Dollar Bill! Hoodie, Pats open wallets FOR PETE’S SAKE!
Carroll high on Darnold as Russell replacement in Seattle
Tom Brady proved he can win without Bill Belichick in Tampa Bay. Now Belichick is spending big to get his New England Patriots back to the Super Bowl without The G.O.A.T.
After missing the playoffs in 2020 and watching Brady raise his seventh Lombardi trophy, Belichick uncharacteristically came out swinging for the fences on Monday on day one of the NFL’s free agency negotiation period.
The Patriots’ head coach agreed with seven players to contracts reportedly worth around $200 million with at least $81.25 million guaranteed: Ravens edge Matt Judon, Titans tight end Jonnu Smith, Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills, Raiders receiver Nelson Agholor, Niners receiver Kendrick Bourne, Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and Jets defensive lineman Henry Anderson.
And that was just on day one, which New England entered with about $69 million in cap space, second only to the Jaguars ($72 million) and just ahead of the Jets ($68 million).
Jets GM Joe Douglas, meanwhile, landed Titans receiver Corey Davis, 26, on a reported three-year, $37.5 million contract with $27 million guaranteed. He secured Bengals edge rusher Carl Lawson on a threeyear, $45 million deal with $30 million guaranteed.
And the Jets got Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million.
But Douglas was not able to land top free agent offensive guard Joe Thuney, 28, who agreed with the Chiefs on a five-year, $80 million contract with $48 million guaranteed.
And NFL Network reported that teams were calling about a possible trade for Jets LB C.J. Mosley, who is still owed big money on a five-year contract signed in 2019. Mosley, 28, played only two games in 2019 due to injury and opted out last season.
The Jets, Patriots and Bengals were believed to be among Thuney’s other suitors, but Kansas City had money, Patrick Mahomes and two straight Super Bowl appearances as selling points.
The Jets, on the other hand, honestly can’t tell free agents who their quarterback will be in 2021. That situation remains in flux -- although that didn’t stop them from landing
Davis.
The Patriots, though, had a monster Monday.
Belichick agreed with the Ravens’ Judon, 28, on a four-year contract worth up to $56 million with $32 million guaranteed. He landed the Titans’ Smith on a four-year deal worth up to $50 million with $31.25 million guaranteed.
He secured the Eagles’ MIlls, 26, to a four-year contract worth up to $24 million with $9 million guaranteed. And he added the Dolphins’ Godchaux, 26, on a two-year deal worth up to $16 million with $9 million guaranteed.
The Patriots also got Agholor, 27, on a two-year, $26 million deal and Bourne, 25, on a three-year, $22.5 million contract. And the Jets’ Anderson, 29, is in for a two-year deal. Belichick no doubt remembers Agholor killing his Patriots with the Eagles in Super Bowl LII in Feb. 2018.
Belichick’s Monday spending spree follows up last week’s trade with the Raiders to reacquire offensive tackle Trent Brown, 27, swapping a fifth-round pick for a Las Vegas seventh. Not to mention Belichick affordably re-signed QB Cam Newton, 31, and is expected to be in the market for a younger QB via trade or the draft.
The Patriots also are due to get key players back from 2020 opt-outs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including edge Dont’a Hightower, 31, one of New England’s best players who deserved to win MVP for the Pats’ 13-3 Super Bowl LIII smothering of the L.A. Rams in Feb. 2019.
Belichick’s big money deals in the early hours of Monday’s negotiating period stood in stark contrast to the Patriots head coach’s typical frugal nature. It was only the only noteworthy activity on a day that was otherwise slow out of the gate.
Four of the Patriots’ recent acquisitions are represented by powerhouse agent Drew Rosenhaus: Smith, Mills, Godchaux and Brown.
In other Jets news, guard Pat Elflein reached agreement on a threeyear, $13.5 million deal including $6 million fully guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. Elflein, 26, played the final six games for the Jets last season after being claimed off waivers from the Vikings.
Packers center Corey Linsley, 29, at the top of the market, is going to the Chargers on a reported five-year, $62.5 million deal. The Jets weren’t believed to be in the mix there.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has a high opinion of Sam Darnold and could end up trading for the Jets quarterback if Seattle deals Russell Wilson, a league source told the Daily News on Monday.
“Keep an eye on Seattle for Darnold,” the source said.
The prerequisite would be a Wilson trade out of town. But here’s the thing: pursuit of Wilson is heating up.
