Winners, losers through first week of NFL free agency

After missing the playoffs and watching Tom Brady win a Super Bowl without him, Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasn't going to let nearly $70 million in cap space go to waste.

New England spent big by adding the top two tight ends on the market — Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry — which has many thinking back to the Rob Gronkowski/Aaron Hernandez days.

In addition to reinvesting in the two-tight end set, the Patriots signed two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Matthew Judon to bolster a weak pass rush. They also brought back linebacker Kyle Van Noy and added safety Jalen Mills, who was an integral part of the Eagles' championship defense that beat the Patriots to win the Super Bowl in the 2017 season.

Belichick also added bargain receivers in Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne after the Patriots had one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL last year.

The Jets had the second-most cap space of any team to spend in free agency and were quick to address their concerns. Their two big moves came in the form of signing wide receiver Corey Davis and pass rusher Carl Lawson. Neither were the top players at their position on the open market, but both have upside, especially Lawson, who had the fourth-most pressures (44) in the NFL last season.

Because those players weren't at the top of their respective positions, the Jets also had the money to add depth, signing linebacker Jarrad Davis, receiver Keelan Cole, safety JaMarcus Joyner and offensive lineman Dan Feeney to one-year deals.

All we heard leading up the free agency was how Bears general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy were in desperation mode and willing to do whatever it takes to land Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson. The Bears did make a big offer to the Seahawks, according to reports, but Seattle didn't want to part with Wilson.

So the Bears opted for Plan B, which was to sign veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year deal. Dalton began last season as a backup with the Cowboys before replacing an injured Dak Prescott and put together a fairly decent season — but one that was no better than former Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's 2020. It was a head-scratching move and one that has drawn ire from a fan base starving for a franchise quarterback. Beyond that, the Bears also released top cornerback Kyle Fuller for salary cap reasons.

The Giants made some minor moves in the early days of the free agency period — signing running back Devontae Booker and receiver John Ross — but had they failed to sign one of the top receivers on the market, there would have been an uproar in New York.

Instead, general manager Dave Gettleman got himself a big target for Daniel Jones in receiver Kenny Golladay, who was arguably the top free-agent receiver. Golladay gives the Giants size and a true No. 1 target to complement Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton while also giving Jones a viable deep-ball threat who ought to boost offensive production.

Golladay inked himself a nice $72-million contract with $40 million guaranteed. Curtis Samuel signed a three-year, $34-million deal with Washington, but the other top two receivers on the market couldn't say the same.

Smith-Schuster and Fuller both had to settle for one-year deals — Smith-Schuster at $8 million and Fuller at $10 million with an additional $3 million in incentives. Security and guaranteed money is the name of the game in the NFL, and both Smith-Schuster and Fuller will need to wait another year or work out an extension in order to receive that.

The Chiefs had one big concern to address this offseason, and that was to bolster the line in front of Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City did just that after it signed left guard Joe Thuney to a four-year deal. Thuney has been among the best offensive linemen in the league in recent years and has allowed just three sacks since 2018, per Pro Football Focus.

In a year in which the NFL lowered its salary cap, left tackle Williams and the 49ers got what they want in each other. Williams signed a six-year, $138.06-million deal to stay in San Francisco, which includes $55.1 million guaranteed — making him the highest-paid left tackle in the league.

Whether the 49ers’ quarterback is Jimmy Garoppolo or somebody else, they can rest easy knowing they have one of the best blind-side protectors in the league.

As the Wilson drama continues, the Seahawks have hardly done anything to address the offensive line concerns that linger in Seattle. If the Seahawks’ line doesn't improve, Wilson’s frustrations will only continue to grow.