1. Was there something to Bill Belichick drafting a wide receiver in the first round for the first time in his 20 years with the Patriots last year? Could it have been because he had a good idea the potential was there for it to be Tom Brady's final year with the Patriots? Appearing on The Howard Stern Show this week, Brady made it clear how quick he is to tune a wide receiver out and that may have been part of the reason why the Patriots never selected a wide out in Round 1 in the Belichick era until last year. "I've definitely expressed my opinion (to Belichick) to say, 'If you put him out there, I'm not going to throw him the ball,'" Brady said. "The whole team is trusting me to do what's right by the team, so you can't put someone out there who I don't believe in. Because if I don't believe in him, it's worthless for the team. I think fortunately for me, Coach Belichick always saw it the same way as me, which is why I think we had such a great connection. He saw football very much the same way that I saw it." It's incredibly hard to pick up the Patriots' playbook and if Brady didn't have the patience, why force it when the potential is there to get phased out, which would essentially waste a high pick. Up until last year, the only two positions Belichick did not use a first-round pick on during his time with New England were quarterback and wide receiver. Additionally, since 2011, the Patriots have drafted only one receiver in Rounds 1-3 (N'Keal Harry). Interesting. Now that Brady is gone, do not be surprised to see the team not only potentially draft more wide receivers, but also target them in the higher rounds. And with the potential for a historic class this year, why not start now?
2. NFL Media's Peter Schrager appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast at the end of last week and had some interesting nuggets on the Patriots. One was the organization really loves Jarrett Stidham. "I was at the combine, I speak to guys in every organization and one of the things I was hearing a lot of was the Patriots really love (Jarrett) Stidham," he said. "I'm like, 'They love Stidham, but like it's Tom Brady.' … As things were going, they weren't breaking down the walls to go re-sign (Brady). There was no courting of Tom Brady from Bill Belichick at this point. There was no roses. … At no point did the Patriots do the whole, 'We love you. We have to do this again.' I think they were ready to leave on those terms as well, and they are ready to turn the page. I am not sold that Stidham is the guy. I still think the NFL Draft is coming up and we will see some major swing. I have no idea how that might play out. But, from what I heard at the combine was that whether the Patriots folks were telling media, or the Patriots people were telling people around the league, they were pumping up Stidham's tires pretty high. Whether they are selling him to the fan base or really being honest, they like Jarrett Stidham."
3. Another interesting point Schrager brought up was if Brady had a good idea the Wild Card loss to the Titans was going to be his last game at Gillette Stadium (Brady told Howard Stern this week he had a pretty good idea 2019 would be his last year), should't there have been a little more from him afterwards? "If he knew he was leaving, wasn't that a bizarre press conference and farewell to Foxborough, to the fans and to the local media?" he said. "There was no reflection, there was no long drawn out — it was kind of like he hurried off the field, did his one word press conference and that was his last time as a Patriot in that building, which seems very strange if he knew that was going to be the end."
4. The Patriots still have just over $1 million in cap space for the 2020 season, which means something, likely a few things, need to happen before the draft, which is just under two weeks away. This will likely be contract restructures, extensions, releases and even trades. Joe Thuney, who has signed his franchise tender, is one player who certainly will have his status changed as the team cannot have him play the year on his just under $15 million cap hit. An extension could cut that in half and a trade would free up the full $14.78 million. Other players to monitor for contract changes include Stephon Gilmore, Dont'a Hightower and Marcus Cannon.
5. Given the circumstances, players need to get creative when it comes to staying in shape. According to his Instagram, 2019 fourth-round pick Hjalte Froholdt built a home gym in his garage with the help of Jakob Johnson and Gunner Olszewski. Froholdt could be an important player for the 2020 season. If the Patriots have faith in Froholdt, who comes from Denmark, he could be penciled in as their backup interior lineman.
6. One league item that sort of relates to the Patriots, the Rams traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Texans this week for a second-round pick. Cooks is only 26 years old and Houston will be his fourth team. Despite four, 1,000-yard seasons, that says something about him. Either there are issues behind the scenes, or teams have quickly realized he isn't worth the contract they gave him.
7. Belichick will hold his pre-draft conference call on Monday afternoon. It will also be his first media availability since the day after the Patriots fell to the Titans on Wild Card Weekend and also since Brady signed with Tampa Bay. But, don't expect him to answer any Brady-specific questions as the release states he's answering questions related to the draft.
