Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 3/15/21
The first day of NFL free agency was something else around the league. Hundreds of millions in cold hard cash being thrown around despite the revenue downfall created by COVID-19.
Going away from their MO, the New England Patriots spent more money on Monday than during any offseason over the past decade. It’s clear Bill Belichick and Co. want to return to relevance after their first losing season since 2000.
On the other hand, it appears that the Seattle Seahawks remained largely quiet while they figure out what to do with disgruntled quarterback Russell Wilson. And while the Houston Texans made a ton of moves, none of them are likely going to change Deshaun Watson’s stance.
Below, we look at the biggest winners and losers from Day 1 of NFL free agency.
Winner: New England Patriots
You know what they say about NFL free agency, right? Winning the March Super Bowl will not translate to actually hoisting the Lombardi when February comes around. The Patriots know this full well. They have largely avoided big-name free agents during the Bill Belichick era. That span has also included New England winning a whopping six Super Bowls.
The Pats went away from their MO in a big way on Monday, spending more money than any other team during the first day of NFL free agency. New England added three capable skill-position guys in tight end Jonnu Smith as well as wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. This trio combined for north of 1,400 yards a season ago. At the very least, they are upgrades over what Cam Newton had at the skill positions a season ago.
Defensively, the Patriots struck gold with two-time Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl edge rusher Matt Judon. Still only 28, he’s been downright brilliant over the past two seasons — recording a combined 54 quarterback hits and 15.5 sacks. Getting Judon for $56 million over four seasons was a coup. The same thing can be said about adding versatile defensive back Jalen Mills from the Philadelphia Eagles. He can play both corner and safety in Belichick’s complex defense. At least for now, New England is a major winner.
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