The NFL’s legal tampering period is underway, and rumors and speculation abound.
Consider this tracker your one-stop shop for all Patriots-related scuttlebutt as New England begins assembling its roster for the 2022 season.
To follow along with all of the Patriots’ signings and departures, click here.
4:10 p.m.: The Patriots now must replace both of their starting guards after trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England reportedly received just a fifth-round draft pick in return for Mason, who started 98 games over seven seasons in Foxboro. The move clears roughly $7 million in salary cap space.
For more, click here.
2:10 p.m.: Another potential Patriots target off the board. Falcons receiver Russell Gage reportedly is joining Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
1:15 p.m.: Welcome back, James White.
For more on the veteran running back’s return, click here.
10:20 a.m.: A couple of newly available free agents at positions of need for the Patriots: linebacker Myles Jack and cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins.
Worth noting that players who were released by their previous team do not count toward the compensatory pick formula, making them especially intriguing targets for the Patriots.
8:45 a.m.: Chase Winovich’s time with the Patriots has come to an end.
For more on the trade and what the Patriots are getting in linebacker Mack Wilson, click here.
8:10 a.m.: Cross D.J. Chark off your Patriots free agency wish list. The former Jaguars receiver reportedly is signing a one-year, $10 million contract with the Lions.
Free agent wideouts still available include Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jarvis Landry, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage.
4:56 p.m.: Cornerback J.C. Jackson reportedly is off to the Los Angeles Chargers on a big-money contract.
The Patriots now must replace their No. 1 corner.
4:36 p.m.: Another potential Patriots fit off the board. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cedrick Wilson is “closing in” on a three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
4:30 p.m.: The recruiting effort from Matthew Judon continues. Thus far, it has not produced any Patriots signings.
4:15 p.m.: The Chargers have made a “formal offer” to J.C. Jackson, NFL Media’s Mike Giardi reported.
3:58 p.m.: ESPN’s Chris Mortensen fueled speculation that the Los Angeles Chargers will sign Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson.
“There are executives in this league that truly believe he’ll end up with the LA Chargers,” Mortensen said during ESPN’s free agency coverage.
Multiple outlets have linked Jackson to the Chargers, though no direct contract talks have been reported.
3:15 p.m.: Christian Kirk would have been a nice addition to the Patriots’ receiving corps. But they wouldn’t have offered anything close to what the Jacksonville Jaguars are paying the former Arizona Cardinals wideout.
Kirk’s new contract with the Jaguars reportedly is a four-year deal worth up to $84 million — a maximum average annual value of $21 million. Without incentives, the deal still is worth $72 million and a hefty $18 million AAV.
More than three hours in, the Patriots have yet to agree to terms with any external free agents. That’s a stark change from last year, when they swiftly signed a number of big-name veterans.
2:22 p.m.: Jets slot receiver Braxton Berrios was viewed as a potential Patriots target, but the 2018 New England draftee is staying in New York, re-signing on a reported two-year, $12 million contract.
1:44 p.m.: Matthew Slater, staying:
But Ted Karras, going:
1:13 p.m.: Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon is doing his best to recruit Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson to New England.
Wagner and Robinson are arguably the best inside linebacker and wide receiver available in free agency, respectively, and the Patriots have needs at both positions.
12:35 p.m.: The Patriots are among the teams showing interest in Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, per a report from the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels.
Valdes-Scantling is big (6-foot-4, 206 pounds) and fast (4.37-second 40-yard dash), and he’s averaged 17.5 yards per catch in his four-year career, with a league-best mark of 20.9 in 2020. But he’s caught just 48.9% of his career targets, the worst mark of any wideout with at least 100 targets since 2018.
For more on Valdes-Scantling’s potential fit in New England, click here.
12:30 p.m.: The Cleveland Browns released veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry after trying and failing to trade him. The Patriots are not expected to have significant interest in the former Miami Dolphin, per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.
11:10 a.m.: Multiple outlets have reported the Los Angeles Chargers will make a strong push for Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson. Does this tweet from Chargers safety Derwin James hint at a forthcoming Jackson deal?
One of the NFL’s premier interception artists, the 26-year-old Jackson is set to cash in after earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors this season for the first time in his career.
