The biggest free agency spender this offseason was the New England Patriots and it really wasn’t close. Heading into free agency, the Patriots were destined to do some damage in the market and hiring a coach like Mike Vrabel only made them look better to free agents. Vrabel is a proven coach who knows how to set a culture right away. That’s what the Patriots needed, and that was a bit scary for the Bills.
Since Tom Brady left the Patriots, it’s been the Bills running the division after New England dominated it for nearly two decades. However, it’s a new era in New England and they will be the ones looking to challenge the Bills for the AFC East which is something that the Miami Dolphins have been trying to do the last few seasons.
While the Patriots made some nice additions in free agency and even in the NFL Draft, there is one move where they are taking a massive risk on someone who can be a great player, but hasn’t proven it consistently. That player is defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams will be plugged into the middle of the trenches in hopes of creating interior pressure against the run and the pass. However, giving Williams, who isn’t necessarily a star player, a four-year $104 million deal (with $63 million guaranteed) is a huge risk which could come back to haunt the Patriots. And that would be great for the Bills.
Patriots taking a massive risk with Milton Williams' contract
Lou Scataglia from NFL Spin Zone recently listed some of the biggest contracts that were given in this past offseason and on Scataglia’s list, Williams was number one and Scataglia is also saying that Williams’ contract was a huge pay for someone who may not be worth it. Here’s what Scataglia said about this contract:
"Milton Williams was not re-signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, as he scored a deal worth over $100 million with the New England Patriots, who spent a ton of money in free agency in hopes of breaking out in the 2025 NFL Season with Drake Maye under center. To me, Williams was definitely one of the players who got more money than he's actually worth."
Lou Scataglia, NFL Spin Zone
Now, if Williams does indeed live up to that contract, well then he could be a huge disruptor for the AFC East. But we have seen this kind of move before. A young and upcoming player gets paid big time and he doesn’t live up to the expectations that were put on him. Then the team hurts from it, while the rest of the division is laughing at them.
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