Which is Your Favorite Pats Signing So Far?

Which is your favorite Pats' signing so far?

  • Edge - Matthew Judon, $32m guaranteed

    Votes: 25 12.0%
  • TE - Jonnu Smith, $31.25m guaranteed

    Votes: 111 53.4%
  • TE - Hunter Henry, $25m guaranteed

    Votes: 60 28.8%
  • WR - Nelson Agholor - $16m guaranteed

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • DE - Deatrich Wise - $10m guaranteed

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • S - Jalen Mills - $9m guaranteed

    Votes: 5 2.4%
  • DT - Davon Godchaux - $9m guaranteed

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • WR - Kendrick Bourne - $5.25m guaranteed

    Votes: 14 6.7%
  • OL - David Andrews ($TBD)

    Votes: 17 8.2%
  • LB - Kyle Van Noy - $1.1m gtd + $4.9m bonus

    Votes: 6 2.9%

  • Total voters
    208

BaseballJones

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Which is your favorite Pats' signing so far, and why? I didn't include the Trent Brown or Marcus Cannon trades, though I suppose if you want to throw them in on your answer, you may. For review:

- Patriots traded a 2022 5th round pick and received Trent Brown and the Raiders' 2022 7th round pick. The Patriots then signed Brown to a contract that if all the incentives are met, could be as much as $11 million for 2021.

- Patriots traded Marcus Cannon and the Pats' 4th, 5th, and 6th picks in 2021 to Texas for Houston's 4th, 5th, and 6th picks in 2021. That means the Pats move from picks #120, 158, and 196 to picks #109, 147, and 187, plus it freed up $6.28m in cap space.

So if you think either of those was your favorite move, I guess throw it in there.

And for the FA contracts, I only included the guaranteed money, because that's basically the "real" contract value.
 

Otis Foster

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Jonnu - young, skill set that matches up with the scheme requirements.

Edit: Jonnu, not Jonny - hate auto correct
 

Super Nomario

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I went Henry, but really it's Henry in conjunction with Smith. It was going to be really hard to upgrade the WR corps to have a competitive 11 personnel grouping, but they flipped the script and now look have to have a really strong 12 personnel grouping, even if the WR turn out to be just meh. I think it'll fit really well with the run-heavy approach, maybe even enough to be like a top 15ish offense even if Cam doesn't make strides from 2020.
 

Mooch

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Jonnu for sure. When he's utilized in a way that gets him free in the open field, he's a legitimate top-tier weapon at that position and he creates a ton of mismatch problems. Henry is a great complimentary piece for him but it starts with Smith IMO.
 

ShaneTrot

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It has to be the TEs, the position has been nonexistent in the offense for two years. These guys are known quantities, the young guys showed nothing last year. Admittedly, it's a tough position for rookies but now they at least have guys who can make a catch and are willing blockers.
 

cornwalls@6

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Voted for Jonnu, but like others, it's really the combination of him and Henry, and the complete rebuild of the position that I'm most excited about. Gives them much more run/pass versatility than they had in 2020, and should greatly benefit whoever is behind center next fall.
 

bsj

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I really couldnt decide so I actually went with a weird one, that of Mills. My rationale is...i think it helps us build DB depth and potentially gets us to a place where we may be able to use Gilmore as a trade chip.

But really Judon, Henry, Smith...all could be there. Even Bourne i think could be a value.
 

KingChre

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Jul 31, 2009
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I went with Henry but to echo what others have said it is really Smith/Henry. Henry just solidified the "Detroit" package that Bill loves.

My favorite Patriots offense was the Moss-led video game offense of 2007, but the Gronknandez years are not too far behind.

I love the off season so far but I am really, really curious to see what Curtis Samuel signs for and where. He's been my off season binky and I still am holding out a little hope they can still fit him in. A fool's hope, perhaps, but I just think he'd be such a perfect fit here.

For now, it's Henry though, more for what it means.
 

8slim

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Jonnu. Not just because of the weapon he's likely to be, but because of the message it immediately sent to the league, other free agents, the team, and the fanbase. Bill's not messing around, and it's glorious.
 

Saints Rest

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I can't really decide among the top three listed. But one thing I think is impressive about all the moves this year, including the return of the COVID opt-outs, is how many starter or key-rotational level players they have added.

Smith, Henry, Agholor, Bourne plus Brown will all play major roles in this offense. That's five new key offensive cogs, replacing or bumping down the pecking order some players who were JAGS at best (Byrd, Harry, Eluemenor, Izzo, etc).

Similarly on defense, Judon, Godchaux, Mills, Anderson, plus Hightower and Chung,replacing or bumping down guys like Simon, Cowart, Brooks, etc.
 

