etc. NFL reporter and insider Adam Schefter predicted Newton could get a two-year deal in the $40-50 million range on the open market this year, meaning the Pats got a great deal for a QB who will now have been a part of the program for over a year and will have time to heal his shoulder. However, panic quickly set in Patriots Nation as many impatient fans grew weary of another unsatisfactory season. Time will tell whether or not New England’s short-term, low-risk investment will be successful, but if I had any say in the situation, I think Cam will thrive on a team with many more weapons this year and the Patriot fan base should show some more trust in the decision making of a team and coach that has proven to be dominant over the past two decades.
Other newly signed free agents: LB Raekwon McMillan and LaRoy Reynolds, and DT Davon Godchaux, Henry Anderson, and Montravius Adams.
Other returnees: DT Carl Davis, FB Jakob Johnson, and ST Justin Bethel and Cody Davis.
Other departures: LB Cassh Maluia, Michael Pinckney, and Brandon Copeland, K Justin Rohrwasser, WR’s Donte Moncrief and Marqise Lee, TE Ryan Izzo, S Terrence Brooks, and DL’s Beau Allen and Adam Butler.
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