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The New England Patriots made the most headlines during the first week of free agency without question.
Typically, Bill Belichick stays quiet at the beginning of free agency and he makes his moves when the dust settles. Without Tom Brady at the helm and with a ton of money at Belichick’s disposal, he played it differently this season. New England immediately spent big money on Jonnu Smith, Matthew Judon and Hunter Henry. The Patriots also were uncharacteristic in giving big contracts to wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.
New England signed Agholor on a two-year deal that could be worth up to $24 million, with $7 million due in 2021 and $15 million in 2022. The 27-year-old is coming off his best season with 48 catches for 896 yards and eight touchdowns. Bourne signed a three-year deal for $22.5 million and he’s coming off his best season with 49 catches for 667 yards and two touchdowns.
ESPN analyst Mike Clay believes the Patriots made the ‘most head-scratching’ move of free agency.
The Patriots overpaying role-playing wide receivers. Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne are fine No. 3 or No. 4 options on most teams. But New England seemed to misjudge a soft wide receiver market by committing $16 million to the inconsistent Agholor (more than Will Fuller V and Marvin Jones Jr.earned, among others) and $5 million to Bourne (more than John Brown, Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams agreed to, among others).
Considering the players the Patriots could’ve targeted for these prices, it’s really difficult to believe Agholor and Bourne were the best players available. But, now it’s up to Belichick and Josh McDaniels to prove why they have one of the best coaching staffs in the business.
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