BigSoxFan

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I'm excited for most of these guys but Judon elicits the most excitement for me. 2 time Pro Bowler right in middle of his prime at a position of need who is incredibly versatile. The LB group has some really exciting versatility and I can't wait to see how Belichick uses High, Judon, and Uche together. Lots of juice there. Similar excitement for the secondary, which has a nice mix of young guys and savvy vets. I'm expecting Dugger to be a wrecking ball this year.
 

Garshaparra

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TE seems to be the 2nd most important skill position in football. A single quality TE stirs the drink, forcing LBs or safeties into flat or seam coverage, or adding one more on the edge to block on myriad running plays from backs, QBs or wideouts on sweeps. TE overmatched as a blocker or receiver? You're immediately 1-dimensional, or much less likely to be successful. Getting two top TEs though...that's enormous. This pairing, should they stay healthy, completely revamps the offense. Huge gets, and likely an immediate return to form for the squad.
 

DGreenwood

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I'm a little confused about how many people chose Smith over Henry. I thought Henry was pretty well accepted as the higher rated TE. Is this a tools vs production thing?

In other words, has Henry been the better player so far but Jonnu was so underutilized in Tennessee and has the potential to be the better player once he's in a system that takes advantage of his strengths?
 

Harry Hooper

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I voted Kendrick Bourne. I got a feeling he is going to be a real pain in the ass for opposing teams. I see him getting a lot of 3rd down conversions for the Patriots.
My vote as well, as he seems like the offensive equivalent of a Vrabel-type signing.
 

Beomoose

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Jonnu for me, not only for who he is but because his was the signing that signaled Bill wasn't fucking around. Henry's signing also gets a bump because it announced the return of 2 TE times, but Smith's #1 to me.
 

Cellar-Door

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Why isn't Cam Newton an option?!?!?!
Honestly he might be the best signing, he's getting paid very little, he's probably underpaid just on last year's bad production, and it isn't unreasonable to expect improvement just on the basis of having camp and not having COVID, and his deal is what helped set up the spending spree.

I'm a little confused about how many people chose Smith over Henry. I thought Henry was pretty well accepted as the higher rated TE. Is this a tools vs production thing?

In other words, has Henry been the better player so far but Jonnu was so underutilized in Tennessee and has the potential to be the better player once he's in a system that takes advantage of his strengths?
Probably because Smith is a more explosive player, and he's been improving while Henry has arguably regressed some since missing a year to injury.
Looking at them, Henry caught more passes, and further down field, but he's a guy who generally gets you what is there when he catches it, so he ran deeper routes by limited YAC.
Smith had a lot of short targets, but his YAC is really impressive.

Projecting forward, Smith is the more likely to be a guy with gamebreaking abilities, where Henry is more of a reliable option for good yardage.
 

JM3

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Cannon trade was my favorite move because it was free $, especially in conjunction with the Brown trade.

According to the Stuart chart, they gained 1.2 points of trade value in the Cannon trade this year, & lost about 1.2 points of value next year in the Brown trade, meaning basically they trade Cannon + $1.5m + up to $3m in playing time incentives for Trent Brown, who is 5 years younger, significantly better, & actually wants to play football for the Patriots.

Jonnu my favorite signing.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Henry for me.

The narrative that he's hurt all the time isn't true. Apparently, HH has been at the gym all off-season. He is said to be the kind that "eats, sleeps, and sh*ts" football. BB practically had tears in his eyes talking about the TE last season.

What's not to love?

P. S. Until Pats resign Burkhead, that is.
 

Cellar-Door

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Henry for me.

The narrative that he's hurt all the time isn't true. Apparently, HH has been at the gym all off-season. He is said to be the kind that "eats, sleeps, and sh*ts" football. BB practically had tears in his eyes talking about the TE last season.

What's not to love?

P. S. Until Pats resign Burkhead, that is.
It's not, but it isn't entirely untrue either.
He's missed a full year, and 2-4 games, plus portions of more in every season since his rookie year. Henry has had a lot of small injuries pretty consistently.
 

radsoxfan

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Honestly he might be the best signing, he's getting paid very little, he's probably underpaid just on last year's bad production, and it isn't unreasonable to expect improvement just on the basis of having camp and not having COVID, and his deal is what helped set up the spending spree.
Did his deal set up the spending spree just because they have such a cheap QB and so much more room to play with? Or did guys like Henry and Jonnu agree to go to the Pats because they like Cam at QB a lot more than Stidham/unknown starter?

My initial sense was that Bill offered the most money and these guys took it. But I saw a lot of speculation that bringing back Cam was in part because to NFL players he is still highly respected and would help them sign players in FA.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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It's not, but it isn't entirely untrue either.
He's missed a full year, and 2-4 games, plus portions of more in every season since his rookie year. Henry has had a lot of small injuries pretty consistently.
Yeah, it's subjective.

