The Patriots agree deals with tight end Jonnu Smith, pass rusher Matthew Judon, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, cornerback Jalen Mills and nose tackle Davon Godchaux on busy first day of legal tampering period
Tuesday 16 March 2021 10:33, UK
The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick let be known what they think of losing seasons on Monday as they agreed deals with eight players.
Days after re-signing Cam Newton on a one-year deal, the Patriots sought to give their quarterback a new target by agreeing a four-year, $50m deal including $31.25m fully guaranteed with former Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith.
Smith is coming off a career year that saw him record 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns and fills a priority need for the Patriots, whose leading tight end in 2020 was Ryan Izzo with 13 receptions for 199 yards.
The 25-year-old had recorded a career 114 catches for 1,302 yards and 16 touchdowns in 60 games since being selected in the third round of the 2017 Draft.
New England were projected to have the second-most cap space in the league at just shy of $70m, putting them behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Their spending power became evident again later in the day when they agreed a four-year, $56m deal including $32m over the first two years with former Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.
Judon posted 50 tackles and six sacks in 14 games last year as he was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year, following on from a 2019 campaign in which he delivered 54 tackles and 9.5 sacks to warrant the team franchise-tagging him.
The Patriots were gutted on defense last season due to opt outs, with key leaders in linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Patrick Chunk among five players to sit out the year amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The team also lost the likes of Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton during free agency.
It did not stop there for New England, who also agreed a four-year, $24m deal with former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills.
Mills, a seventh-round pick out of LSU in 2016, amassed 74 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery in 15 games last season.
Earlier in the day the Patriots also agreed a two-year, $16m deal with former Miami Dolphins nose tackle Davon Godchaux, a fifth-round pick out of LSU in 2017.
The six-time Super Bowl champions are coming off a 7-9 year having missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
A rare spending spree continued when the Patriots agreed to terms with wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who had 48 catches for 896 yards and eight touchdowns with the Las Vegas Raiders last season, before also agreeing a three-year, $22.5m deal with former San Francisco 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne.
There was also still time in the day for the Patriots to agree a two-year, $7m deal with former New York Jets defensive lineman Henry Anderson, and to re-sign defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr on a four-year, $30m contract.
"Not being relevant in 2020 clearly did not sit well with the New England Patriots and they have made a busy start to the negotiating period with impending free agents. Within the first few hours, the Pats have agreed deals with tight end Jonnu Smith (Tennessee), edge rusher Matthew Judon (Baltimore), cornerback Jalen Mills (Philadelphia) and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (Miami).
"At first glance, these look to be very nice moves. Smith is talented, athletic and productive, Judon can be a difference-maker and Mills offers the kind of versatility that Bill Belichick covets. But as is always the case in free agency, there are no guarantees. Smith won't have the luxury of being in an offense with Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and AJ Brown; and Judon is the latest in a long line of edge rushers out of Baltimore who must prove the grass is greener on the other side of free agency.
"The Patriots have made the kind of big free agency splash that those chasing them for all those years were forced to make. Have they turned into the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins? I think these moves have improved them, but I also think they have over-paid (a free agency norm).
"But all the moves in the world mean nothing without a quarterback who can be relied upon week in and week out. The Patriots do not currently have such a player, even following the recent re-signing of Cam Newton."
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