The NFL’s “legal tampering” period opened with a flurry of moves across the league on Monday, highlighted by an extraordinary spending spree by the New England Patriots, big dollars handed out to players protecting and rushing the quarterback and a pair of teams looking to run it back.
Here are three takeaways from the first unofficial day of NFL free agency.
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PATRIOTS MAKE A SPLASH WITH SPENDING SPREE
The 2020 season wasn’t one for the memory books in New England. As the Patriots wallowed in mediocrity for most of the campaign, division rivals in Buffalo and Miami both took significant steps forward and the season was capped off by Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl in a different jersey.
Motivated by arguably the worst season of the Bill Belichick era and armed with loads of salary-cap space, the Patriots made an unprecedented splash in the first hours of the NFL’s “legal tampering” period with the hopes it doesn’t happen again in 2021.
Signs it would be a busy off-season for Belichick first came last week with the re-acquisition of offensive tackle Trent Brown from Las Vegas, the somewhat-surprising re-signing of quarterback Cam Newton – who really struggled as a passer in New England last season – and Sunday’s trade with Houston that sent right tackle Marcus Cannon to the Texans.
But it wasn’t until after the opening of the “legal tampering” period at noon ET on Monday, that the Patriots flexed their newly found financial muscle and became far and away the biggest off-season players in the early going.
As the Patriots handed out dollars at a remarkable rate, Belichick added intriguing pieces on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, the Patriots brought in former Ravens edge rusher Matt Judon, agreeing on a four-year deal that will reportedly pay him $32 million over the first two seasons, and ex-Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills, who played both corner and safety during his time in the City of Brotherly Love. Add in the likely returns of Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung from COVID-19 opt-outs in 2020, and New England will field a much-revamped defence to the version that finished 26th in defensive DVOA last season.
On offence, where the Patriots lacked any firepower last season and Newton was often left to fend for himself, New England landed arguably the top tight end available in Jonnu Smith – a player who we expect to see flourish in New England. They also made a pair of interesting moves at wide receivers, adding Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, who have both flashed at times throughout their careers but no one would consider No. 1 targets in any offence.
The offensive makeover continued Tuesday morning as the Patriots reportedly signed former Charger Hunter Henry, the other top tight end on the market.
Even after an unrivalled day on the free-agent market, however, questions remain about the Patriots’ strategy: with this added talent, is Newton the man for the job under centre or is Belichick’s biggest splash yet to come? Also, spending big in free agency often doesn’t lead to on-field success – can New England buck that trend?
TEAMS PAY BIG TO PROTECT, GET AFTER THE QB
If we learned anything from Super Bowl LV, it’s that pass protection and pass rush are the name of the game in the NFL. If your team can’t protect its signal-caller, it won’t matter how good the quarterback is if the opposing team can bring relentless pressure.
That emphasis on pass protection and pass rush was on full display on the first unofficial day of free agency: the seven most expensive contracts handed out on Monday were given to offensive linemen and pass rushers.
In the wake of that dreadful Super Bowl loss that saw Patrick Mahomes run a full marathon to avoid the Buccaneers’ pass rush, the Chiefs handed out Monday’s second-biggest contract when they agreed to a five-year, $80-million deal with former Patriots guard Joe Thuney that includes $48 million in guarantees.
But Thuney wasn’t the only big man getting paid, as the Los Angeles Chargers did the smart thing and invested in better protecting 2020 offensive rookie of the year Justin Herbert by making ex-Packer Corey Linsley the highest-paid centre in the NFL with a $62.5-million commitment.
While Thuney and Linsley made out like Scrooge McDuck on Monday, the biggest pay-day for an offensive lineman may be yet to come.
Left tackle Trent Williams, arguably the best at his position last season and the most coveted offensive lineman on the market, will reportedly command at least $20 million per season and could be in line to become the highest-paid left tackle in the league with his new contract – a title currently held by Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, whose average annual value is $23 million.
In the pass rush department, five players agreed to contracts with AAVs of at least $15 million, and three of the four most expensive deals of the day were awarded to outside linebackers.
Former Steeler Bud Dupree inked Monday’s biggest contract, agreeing to a five-year, $82-million deal with the Titans, while the aforementioned Barrett claimed the day’s highest AAV at $17 million when he re-upped with the champions. Rounded out with Leonard Floyd (Rams, $16M AAV), Trey Hendrickson (Bengals, $15M AAV) and Carl Lawson (Jets, $15M AAV), and Monday was a big day in the NFL for guys who can get after the quarterback.
BUCCANEERS AND BILLS RUN IT BACK
As the Patriots hit the market in search of recapturing the glory years, a pair of 2020’s best teams made sure to reward their own pending free agents with new contracts in the hopes of running it back.
In Buffalo, where hopes are sky high after an MVP-type season from Josh Allen put the Bills into the final four this past January, multiple players under contract for 2021 and beyond willingly took pay cuts so teammates about to hit free agency could re-up in Western New York.
As a result, reigning executive of the year Brandon Beane was able to retain a key cog in Sean McDermott’s defence, locking up linebacker Matt Milano on a four-year deal, and guarantee his star quarterback would continue to drop back while well protected, bringing back both right tackle Daryl Williams and left guard John Feliciano.
Now the Bills will field a largely unchanged team in 2021 with their sights set on taking yet another big step toward the ultimate prize.
Speaking of the Lombardi… the team that hoisted the NFL’s most coveted prize (and proceeded to toss it boat-to-boat in the ensuing parade) worked a little magic of their own as the off-season kicked off.
With visions of back-to-back dancing in their heads, Tom Brady gave the Bucs some financial leeway with a new extension last week (earning himself a decent wage in the process) and Tampa was able to bring back four of its big-impact pending free agents.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin was franchise-tagged on March 9, second-team All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David re-signed on March 12, and then on Monday GM Jason Licht managed to ink one of the off-season’s most coveted free agents in Shaq Barrett and the true Super Bowl LV MVP, tight end Rob Gronkowski.
What’s the old adage? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Words both the Bucs and Bills are living by this off-season.
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