New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel clearly wanted an upgrade of talent on defense. Patriots owner Robert Kraft got out his credit card.
The Patriots were the big player in the first few hours of Monday’s so-called legal tampering period to kick off NFL free agency. The biggest move was spending a reported $26 million a season on defensive tackle Milton Williams on a four-year deal. Williams was a key player in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win. The Patriots got Williams after it had been reported the Carolina Panthers were finalizing a deal with him, reportedly upping the ante against the Panthers.
The Patriots were not going to be denied in their pursuit to upgrade the defense, not on Williams or a few others. The Patriots also spent big to agree to terms with cornerback Carlton Davis III and linebacker Robert Spillane in the first few hours of the legal tampering period. They had already signed pass rusher Harold Landry, who could officially sign before free agency because he was cut by the Tennessee Titans.
The Patriots’ spending spree wasn’t all on defense either; they agreed to a deal with former Jets offensive tackle Morgan Moses.
The Patriots had perhaps the least talented roster in the NFL the past two seasons. Vrabel was hired this offseason to turn things around, and the front office made sure he had much more talent to work with.
The Patriots had the most salary cap space in the NFL, the only team with more than $100 million available, and they blew through a lot of that quickly.
The Patriots made five outside additions, four on defense, and also re-signed tight end Austin Hooper. The total of those six new contracts, all signed within 24 hours, was $269.5 million, according to Spotrac:
- Williams: $104 million over four years
- Davis: $60 million over three years
- Landry: $43.5 million over three years
- Spillane: $33 million over three years
- Moses: $24 million over three years
- Hooper: $5 million over one year
The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the past two seasons. For as great as Bill Belichick was for the franchise, in his final years with the team he made huge mistakes in free agency and the draft, leaving the roster with very few above-average players. The Patriots hit on quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick of last year’s draft, but needed to work quickly to build around him.
Most of the additions were to the defense, but one way to help a young quarterback is making sure he doesn’t have to outscore every opponent he faces.
Milton Williams was one of the big-money players the Patriots agreed to terms with on Monday. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ signings covered many different defensive needs.
Williams is an intriguing defensive tackle who showed up in the Super Bowl, collecting two sacks. He is talented but was overshadowed on a deep Eagles defensive line.
Spillane was mostly a backup for his first five seasons between the Titans and Steelers, but came into his own as a starter for the Raiders the past two seasons. He had 148 tackles in 2023 and 158 tackles last season.
Davis got the largest contract among cornerbacks in the early part of free agency, showing how the Patriots coveted him to go alongside Christian Gonzalez, one of the few promising young stars on the roster the past two seasons.
Landry has familiarity with Vrabel from their time together in Tennessee and he can add an edge to the pass rush. Landry had 19.5 sacks the past two seasons.
All of those additions show how much help the Patriots needed. They spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars on talent, and there are still holes to fill. They have the chance to add another impact player with the fourth pick of the NFL Draft.
For now, the Patriots have to be pleased to have upgraded the roster. Even if it was extremely costly to do so.
