Patriots add free agent tight end Smith

BOSTON — The Patriots have agreed to sign free agent tight end Jonnu Smith in their biggest move to date to fill the void created by the departure of Rob Gronkowski.

Smith, who was selected by the Titans in the third round of the 2017 draft, agreed Monday to a four-year, $50 million deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press. New deals can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Smith has been a consistent presence for Tennessee, appearing in 60 games with 53 starts over the past four years. His improvement has been steady and he is coming off his best season with the Titans, catching 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Patriots have struggled to get production at tight end since Gronkowski initially announced his retirement in 2019.

PATRIOTS REPORTEDLY SIGN JUDON

According to the NFL Network, the Patriots are signing edge rusher Matt Judon to a four-year, $56 million deal with $32 million over the first two years of the contract.

Judon, 28, is a 6-foot-3, 261 pound outside linebacker. He has 34.5 sacks over his five-year NFL career and is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.

A fifth-round pick in 2016, the Patriots actually had significant interest in Judon prior to that draft. Instead, the edge rusher was selected by Baltimore, where’s played the last five seasons. Coming to the NFL from Grand Valley State, it didn’t take long for Judon to show his talents. He had four sacks that rookie year and then totaled eight sacks in 2017 and seven in 2018 as a situational pass rusher.

Judon earned his first Pro Bowl bid in 2019 when he finished with 9.5. Sacks, 54 tackles, 14 for loss, and a career-high 33 quarterback hits.

SOURCE: PATS TRADE CANNON TO TEXANS

BOSTON — The Patriots are trading tackle Marcus Cannon, a mainstay on the right side of their offensive line, to the Houston Texans, according to a person familiar with the deal. The Patriots will send Cannon to Houston in exchange for the swap of fourth, fifth and sixth-round picks in next month’s NFL draft. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

JETS ADD DAVIS

The New York Jets and former Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis have agreed on a one-year deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of the move.

NFL Network first reported the deal, saying it is worth up to $7 million.

Davis was a first-round pick of the Lions in 2017 out of Florida and he started 45 of 55 games in Detroit.