Perhaps the Patriots were a bit too generous with their influx of cash to start NFL free agency.
New England, one of the more financially comfortable teams heading into the offseason, was uncharacteristically aggressive last week. Bill Belichick and Co. addressed multiple major roster needs in the process, including deals of at least three years for Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Matt Judon.
The Patriots largely were praised for their splurge, but it might not have been home runs across the board for New England. One NFC scout told Michael Giardi, “They paid a premium for a few players who aren’t premium talent or premium producers.” The scout did, however, follow up with, “They needed a talent infusion. In same spots, they did exactly that.”
One of the deals the Patriots handed out that the scout might be referring to is the contract for Nelson Agholor. Agholor, who was awfully inconsistent over his first six NFL seasons, was granted a two-year, $22 million deal with $16 million guaranteed. That’s somewhat steep for a player who was held under 50 catches in four of his six seasons and never has exceeded the 900-receiving yard mark.
But if the majority of the Patriots’ offseason signings end up living up to expectations, it’s tough to imagine the organization will dwell on a whiff or two.
