The Third Act.

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Patriots open free agency with trading of Wynn, release of Beckham Jr.
The New England Patriots have traded away left tackle Isaiah Wynn to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a second round pick in the upcoming draft.

With the trade of Wynn, New England add $16 million in cap space in addition to the $9.99 million they freed up earlier in the day with the release of receiver Odell Beckham Jr. who was set to make that non-guaranteed amount in 2024.

Wynn was a first round pick for New England back in 2018 and while he was an above average left tackle for most of his career, he struggled with injuries and was outplayed by rookie Tyler Patterson down the stretch last season, opening the door for New England to ship him out to left tackle needy Washington, who currently only have one offensive tackle on their roster in last year's starting right tackle Sam Cosmi.

New England is reportedly 'bullish' on bringing Beckham Jr. back in 2024 at a lower salary as they examine their options in free agency, which include Rondale Moore, Rashod Bateman and bringing back the likes of Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Beckham Jr.

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Khalil Mack spurns Patriots for Bears as Pats bring back several veterans
The New England Patriots were reportedly hours away from announcing that they had struck a deal with All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack on a one-year deal before Mack had a change of heart and re-signed with the Chicago Bears. After striking out with Mack, New England is reportedly interested in adding pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

Mack's deal is one year, $18.7 million to remain with Chicago on a similar deal that is sending Aaron Donald to the New York Jets on a one year, $20 million to face New England twice a season.

The Jets also signed linebacker Nick Bolton to help bolster their defense in hopes for a bounce back season.

It wasn't a complete waste of a first day of free agency for New England who re-signed offensive guard Laken Tomlinson, defensive back Jonathan Jones, nose tackle Akiem Hicks and tight end Nick Boyle on one-year deals. Tomlinson and Boyle were key pieces in New England

New England also re-signed running back Kenneth Walker III and defensive end Quincey Thompkins on a two year and four year deal, respectively. Thompkins' deal is worth up to $25 million while Walker's deal is for $5.2 million.

Walker will likely need to replace Rhamondre Stevenson who has been rumored to Cleveland and the Jets. Jakobi Meyers signed a three-year, $17.2 million contract with Cleveland and Jonnu Smith signed a four-year, $18.4 million deal with Tennessee to go back to the team that drafted him. Former New England safety Jalen Catalon signed with the Falcons as well.

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Patriots add Clowney to improve pass rush following Von Miller's retirement
The New England Patriots' top pass rusher last season was a one-year rental in Von Miller, who is likely headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

They added another veteran presence this time around in Jadeveon Clowney, inking the former Cleveland Brown to a one year, $7.96 million deal to bring him to Foxborough. The 32-year old missed the playoffs last season with an injury but prior to that, he was putting up one of his best seasons as a pro with a career high 14 sacks.

Injuries are a concern with Clowney who played just two full seasons during his five year run with Cleveland. Prior to that, he had only played one full season in his entire career, dating back to the 2017 season with the Houston Texans.

New England also added some more bodies up front with defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes, Noah Elliss and P.J. Mustipher agreeing to contracts with New England. It's a one-year deal for Holmes and Mustipher and a four-year contract for Elliss who has a ton of potential as New England's nose tackle of the future. The 347 pounder hasn't played much since going undrafted in 2022 but flashed the last two seasons with Tampa and Jacksonville in his limited snaps.

Holmes had ten tackles for loss last season with Tennessee and is the likely replacement for Deatrich Wise Jr. if he's not brought back as New England's five-technique.

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Patriots look to fix issues at receiver with signing of Arizona's Moore
The New England Patriots have signed wide receiver Rondale Moore to a four-year deal worth up to $55.2 million to make him the highest paid receiver on the team by a wide margin.

Moore has caught at least sixty-nine passes in the last three seasons and has been around the 1,000-yard mark during that same time period as well, reaching it in 2023 along with nine touchdowns. He finished last season with 69 catches for 807 yards and ten touchdowns, catching over seventy percent of his targets and nearly forty percent of his production coming after the catch.

With Jakobi Meyers signing with Cleveland, the pressure was on New England to replace not only his production but his reliability, which they have upgraded at with the signing of Moore.

The Patriots are still keen on bringing back Odell Beckham Jr. and continuing to add to the receiving corps that lost Meyers and so far hasn't resigned DeVante Parker and Parris Campbell.

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Stafford to accept backup role as he signs with Patriots
Being a backup quarterback in the NFL is a sweet gig and it's one Matthew Stafford is apparently looking forward to, signing a one-year, $5.71 million deal to serve as Mac Jones' backup in New England.

Stafford has been a starter since his rookie season, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns last season as the Los Angeles Rams starting quarterback, leading them to the NFC Championship Game.

