Patriots Free Agency: This is More Like It

Now this is the kind of Free Agency Period I’m talking about.

I feel like it has been a little while since we, as Patriots fans, have had this kind of a March. The past few seasons, Bill Belichick has deviated from the norm as he went out and acquired some of the more well-known free agents on the market to bolster the team. Stephon Gilmore. Brandon Browner. Darrelle Revis. Chris Hogan. Go back over the last few years, and it seems like the Patriots have been right in the mix regarding the players they have brought in to help them compete for another Super Bowl.

Not this year.

This year, we’re getting back to our roots. Back to the Free Agency period we have come to expect, even embrace, in the Bill Belichick Era. Almost every single Patriots Free Agent we were hoping to see resigned is gone. Amendola is a Dolphin, Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis are now Titans. Nate Solder is on his way to the Giants. The only moves the Patriots have made so far is re-upping a special teamer and trading for a depth guy along the defensive line. Fan favorites are departing for big contracts and new coaches, and the Patriots are significantly weaker as a team than they were this time next week.

This is the March I have come to know and love.

We should all be used to this by now. Sure, the past few years have been a bit of an anomaly, but this is how New England has traditionally done business. They sit back, let the market settle, allow teams to overspend on players, then fill their roster will solid guys who will fit into the system and help make the team better. They may go out and get a splashy guy, but it rarely, if ever, comes early on. There is still a long offseason to go, plus the draft, and championships are not won in March. If they were, the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins would both be competing for best NFL dynasty of the 21st century.

The Patriots will be fine. They always are.

So if you’re feeling a little down on the state of the Patriots this morning, cheer up. We’ve been here before. And because of that, we’ll also likely be able to say that we’ve been here before in late January of 2019.