New England Patriots links 3/15/18 - Taking stock after Free Agency, Day 1

TEAM TALK

• Patriots 2018 Free Agent Tracker.
• Paul Perillo passes along a Boston Globe report that RB Rex Burkhead has agreed to terms on a multi-year deal to return to the Patriots.
• Andy Hart writes on Nate Solder signing with the Giants.

LOCAL LINKS

• Phil Perry looks at what’s left for the Patriots in free agency, now that Day 1 is in the books.
• Mike Reiss gives us a look at the current depth chart after the free-agent departures, which also serves as a reminder of the significant change ahead in 2018.
• Nicole Yang posts a Patriots rumor roundup: Here’s the latest on who’s leaving and who’s coming.
• Jeff Howe hears from Malcolm Butler, who opens up a bit about his benching and still expresses nothing but love for the Patriots, Bill Belichick, and the fans. /Great read.
• Michael Hurley is happy Malcolm Butler gets his payday from the Titans. “Butler owes his entire professional career to the New England Patriots. But they still gave him a raw deal.”
• Steve Buckley finds it odd that Malcolm Butler, the man who contributed the single greatest play in Boston sports history, is leaving town.
• Matt Dolloff reports the Patriots re-signed Rex Burkhead to a three-year deal.
• Tanya Ray Fox (PatriotsWire) Rex Burkhead is a better Dion Lewis replacement than you might think.
• Kevin Duffy sees Rex Burkhead as a potential breakout player in the 2018 season.
• Doug Kyed says the Rex Burkhead signing answers one burning question for the offense.
• Jake Levin (NECN) Mass Exodus: How the losses will impact the Patriots.
• Hal Bent (FullPressCoverage) New England Patriots: The annual free agency panic.
• Karen Guregian makes the leap that because some players left the team for big money elsewhere, outside free agents don’t want to play for New England anymore due to too much in-house tension.
• Ryan Hannable displays the short, selective memory necessary to keep alive a negative theme in the local media.
• Mike Reiss offers some follow-up thoughts on why the Patriots let Tom Brady’s protector, Nate Solder, walk.
• Tom E. Curran tells us why Nate Solder’s departure is the one that really hurts the Patriots.
• Mike D’Abate (FullPressCoverage) Loss of Solder looms large for Patriots. “As for the Patriots, the ‘next man up’ will once again be put to the test.”
• Kevin Duffy wonders what the Patriots’ plan is to replace Nate Solder.
• Joshua Schrock notes Tedy Bruschi feels the Patriots’ biggest free agent loss is Danny Amendola because of his clutch gene.
• Darren Hartwell recalls the Patriots offer to Malcolm Butler last offseason and determines Butler’s decision to sign elsewhere wasn’t about the money.
• Tanya Ray Fox (PatriotsWire) Tyrann Mathieu and the Patriots need each other right now.
• Kevin Duffy hears that free agent LB Jonathan Casillas could be making his way back to New England.
• Mark Daniels notes the Patriots are showing interest in DE Adrian Clayborn.
• Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) Malcolm Mitchell shares his love of reading with “The Magicians Hat”.
• Mike Reiss reports guards Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, who played nearly every offensive snap in 2017, led the Patriots in the NFL’s performance-based pay system.
• Jeff Howe Patriots Notebook: Left tackle Nate Solder the latest to leave Foxboro.
• Tom Leyden (25 News) Matt Light on Patriots: “The culture has changed”.
• Zack Cox notes how Tom Brady said goodbye to ‘brothers for life’ as several Patriots free agents depart.
• Zack Cox notes ‘Tom vs. Time’ filmmaker isn’t buying Tom Brady’s stated retirement plan.
• Adam London reveals how Tom Brady impacted Kirk Cousins’ meeting with the Vikings.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Louis Riddick (Instagram) Patriots lost some important players to free agency, but this is the exact reason I would not sweat it. (video) /Worth a listen for some reasonable perspective.
• Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) NFL free agency winners and losers: Patriots have had a tough week.
• Albert Breer (SI) Game Plan: On risk, old rules and how Kirk Cousins laid the groundwork to forever change NFL contracts; More.
• Bill Connelly (SB Nation) The secret salary cap formula successful NFL teams rely on.
• Khadrice Rollins (SI) Malcolm Butler says he still has love for Bill Belichick, Patriots after Super Bowl benching.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Nate Solder gets $34.8 million guaranteed at signing.
• Mike Freeman (Bleacher Report) 10-Point stance: Is the NFL right to be wary of Baker Mayfield? /Interesting read.
• Jonathan Jones (SI) It was a good day to be a free agent wide receiver.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Tyrann Mathieu: A winning culture matters more to me than money.
• Chris Wesseling (NFL.com) Seven potential landing spots for Tyrann Mathieu.
• Debbie Emery (The Wrap) ‘Tom vs Time’ director on why the obsession around Brady and Gisele is ‘out of control’.
• Andrew Bucholtz (Awful Announcing) New ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro tells employees “I do not believe that we are a political organization.”