Entering his seventeenth season, Stafford threw three interceptions in the loss to New England last season but overall had a pretty good season. The Rams appear to be moving in a different direction with the signing of Kellen Mond and many expecting them to take a quarterback in the first round.

In signing Stafford, New England nets one of the league's best backups and a potential trade piece down the road should an opening clear up for Stafford to start elsewhere, particularly in Denver.

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Tomlin names Flores DC following retirement of Keith Butler
Former New England Patriots assistant Brian Flores has returned to Foxborough, this time under Mike Tomlin to serve as the team's defensive coordinator following the retirement of Keith Butler.

Flores began his NFL career with the Patriots, where he served as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2018 under head coach Bill Belichick. Flores was New England's defensive playcaller during his final season coaching for the team, which concluded with a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LIII. Following the Super Bowl victory, he served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2024 before being replaced by another former Patriots assistant in Joe Judge.

Flores will inherit a unit that finished top ten in a lot of defensive categories but was 21st against the pass which came to bite them in the Super Bowl and made life hard throughout the season.

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Edge rusher a clear need for Patriots in latest ESPN Mock Draft
For the second time in his mock drafts this cycle, ESPN Senior Draft Analyst Todd McShay is predicting that New England will draft an edge rusher in the first round, this time around being Auburn outside linebacker Nelson Hill.

In his first mock, McShay had New England selecting Miami defensive end Kerry Criss before New England's projected draft pick fell out of the top fifteen. In the previous mock draft, McShay had New England picking defensive tackle Marquis Dawson but with some additions along the defensive front, it becomes less of a need while edge rusher, even with the Jadeveon Clowney signing, remains a key issue for New England.

McShay currently has Criss going a few picks ahead at No. 23 to the Houston Texans as he's a more ready made player than Hill. A converted inside linebacker, Hill is not a natural pass rusher but a down hill player that plays with a bit of an edge, something New England lacked last season.

2025 NFL Mock Draft
1. MIN ‣ QB Justin Haden, Oklahoma
2. DET ‣ QB Joey Bundy, Oregon
3. NYJ ‣ QB Clyde Goldberg, Texas
4. ARI ‣ CB Alex Ford, Arizona State
5. MIA ‣ CB Courtney Philbin, Mississippi State
6. DEN ‣ LB Jose Edwards, Clemson
7. NO ‣ CB Spencer Allen, Ohio State
8. LAC ‣ T Darren Boston, Ohio State
9. LV ‣ CB Jarrick Lynch, Purdue
10. CIN ‣ DE Harvey Prince, Oklahoma
11. PHI ‣ DE John McGinnis, Wisconsin
12. NYG ‣ DE Josh Tatum, Clemson
13. IND ‣ DT Terry Stanford, Ole Miss
14. WAS ‣ WR Paul Hicks, Texas
15. CAR ‣ CB Connor Thorne, Central Michigan
16. TB ‣ DE David Marshall, East Carolina
17. TEN ‣ TE Steve Jordan, Wisconsin
18. BUF ‣ DT Gerald Garvin, Louisville
19. CHI ‣ WR John Griffin, Texas
20. ATL ‣ CB Greg Young, Oklahoma
21. PIT ‣ DE Solomon Yancey, West Virginia
22. JAX ‣ OLB Keilan Britt, Georgia
23. HOU ‣ DE Kerry Criss, Miami
24. GB ‣ CB Juan Sims, Florida
25. BAL ‣ QB Wyatt Nowak, Clemson
26. CLE ‣ HB Tavon Goings, Georgia
27. SF ‣ CB Nicholas Coleman, Oklahoma State
28. DAL ‣ HB Nick Williams, Clemson
29. LAR ‣ QB Nic Hogan, Ole Miss
30. KC ‣ DT Brenton Long, Ole Miss
31. NE ‣ OLB Nelson Hill, Auburn
32. SEA ‣ LB Jamaal Darden, Florida State

[six7]

loaded DB class

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loaded DB class

for real, never seen that many corners so highly ranked

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Former LSU, Cleveland Browns teammates Beckham Jr. and Landry reunite in Foxborough
The New England Patriots have signed receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to one-year deals worth $3.46 million and $4.33 million respectively.

Teammates in college at LSU, the duo reconnected in Cleveland before Beckham Jr. was released by the Browns and signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent the last three seasons and a half before being traded to New England.

Beckham Jr. was set to make $9 million this season prior to his release by New England but it was always with the thought of bringing him back at a lower cap hit. New England was able to do so while also adding Landry, who caught 58 passes last season and ten touchdowns. Landry had back to back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 before injuries slowed him down last year.

The Patriots also brought back offensive lineman Nick Ford, who started a few games as a rookie two seasons ago before spending last season o the practice squad. Ford was brought back on a four-year, $3.46 million deal.