1. In a matter of a few hours Monday afternoon, the Patriots were reported to land four free agents — Jonnu Smith, Davon Godchaux, Matthew Judon and Jalen Mills. It’s also no coincidence three of those four have Drew Rosenhaus as their agent. Since it was the legal tampering period, no deals could be made official, but Rosenhaus leaked the agreements to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He obviously would not have done that without Bill Belichick’s approval, so it felt like a calculated effort by Belichick and Co. to have those deals made public within the first few hours of the legal tampering period. They wanted to send a message to the rest of the league that they were fully invested in improving the team and were going to be much better than in 2020. It’s not like all four of those players were going to come off the board right away. Belichick wanted to make it known he was going to be very active. While money certainly played a factor too, the Patriots making all the additions that they did Monday had to have have helped land Hunter Henry on Tuesday, and potentially others. Not only did it send a message to the rest of the league, it also sent a message to the fanbase. Belichick has received a great deal of criticism this offseason for what transpired in 2020, but the way Monday played out with the flurry of moves, he was able to completely change the narrative. The way things came out on Monday was clearly calculated and it worked not only with the rest of the league and how the team is now viewed, but also in the media and with the fans.
2. One of the biggest needs left for the Patriots seems to be at running back. Whether it’s bringing back James White and/or Rex Burkhead, something needs to get done at the position with an emphasis on catching the ball out of the backfield. It feels like the team is thinking along the same lines, as it was reported earlier in the week they had interest in Leonard Fournette and Chris Carson. It also goes along with the notion that it appears the offense will be more of a run-first unit in 2021, shifting further and further away from the Tom Brady-led offense that had been a staple in New England for so many years.
3. Something worth paying attention to as the weeks go on is the Patriots currently have 79 out of 90 spots on their roster filled. They also have 10 draft picks and will certainly add some undrafted free agents as well. This means there will be roster movement when it comes to players being cut, but also the potential for trades involving draft picks. With three fourth-rounders (Nos. 120, 122 and 139), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them try and add another selection in the third round, or even higher.
4. Speaking of the draft, it feels like the way things have gone, the Patriots are setting up a scenario where they trade up into the top-10 to select a quarterback. They could also include a future first-rounder, as it seems they will be back to picking in the backend of the first round next year and not in the top half like this year (so it's not as valuable for them). And then why not deal most of the picks this year considering what we just mentioned with the number of selections and lack of spots on the roster. It would make sense to target Justin Fields or Trey Lance as those two players seem to fit the direction of the offense more so than a player like Mac Jones.
5. While the Patriots seemed to read the market well overall, they may have misjudged it a bit at wide receiver. On Monday, they gave Nelson Agholor two years and $22 million with $16 million guaranteed. He will have a cap hit of $7 million in 2021 and $15 million next year. Since next year he carries $10 million of dead cap space it feels like he will stay for both seasons. Based on some of the other deals receivers got afterwards, the Patriots may have overextended themselves. But, if Agholor produces like he did last year in Las Vegas, no one will really care.
6. David Andrews re-signed with the Patriots for a reported four years and a maximum of $19 million. How much of a discount is that? This deal makes him the 18th-highest paid center in terms of average per year and cash, and then he has the 23rd-highest cap hit. Clearly, he is better than that, which shows how much he loves playing for Belichick and the Patriots.
7. While a lot of names came off the board last week, there are still several big-names available. Those include: CB Adoree' Jackson, CB Richard Sherman, WR TY Hilton, Edge Jadeveon Clowney and CB Casey Hayward. We’re not saying the Patriots are the favorites to land any of them, but it is worth keeping an eye on what happens with them as the team still has money to spend.
