For the first time in over a year, it was fun again to be a Patriots fan today as the legal tampering period began this afternoon in the NFL and the team spent like drunken sailors. All told, their aggressiveness paid off as they signed seven free agents headlined by tight end Jonnu Smith (4 years, $50 million) and linebacker Matthew Judon (4 years, $56 million) along with two wide receivers, two defensive linemen and a cornerback. What's even more exciting is that they are supposedly not done yet either as GM/head coach Bill Belichick is expected to add other new players to a roster that desperately needed some major upgrades.
This went against what we usually see from New England when free agency starts: no huge deals and tons of patience as they wait to sign their preferred types of players to team friendly contracts. The odds are that at least a few of those six guys won't ever do much for the Pats but regardless, it's nice to see some urgency in the club once again after such an awful 2020-a 7-9 record and no playoffs for the first time since 2008 had to leave a mark. No matter if Cam Newton is still the quarterback this season (shudders) or someone else, they had to have some better weapons to throw to and Smith was one of the best tight ends on the market while wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne are not flashy names but they've been productive players in the league on other teams.
Judon is super talented and he fits the profile of great Patriots defensive players of the past: he's big, tall with long arms and very versatile. Jalen Mills is coming off a rough season with the Eagles but he can play cornerback and safety which you know Belichick must love. They also signed former Jets defensive lineman Henry Anderson to a two-year deal. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about Davon Godchaux-a former Dolphin-but he's a big fat guy that they can plug in the middle of their awful run defense and he should help there immediately. The team also re-signed defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. but I'd rather not talk about that since he frankly stinks.
Former Patriots guard Joe Thuney signed a massive deal (5 years, $80 million) with the Chiefs and last night, New England flipped right tackle Marcus Cannon (who opted out of last season) to Houston and the teams are trading fourth, fifth and sixth-round draft choices. It'll be interesting to see where else Bill tries to upgrade before the NFL Draft next month. We've been waiting for the team to show any sign of a pulse after the debacle that was last season coupled with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski winning the Super Bowl in their first year with the Buccaneers. Today was a positive start as the Pats fight to get back to relevance both on and off the field once more.
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