NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus and Bill Belichick have maintained a good relationship over the years and it continued this week with the Patriots signing three of his clients, as well as trading for Trent Brown last week.
Within hours of the legal tampering window opening, the Patriots agreed to deals with Jonnu Smith, Davon Godchaux, and Jalen Mills.
Appearing on The Peter King Podcast, Rosenhaus gave some insight into Belichick and the Patriots' mentality this week.
“They had the money out there and they were hungry,” he said. “I just got the sense that Coach Belichick was hungry. I got the feeling that last year didn’t sit very well with them. I got the feeling they weren’t content missing the playoffs, and I got the sense that they were going to do a lot to improve their football team. And they were able to do things that other teams couldn’t do.
“And one thing about Belichick, besides being a great coach, he’s also, I think, an outstanding talent evaluator and a great NFL executive, so I think it’s scary to give an outstanding coach like that tons of cap room that most teams don’t have. I think the Patriots are going to be a very dangerous team this year.”
The agent also believes the 7-9 season last year had a lot to do with Belichick's aggressiveness.
“I believe so,” Rosenhaus said. “And again, because they had an advantage this year that most teams didn’t have: They had the room. They have a great owner in Robert Kraft; he’s got the cash. They’ve always been a team that’s been able to get deals done and been aggressive when they’ve wanted to be, and from my standpoint, they took advantage of an edge that they had.
“I think we all agree that Belichick is very good at taking advantage of opportunities, and he did this year. He knew there were a lot of teams that didn’t have cap room and wouldn’t have the ability to go out and add great football players, and he did the exact opposite — he went and did that. He went and improved his football team by leaps and bounds. I think everybody would agree this roster is incredibly improved from the one that they ended the season with.”
The Patriots obviously weren't done, as they added Hunter Henry Tuesday and still appear to be active when it comes to other available players.
