Bill Belichick and the Patriots have done what they have never done before in the current free service, moving away from their roots of recruiting and developing players in the draft.
FOXBOROUGH – Big shots! What did they end up in? Foxborough
The head coach of the New England Patriots Bill Belichick, was unusually active on Monday, the first day we could trade with free agents from other teams.
Among the reported contracts with the tight end of the Tennessee Titans Jonnu SmithExternal linebacker Baltimore Ravens Matthew JudonDefensive equipment Miami dolphins Of which GodchauxAnd defensive rear of the Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Mills Belichick yielded $ 81 million in bonds and guarantees. And that was before we made a deal with the broad receivers. Nelson Agholor Y Kendrick Bourne and the defensive equipment Henry Anderson later in the day, and open Tuesday’s activity with a tight closing appointment Hunter Henry
In a reflection of how strange all this is, let’s take a look at this: Patriots they spent $ 51 million on bonuses and free agent guarantees over the past three off-season periods combined.
When it comes to a sudden change, there are a number of different ways to look at it.
Could it be that Belichick is so motivated after watching the quarterback Tom Brady emigrate to a Super Bowl in his first campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which has started with a Vengeance Tour, 2021?
That’s nice, and maybe there’s a competition fire there, but it doesn’t really seem like a bull’s eye.
Other idea: Belichick is results, and simply evaluated the squad that produced a 7-9 campaign – with the Patriots out of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years – and realized she wasn’t very good. So as much as he wanted to attract, develop, and re-hire players, especially on the tight end and wide receiver to assist an attack that finished in 30th in passing yards, that wasn’t an option. The same goes for the defensive tackle position, to slow the run.
This all makes perfect sense, but despite this, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
What has most directly generated this aggressive strategy, according to those familiar with it, is the perception that the 2021 low season was a rare opportunity due to the drop in the salary ceiling in the NFL
Recall that the salary ceiling has fallen to $ 182.5 million this year. In 2020, it was $ 198.2 million, so this year was the first drop since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.
For this reason, the number of teams against whom the Patriots They compete for free agents as many organizations are in a hurry to fit below the salary cap. That mitigated and generated the number of players available multiple free agents in their prime become available in a year when they otherwise would not be on the open marketLet’s think about that Smith Y Bourne they have 25, b, Godchaux Y Mills they are 26, Agholor he is 27 and Judon 28.
So with plenty of room to work below the salary cap, and knowing that the limit will grow in the years to come for the league’s upcoming television contracts, Belichick and the Patriots went shopping like never before
In the perfect world of Patriots, have taken advantage of an unprecedented market situation to dramatically improve their team.
At worst, they’ve thought about it, strayed too far from their roots in recruitment and development, made too many compromises with outsiders, and will end up paying a similar price to other teams who also have ‘free’ agency in March ‘won’. .
For now, there is quite a bit of optimism in it One patriot place, where possible a new space is needed to park the armored truck welcoming the additions of New England