Before the New England Patriots rattled off a plethora of reported soon-to-be deals on Monday during the NFL’s legal tampering period, they began the window by agreeing to a deal with their reported top pass-catching target in former Tennessee Titan tight end Jonnu Smith.
The deal is reportedly a 4-year, $50 million contract that includes $31.25 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s the most expensive per-year deal the Patriots have ever given to a pass-catcher, topping past contracts for legends such as Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski.
Although the deal might come as a surprise to some, it shouldn’t to anyone who heard or read what Belichick had to say about Smith last January.
“He’s just a really good tight end,” Belichick said during a press conference, via NESN. “He can do a lot of things: blocks well, runs well, is a good receiver. I mean, hell, they played him at tailback. He looked pretty good back there. So, he’s a very athletic player, hard to tackle, catches the ball well. He’s great after the catch — probably the best in the league. I mean, I can’t imagine anybody better than him after the catch. No, he looks like a tight end to me. And a good one.”
Smith, 25, caught 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He was a third-round pick for the Titans back in 2017, and has steadily improved into one of the game’s most versatile pass catchers.
It’s no wonder Belichick made the move. You could say the writing was on the wall last year.
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