New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke with reporters Monday for the first time this offseason, holding court at the NFL Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla.
While Belichick faced many questions relating to his overhauled coaching staff — which will look significantly this season different following the departure of longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — he also addressed a number of the signings, re-signings and trades the Patriots have made since NFL free agency began.
Here’s what Belichick had to say about eight such players:
CB Malcolm Butler (signed)
“He indicated a desire to play this year, and we worked through the process with Malcolm, like we do with every player. Obviously, we know him, but he came up, visited last week, so we signed him. Look forward to having him back.”
LB Mack Wilson (acquired via trade)
“We saw Mack coming out (of Alabama). He played a lot early in Cleveland, has played less the last couple of years. I feel like he’s a good addition. Happy to have him. Look forward to working with him. We’ll see how that plays out.”
G Shaq Mason (traded to Tampa Bay)
“We felt like that was in the best interest of the team. … We’ll have a lot of competition (at that spot). We’ll see how it plays out.”
S Devin McCourty and ST Matthew Slater (re-signed)
“It’s great to have Devin back, great to have Matt back. I’m glad we were able to work things out. Those are two fantastic people as well as players. They mean a lot to the organization. They’re great role models and great players. I feel very fortunate to have coached two of the best at the position that have ever played. Certainly Matt Slater would go up there in the kicking game with (Tom) Brady on offense and (Lawrence) Taylor on defense. So I feel very, very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach all of the players, but I’d say those three in particular.”
OT Trent Brown (re-signed)
“Good to have Trent Brown back. I’m glad we were able to work it out. I’m glad we were able to work it out with all of the players we re-signed. … He played well when he played, but he missed half the year. So hopefully we’ll be able to get more play time from him this year, but he’s a quality player.”
RB James White (re-signed)
“I look forward to seeing James. I think he’s certainly worked hard and made a lot of progress. When we start the offseason program, we’re going to see where things are at that point, but James is another fantastic person, been a multiple-year captain and great work ethic, great role model for our younger backs, particularly (Rhamondre) Stevenson, Damien (Harris), those guys, J.J. (Taylor), (Devine) Ozigbo and so forth. And (Ty) Montgomery now — receiver, running back, whatever he is. So yeah, it’s great to have him.”
CB J.C. Jackson (signed with Los Angeles Chargers)
“We talked to all the players, talked to all our free-agent players. We re-signed quite a few, and there were some we didn’t re-sign. … We did what we thought was best for the team.”
Watch Belichick’s full news conference in the player below.
