Eight new contracts.
$290 million committed.
So, so many thoughts.
Let’s dive into the Patriots’ cannon ball into free agency on Monday.
1. Milton Williams’ monster deal
Did you hear that sound around 2 p.m. yesterday?
A whisper carried on the wind all the way from Foxboro.
It said: “F— it.”
The Patriots climbed over the Panthers at the last minute to steal Philly DT Milton Williams after it was reported Williams had closed a deal with Carolina. Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf ponied up millions more to overpay Williams, the best free-agent defender available, and land a legitimate game-wrecker to pair with Christian Gonzalez. The Pats agreed to pay Williams a cool $104 million total, more than one-third of the money they committed on Monday.
And let’s stay with Williams a while.
His addition represented a major shift for the Patriots. Schematically. Financially. Attitudinally.
This was a desperation signing, not a value buy or a dive into the discount bin; moves that backboned the Belichick era. This was a self-awareness signing, the Patriots recognizing they will never escape the NFL’s basement without players like him. This was a commitment signing to Vrabel’s new style of defense; an attacking system predicated on defensive linemen, like Williams, who can create pressure all by themselves.
Good on them.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Now, Williams’ 4-year, $104 million deal makes him the third-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL and highest-paid player in franchise history by average annual value. That’s a high bar he’s likely never to reach.
Paying Williams like this, the Patriots need him to produce on all three downs at an elite level, something he has yet to do. He never played even 50% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in a season. He did post the league’s second-highest pass-rushing grade among defensive tackles at PFF last year, but he also owned one of the worst run defense grades at his position.
The Patriots are betting his pressure rate wasn’t heavily influenced by playing next to and rotating with some of the best D-linemen in the league. They are betting he can capably play a lot more next season and continue to improve.
Williams may just prove them right. He is an athletic freak among defensive linemen (clocking a 4.6 in the 40, 34 bench press reps of 225 pounds and a 38.5-inch vertical at the 2021 scouting combine). He was well-coached in Philadelphia and should hit his prime sometime while he’s under contract in New England.
Yet, history would suggest this is the deal the Patriots regret over time. Williams is being paid as one of the best non-quarterbacks in the entire NFL, and while his efficiency metrics would back that up, volume counts, too; especially on a contract like this. That’s a lot of pressure and uncertainty for a player making this type of money.
Still, letting Williams get away would have been worse than an overpay. If the front office was going to bet big, a 25-year-old pass-rusher entering his prime is the player you roll the dice on.
Williams outperformed his market by $20 million, according to some front-office executives I consulted with last week. Now the Patriots need him to simply come close to living up to this contract, while they continue to remake themselves around him.
2. Lessons for next season
Repeat after me: elite wide receivers and offensive tackles do not hit the open market.
Elite wide receivers and offensive tackles do not hit the open market.
Elite wide rec—
Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin lasted all of a few minutes in free agency before re-upping with the Buccaneers on a 3-year deal, reportedly passing on an extra $20 million offered by another team. That team? Undoubtedly New England, whom every insider began referencing in the moments after Godwin’s new contract was announced.
And you should believe these reports.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin leaves the field after pregame warmups before an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin leaves the field after pregame warmups before an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)
The Herald reported last week Godwin was one of the names atop the Patriots’ free-agent board, even though members of the organization doubted he would ever leave Tampa. And Godwin didn’t, drawn back to the only NFL home he’s ever known, Florida’s lack of an income tax, sunny skies, and a Bucs roster that’s a lot closer to contention than the Patriots.
Disappointing as it was for the front office to miss out on yet another elite wideout, this wasn’t hard to understand. But next year, the Pats must get ahead of this trend by jumping on a receiver via trade or high in the draft.
3. Signing I’ve warmed up to: OT Morgan Moses
Moses was no higher than the Patriots’ Plan C at offensive tackle, but after the Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley and Rams’ Alaric Jackson came off the board before free agency opened, what better option did they have?
The only answer is ex-Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr., who blew away his projected market signing a $4-year, $82 million contract in Tennessee. Yet certain blocking metrics painted Moses in a better light than Moore last season, so despite their eight-year age difference, Moses could very well offer far better value. He was guaranteed 39 million fewer dollars and is scheduled to make $12.5 million less in average annual salary. Moses’ most stable skill is also his pass protection, something that can’t be said for Moore.
Source: Patriots signing offensive tackle Morgan Moses
That said, there is no concern with Moore's performance suddenly falling off a cliff in the next season or two. And it was only two years ago the Patriots signed a 34-year-old Riley Reiff to be their new right tackle, then Reiff lasted just a few days in training camp before it was clear he couldn't play. This front office must be crossing its fingers Father Time waits a little longer to come for Moses.
The bet here is he lasts at least one more season as a respectable stopgap option, which I would fee a lot better about if the Patriots spend a top-50 pick on a tackle to back him up.
4. Signing I'm cool on: LB Robert Spillane
Spillane is good enough. Tough. Smart. Dependable; the type of player the Patriots have historically coveted from an intangibles standpoint and the kind that drives winning.
The issue here is redundancy. Most of Spillane's strengths overlap with current inside linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, who's slow-footed compared to his new teammate but otherwise impacts the game in similar ways.
Both hit hard, tackle well and play downhill. Neither should be trusted often in man-to-man coverage and can be hit-or-miss in zone. Both players have also lost chunks of different seasons due to injury.
Spillane, according to a source, was also not the Patriots' first choice in the inside linebacker market. That would be Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood, whose sideline-to-sideline speed would have introduced a fresh element to the Patriots. But the Jets re-signed Sherwood before he could hit free agency, leading Vrabel to reunite with a former player who blew away his market expectations.
5. Who's next?
It's time to pick through the bones of an already lean free-agent market.
Here are the leftovers I like, as of late Monday night: Saints defensive end Chase Young, veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, Dolphins safety Jevon Holland and Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston.
Oh, and you best believe the Patriots are drafting an offensive tackle come April.
Originally Published: March 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT