FanPost

A 2021 New England Patriots Title Contending Team?


I am sure that many of those that are apart of PatsPulpit do not know who I am or what I am all about. But, I assure you that I never really get to contribute due to school and work. I am a major fan of the New England Patriots, much like many of you, and am very happy to read all of the articles, links, reports, and fan posts that you all post. So thank you to those that help to make this community active! I am speaking on behalf of those that rarely comment or post, when I say Thank You!

Now, let us get down to business. I set out on a recent journey to put together a roster that only the best of the best opponents could take down. I strategically rebuilt our positions of weaknesses into a team of both stardom and depth that would place us above every AFC East opponent and a healthy majority of AFC teams in general. No longer would we sit idly aside while we watch our divisional opponents build juggernauts. Now, it is our turn.

(BEFORE CONTINUING TO READ: DISCLOSURE; I am not an NFL General Manager (obviously), I am not a roster construction expert, I do not claim to an expert about topics such as salary caps, or other topics related to roster construction so if these following moves are not even possible, then please do not take it out on the messenger. I am just trying to have a little fun following a season void of our normal fun.)

I used 2 third party systems in order to simulate the offseason experience and the draft experience to put together somewhat of a credible roster moving into 2021 for the Patriots. I focused on some of our more pressing needs including what I started with in the offseason simulation.

These were some of the following steps I took at the beginning of free agency

ADDRESSING THE RETURNEES

  • 1) Resigned David Andrews to 3 year deal at $5,250,000 a year - This seems like a no brainer. Andrews is one of the anchors on the interior o-line and will be the cheaper one to bring back (between him and Thuney). There is a world where we bring both Andrew and Thuney back, but not one I honestly want to live in, considering a lot of our cap will be put towards our oline next year any way. That money is best spent somewhere else, especially after drafting a blossoming star in Onwenu.
  • 2) Resigned Rex Burkhead to a 2 year deal at $1,750,000 a year. - Again, after finding out Rex could be had for such a cheap deal, I pounced on that opportunity. We enter 2021 with a strong run game in Harris, Michel, and a rehabbed Burkhead (hopefully). Burkhead could be that change of pace, third down receiving back he has proved he is capable of being. Sweet Feet will most likely pick where he plays next, and it could be not in New England.
  • 3) Resigned Lawrence Guy to a 2 year deal at $1,500,000 a year. - At this point, I feel like letting one of Guy or Butler walk and bringing in a superstar for the interior o-line. Guy will probably turn out to be the cheaper of the two, so Guy should be resigned, imo.
  • 4) I did not resign Jason McCourty, even though if he wants a 1 year deal to retire alongside his brother for a reasonable price, I would absolutely give it to him if it was cheap enough. He makes a big play occasionally and can be a breath of fresh air relief for our other star corners.

I want the comments to go crazy for this next move.

I CUT RYAN IZZO, and you will see why later, but I feel like it is time to get younger and more talented at the tight end position.

I let Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer (coaching role?), Eluemunor, John Simon, Calhoun, and Adam Butler walk. If we need depth and one of these players has not found a big contract they were looking for, I'd be happy to bring any of them back.

  • 5) Extend JC Jackson to a 4 year deal at $12,000,000 a year. - Okay, maybe I did not get the dollar amount per year correct for this since I have no idea what Jackson is valued at, but the point is, he should be extended to help our elite secondary continue to be great after Gilmore and DMac move on.

Okay so now the resignees are out of the way, we can start some of the fun parts-- signing star free agents.

Many have talked about how we should rebuild from the ground up, but I tend to disagree. The dolphins and bills seem like they are going to continue to get better year after year, so I think all we have to do is reload and do our best to keep them down as long as possible. IMO, a complete rebuild and revamp would take many years for us to get back on top, and with Belichick's age, we do not have that kind of time. Many people think draft capital is the biggest weapon to improving a team, where I present an alternative option to improving a team. CAP SPACE. Projected to have top 5 free cap space this offseason, means we can sign actual stars to our team, not having to rely on draft picks to become stars over time. Our future is bright folks, lets have some fun this offseason.

  • 6) I wanted to focus on improving our weakest positions so I immediately went to improve our tight end position. The Patriots tend to use tight ends better than anyone else, and our offense seems to move through the tight end, so having a game changing one really seems like something we should prioritize this offseason.
  1. So, I went out and got one of the best free agent tight ends. Signed Jonnu Smith to a 3 year deal at $10,000,000 a year. An expensive price no doubt, but someone with his size, speed, athleticism, and blocking ability, fits perfectly in our system and dramatically improves our run game and pass game. He is an up and coming star in the making and at 25 years old, we get him in the prime of his career. Trust me folks, I want either Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, or Robert Tonyan headed to New England this spring.

After addressing the tight end needs, I went after a wide receiver. Signing one of the top free agent wide receivers and tight ends puts us in potential to be a top 7 offense in the league next year and takes a lot of pressure off our our scouts in the upcoming draft. Signing stars is more expensive than drafting them but it is also way more probable they will turn out how you think they will.

  • 7) So, I signed Kenny Golladay to a 4 year deal at $16,000,000 a year. An excellent downfield threat can help us take the top off defenses and keep them on their toes. Golladay helps us stretch the field which will help Jonnu in the short game and our run game in general. If you do not care for Golladay or prefer we sign Allen Robinson (then by all means we can switch out Golladay for Robinson). **The point is, it would be amazing to see us bring in a proven star at a position we desperately need talent in**

Surprisingly, that is all I did in free agency for the offense. I did not bring in a savior quarterback like a trade for Deshaun Watson or our old friend Jimmy G. (HINT: Maybe we do something about this in the draft)

On defense, I figured we needed more stardom so I brought some in. We already have an incredible base to build upon with our elite secondary and developmental pieces like Wino, Uche, and Bentley. But, we need to get these guys some help.

  • 8) Next I went out and got, Leonard Williams at $14,000,000 a year for 4 years. A 26 year old ProBowl defensive star. Williams would be able to anchor our d line for the next 4 years getting ample amounts of pressure on the opponents quarterback after putting up a 2020 season with 11.5 sacks, 30 QB hits, 14 tackles for loss, and helping to anchor that Giants front 7. Getting pressure with our d line must be improved this offseason and Williams helps us achieve this goal.
  • 9) After realizing we might have one of the worst d lines in football entering next season if we do nothing about it. I freaked out and signed an edge rusher to work opposite of Wino. So I signed Shaquil Barrett to a 4 year deal at $15,000,000). This is probably the most unrealistic signing due to the price, years, and the fact that in this same simulation we had already signed Leonard Williams, but let's give it the time of day.

One of the best edge rushers in football right now, we would be signing a 28 year old star to work opposite of Wino, by also being the veteran of the d line, showing the younger guys the ropes of getting pressure and stopping the run. Besides, after getting Williams and adding Barrett's 8 sacks this year, who wouldn't want to add 19.5 sacks to your d line? Either way, this is some serious stardom.

  • 10) Lastly, I wanted to address our linebacking crew, because yikes. With Hightower possibly returning we get to add even better pass rushing skills, but we do not have a true interior linebacker imo. Pick your choice of a free agent linebacker that has decent coverage skills and this scenario works well (Example: Hassan Reddick).
  1. But for this scenario, I went with the prominent Lavonte David at $10,000,000 a year for 3 years. Again, I went with a veteran star presence over a younger choice. David comes with a high cost, that I think would be better spent elsewhere, but again bringing in the tackling machine with an insanely high IQ and track record (AllPro), you take 2 stars from the Bucs and plug them in immediately into your defense that already has good building blocks. Take that BUCS! We are going to steal all your players now (Watch out Chris Godwin!).

As you can see I spent a majority of our cap on our front 7. I signed 2 defensive line superstars, 1 aging veteran linebacker, 1 star wide receiver, and 1 star tight end. Trust me, I know I am using the term "star" loosely, but imagine a scenario where we made these moves? You can write down AFC East Champs already!

BUT THE RELOAD ISNT DONE: WE STILL HAVE THE DRAFT!

In this scenario, we missed out on every opportunity so far to get a quarterback, but who wouldn't want to throw the rock for this team?

  • 11) A TRADE: I trade our 2021 1st rounder (15th), our 2022 1st Rounder (?), and our 2021 3rd Round Pick (97) for Atlanta's 2021 1st Rounder (4th). This is only if Zach Wilson falls out of the top 3. This trade is not executed if the Jets or Dolphins take Wilson at #2 or #3. I believe Zach Wilson has that "IT" factor. He can make pretty much every pass, throw on the run, use different arm slots, run upfield, and extend plays pretty well. I firmly believe he will be the 2nd best if not the best quarterback out of the draft depending on where he goes. He has massive potential, and is a pretty risky pick, but if you have Bill Belichick as your coach, and Kenny Golladay, Jonnu Smith, Jakobi Meyers, and the next draft pick I am going to mention, it would be somewhat hard to not be successful. Obviously draft picks are always hit or miss, but you have to be willing to roll the dice on someone and I think Zach Wilson is the guy to do it on.
  • 12) Another key offensive piece is drafting a playmaker at #47 this year. I drafted Rondale Moore, wide receiver out out of Purdue. He is not very big, at 5'9, 175 lbs, and has some MAJOR INJURY concerns having only played a very limited amount of games in college but boy is this guy loaded with talent. Think Tyreek Hill levels of talent. He absolutely obliterated Ohio State when Purdue faced them as a true freshman, and can be that playmaker this offense needs.

A 4.33 40 yard dash, insane speed and electricity changes games when used correctly, and the only reason he would still be available at pick #47 is his durability concerns. Again, his durability is a problem, but he is the upside we need to completely change the outcomes of games. Imagine an offense with Zach Wilson producing top 15 QB numbers ( a la Justin Herbert) throwing to Kenny Golladay, Rondale Moore, Jonnu Smith, and Jakobi in the slot. OH YEAH, I almost forgot, we still have a fantastic run game, meaning we have the potential with these players to be a top 7 offense in most cases.

You can fill the rest of the picks with depth and maybe find a star or two, but I think you have to do everything you can to sign stars so your draft is way less pressured. Adding stars to this team is a must, but we have a lot of cap space to do so, so I am very excited to see what we can do!

Obviously signing all these stars is unrealistic, and I'm not a cap expert, so I do not even know if these make sense or could even be based in reality, but based on this simulation, we would be AFC title contenders, imo.

Okay, now having spent a lot of time on the research, the simulation, and the write up, I am very excited to see what you guys think? What moves would you do differently? Would you sign different players? Would you build the team a different way? Did I miss in the draft, or miss in some hidden free agent? Please, I'd love to hear anyone and everyone's opinion! And if you made it this far in my write up, thank you for taking the journey with me inside my crazy NFL Fandom head!

The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SB Nation.