Word on the street is that the Chicago Bears are leading the charge in pursuit of Wilson, with GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy on the hot seat entering their fourth year as a tandem in the Windy City.
Wilson, 32, who has a no-trade clause, has made public that the Bears, Saints, Raiders and Cowboys are the only teams he’ll accept a trade to, per ESPN. And now that list is down to three after Dallas’ re-signing of Dak Prescott.
The Jets, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, have been fielding calls on Darnold, 23. The Denver Broncos, Washington Football Team and
San Francisco 49ers are believed to be among the interested teams.
If the Houston Texans were willing to trade Deshaun Watson, that would be another possible Darnold landing spot, but the Texans’ party line to this point has been they will not trade their disgruntled star.
And if they’re open to it, the Miami Dolphins at the No. 3 pick and the Carolina Panthers at No. 8 would be major competition for the Jets.
Wilson scorched the earth in Seattle after watching this year’s Super Bowl from the stands, complaining publicly on The Dan Patrick Show about his poor offensive line and lack of personnel power in Seattle.
A trade would be costly for the Bears, but Pace and Nagy have nothing to lose. If it works and they win, great. If it doesn’t work, the future picks they traded aren’t theirs, anyway.
Chicago has to do something, though, with reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers ready to run it back in Green Bay. The Bears have let former No. 1 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky walk into free agency and only have Nick Foles on the QB depth chart.
Interestingly enough, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd reported this exact same connection late last week, saying the Bears were trying hard to get Wilson and that the Carroll-Darnold pairing was worth watching.
And then Monday morning on ESPN’s Get Up, analyst Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback, posed a hypothetical three-way trade between the Jets, Bears and Seahawks to get Wilson to Chicago and Darnold to Seattle.
Carroll coached at USC. Darnold played there. So they have that connection. But despite not having a relationship, Carroll told reporters in December of his respect for Darnold’s game.
“I think he’s really talented without question,” Carroll said. “He’s got great throws in him. He’s a real quarterback. He sees things. He makes big plays and big throws in difficult situations because of his talent. It’s just a matter of time. Sam’s going to be a really big-time QB. He’s thrown a lot of balls in three years. He’s had a lot of experience. It will pay off in the long run.”
Carroll, who coached the Jets in 1994, has made a blockbuster trade with the Jets recently, as well.
Last summer, the Jets sent safety Jamal Adams and a 2022 fourth-round pick to Seattle for two firsts, a third and safety Bradley McDougald.
If Carroll pulls off a Wilson trade, he’ll have more than enough assets to acquire Darnold and continue rebuilding his roster out West.
The Jets are bolstering their previously depleted receiving corps with former Titan Corey Davis, according to multiple reports.
Davis is coming off a career year where he had 65 catches for 985 yards and five touchdowns. He’ll join Denzel Mims, coming off a promising rookie year, as a promising pair of receivers for whoever the Jets end up having at quarterback.
The 26-year-old Davis agreed to a threeyear deal with $27 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. Davis was a key part of a Titans offense that was among the best in the NFL this year.
Davis was the No. 5 overall draft pick out of Western Michigan in 2017 but slightly slow to develop before a strong 2020.
Receiver was a sore point for the Jets in Adam Gase’s tenure. Jamison Crowder led the 2020 team with 59 catches for 699 yards, and no other player even had 40 catches or 400 yards. Breshad Perriman was a largely ineffective replacement for Robby Anderson, who was the team’s primary deep threat in 2019.
Now with Crowder playing his natural position in the slot and Mims hopefully healthy in Year 2 after missing seven games last year, the Jets have addressed a major need. The Jets could also pursue talent in the receiver-heavy draft next month.
GM Joe Douglas missed out on the best options on the offensive line, but he did bolster the squad on the other side of the ball.
Carl Lawson, a defensive end with the Bengals the last four years, agreed to a deal with the Jets Monday night. Like Davis, his deal is for three years. According to NFL Network, it’s for $30 million guaranteed.
Edge rusher, as much as receiver, was a major need for the Jets this offseason. Tackle Quinnen Williams was a terror up the middle, which was even more impressive when you considered the lack of heat the Jets generated on the edges. Lawson instantly slots in as the team’s top defensive end opposite John Franklin-Myers.
Lawson’s 32 QB hits ranked second in the NFL last year. He had 5.5 sacks in a bounceback year after tearing his ACL in 2018 and mostly coming off the bench in 2019.