For me, Hunter logged 15, 14, 0, 12, and 14 games. 2018 was a wash but I'd take those # of starts from my #1/2 TE.
 

DourDoerr

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The Cannon trade as it looked like they might release him for nothing and instead got three picks that have the potential to be somewhat equivalent to a late 3rd, late 4th and late 5th. Also, being at the front of a round allows one to trade down and still stay within the round.

After that it's Smith, as he was the first TE to sign and shored up a massive hole.

Bourne is close, considering the skill set, need, and low cost.
 

Cellar-Door

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Did his deal set up the spending spree just because they have such a cheap QB and so much more room to play with? Or did guys like Henry and Jonnu agree to go to the Pats because they like Cam at QB a lot more than Stidham/unknown starter?

My initial sense was that Bill offered the most money and these guys took it. But I saw a lot of speculation that bringing back Cam was in part because to NFL players he is still highly respected and would help them sign players in FA.
I think mostly the first, but a bit of the 2nd.
Mostly it's that they have a potential starting caliber QB (not a good starter, but top 30 with top 20 upside) locking in at very low rates so they don't need to save cap for that position.
However, it's become clear that the perception of Cam in the league (both current Patriots and other players) is very different from this board.
The "guys won't come here with Cam at QB" narrative on here actually came from a Hunter Henry quote about wanting to play with a good QB.... now, I don't buy that then or now, he was going to take the best money, but it does give you and idea that Cam at least is someone guys don't see as a significant negative.
 

radsoxfan

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Yeah, I agree. I think primary driver was the Pats offering the most money.... but NFL players also think more highly of Cam than this board.

Having someone like him locked in as a starter was probably a lot more palatable for guys like Henry to accept than having Stidham/no one.

That alone probably makes Cam's deal worth it.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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The Cannon trade as it looked like they might release him for nothing and instead got three picks that have the potential to be somewhat equivalent to a late 3rd, late 4th and late 5th. Also, being at the front of a round allows one to trade down and still stay within the round.

After that it's Smith, as he was the first TE to sign and shored up a massive hole.

Bourne is close, considering the skill set, need, and low cost.
I agree with Points A, B, and C of this post.
 

Red Leader

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The Cannon trade as it looked like they might release him for nothing and instead got three picks that have the potential to be somewhat equivalent to a late 3rd, late 4th and late 5th. Also, being at the front of a round allows one to trade down and still stay within the round.

After that it's Smith, as he was the first TE to sign and shored up a massive hole.

Bourne is close, considering the skill set, need, and low cost.
Honest question, are there benefits to "staying within the round"? I know first round picks come with the fifth year option attached, but is there a defined benefit to, say, the last pick of the fifth vs. first of the sixth?
 

DourDoerr

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I agree with points A1, B & C, but disagree with point A2 - round #s are just an artificial construct & don't matter, only the pick # does.
Agreed on the artificial construct. Round #'s are also a handy shortcut to say "generally in spitting distance of the pick going out" and that's in line with my intent.

Honest question, are there benefits to "staying within the round"? I know first round picks come with the fifth year option attached, but is there a defined benefit to, say, the last pick of the fifth vs. first of the sixth?
Good question. As noted above, the round #'s are artificial, but they're a quick and dirty way to indicate within which neighborhood a pick resides. Casual fans certainly eat it up and that's a consideration for any GM making a case for a trade. There may be brackets aligned with each round that designate how much money a given draftee will get - i.e. a fifth rounder gets up to x amount of dollars, a fourth gets up to x+y and so on.
 
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54thMA

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Mcdanials should probably call a doctor. Got to be the 2 TEs.
That's my vote as well, the combination of getting them both.

Bill's going to do now what he loves to do best offensively; attack the middle of the field, two TE's that are gong to create match up problems all game long.
 

SMU_Sox

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Between Henry and Judon that’s a tough call. Both are great scheme fits. I voted Henry because he’s younger.
 

streeter88

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Like them all. Except Agholor. Even after seeing BBJones posting drop stats for last three years, still not convinced.

I hope I am wrong.

Edit: and the TE signings were - frankly - shocking. I wondered at first if they were hacked account tweets.
 

The Mort Report

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I voted for Smith, but either TE works

One thing I haven’t seen discussed is all the bigger signings are guys in the 25-28 age range, so they are buying their prime years with a chance for upside. None of these deals I believe carry past 32, and most before 30. A lot of these guys, if they preform during their contracts, will be due for another big contract. Those 30 year old 4-5 year deals are the ones that are killer on FA day 1 since they have almost no chance to improve but will most certainly enter a decline. Then you are looking at comp picks for them

Also, it’s not like many young guys are up for big extensions in the next few years. Bailey is probably the most likely to be extended but punter, and Wynn is the only one that might get there. That’s only one guy on the team in the next 3 years that could earn a 10+ mil/year contract. I think they are all fantastic signings