Unlike last year, The New England Patriots have been extremely quiet in free agency.
Bill Belichick only signed cornerback Terrance Mitchell and running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery thus far — both are older players with limited production in recent seasons. Last offseason, the Patriots spent an $175 million in guaranteed money to brought in guys like Matthew Judon, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Jalen Mills and more.
NFL Media’s Mike Giardi spoke with an agent who has done business with the Patriots and said they are using a similar approach as years in the past. Let free agents test the market and they can come back if the money and situations weren’t what they wanted elsewhere.
Only issue is — Tom Brady isn’t around as a selling point.
Spoke with an agent who has done biz with #Patriots in past. Said their approach this year has been similar to years past (not last yr), kicking tires on bigger ticket items but generally laying in the weeds. "They told us to come back to them if what we wanted wasn't out there."
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 15, 2022
The Patriots have re-signed Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, James White, Nick Folk, Brian Hoyer and James Ferentz. But, most of these players are toward the end of their career, have longstanding relationships in the organization and they do not want to move for another team.
If the Patriots aren’t a winning team next season, this approach will be much more difficult to pull off in the future.
