After a flurry of moves last week, it feels like the Patriots are mostly done in free agency which is why it was such a pleasant surprise this morning to wake up to the news that they are going to bring back two very underrated players: running back James White and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy. I figured that both guys were probably as good as gone since they are exactly the type of solid players and leaders that any decent team could use. For whatever reason, the two captains decided to stay in New England which helps to further build a much more promising roster for the 2021 season. Now, all head coach/GM Bill Belichick has to do is add another quarterback to compete with and eventually take Cam Newton's job.
Excluding his rookie season when he barely played, White is coming off his worst year as a pro (out of six) and if anyone deserves a mulligan on 2020 it has to be him. Early in the season, he suffered a brutal tragedy as his parents were in a car accident where his dad died and his mom was in rough shape. Combine that with the fact that he had to adjust to playing with Newton rather than Tom Brady (who he had built amazing chemistry with) and you can understand why things can only get better for him next season. He did turn 29 last month which is almost over-the-hill by NFL running back standards but regardless, a one-year deal for $2.5 million-fully guaranteed according to ESPN's Adam Schefter-is an absolute steal for one of the best third-down backs in the league and a three-time Super Bowl champion. In the regular season, he has 35 career touchdowns (25 receiving, 10 rushing) and eight in the playoffs (3 receiving, 5 rushing). He also should have been the MVP of Super Bowl 51 (sorry Tom) vs. Atlanta and he is one of the most clutch Patriots of all-time.
Obviously, I don't pretend to watch the All-22 game film every week so I cannot give you a full breakdown of all the stuff that Guy does for the Pats but I trust the former players and coaches who know way more about football than I ever will that constantly have good things to say about him. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that it will be a four-year contract worth $11.5 million for Guy pending a physical. He has been in New England for the past four seasons and 2020 was the first time that he missed any games (2) due to an injury. He turned 31 last week and he is one of the best defensive players on the Patriots. He anchors the middle of the defensive line and is adept at occupying blockers which allows his teammates to make plays around him. He also makes things happen for himself with seven sacks, 16 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries in his career as a Patriot.
The quarterback situation is the last piece of the puzzle for Belichick. Will he sign or trade for another veteran QB like Alex Smith? For the first time ever, will he draft one in the first round next month? Hopefully, he doesn't stand pat now and blindly hope that Newton and Jarrett Stidham somehow can improve by leaps and bounds with a full off-season and better weapons around them. Sorry, I don't want to bum you out since overall today was another good day for the Pats.
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