Ruins of Pompeii.

[Soapy]

mike evans get this HOFer a ring

freaky mike out wide would be a movie

[Soapy]

Patriots begin free agency with signings of Taylor Moton, Travis Jones
The New England Patriots have signed their first three players of free agency, all trench bullies in offensive tackle Taylor Moton, defensive tackle Travis Jones and fullback Reggie Gilliam.

Moton, who has played his entire career in Carolina, signed a one year, $16.5 million deal with the Patriots similar to what New England offered Brandon Scherff last year. The Pats will be hopeful that Moton's tenure in New England will be a lot more successful than Scherff who struggled on the field and struggled with injuries before retiring last month.

The plan is for Moton to play right tackle for New England, allowing the Patriots to slide Mike Onwenu back to guard.

Jones' deal is four years, $48.8 million to anchor the defensive line next to Christian Barmore, giving New England one of the better interior defensive lines in the NFL with the flexibility, similar to Barmore, to play multiple positions along the interior.

The Patriots used a fullback for the first time since 2021 last year with the signing of Patrick Ricard and continued to utilize the position with the signing of Gilliam, who is younger and more versatile at this stage in their respective careers. Gilliam caught seven passes last year for the Raiders.

Notable NFL Transactions
S Tyrann Mathieu (1yr/$9.35m)
DE Jermaine Johnson II (3yr/$49.5m)
C Ryan Kelly (1yr/$10.2m)
T Jawaan Taylor (2yr/$24.8m)
QB Gardner Minshew II (3yr/$68m)
G Cole Strange (2yr/$17.4m)
DT D.J. Reader (1yr/$13.6m)

[Soapy]

Patriots trade Cooper Kupp to Steelers as Christian Watson, Mike Evans rumors heat up
Cooper Kupp's first season with the New England Patriots was a memorable one, catching fifteen touchdown passes in fourteen games but it turned out to be a one-year stop as the Patriots are dealing the 33-year old receiver to Pittsburgh in exchange for a third round pick.

Kupp led the Patriots with 64 receptions for 851 yards and was slated to make a reasonable $14.9 million this year but with the Patriots being linked to free agents Christian Watson and Mike Evans, New England clears up some cap space and essentially got Kupp for one year at the cost of nine draft slots as Pittsburgh's pick is the 67th overall selection, replacing the 59th pick they sent to the Los Angeles Rams last year for Kupp.

The Patriots recently hosted Watson, who had his best season as a pro last year with 83 receptions for 1,060 yards and sixteen touchdowns.

New England Patriots Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 27
Round 3, Pick 67 (via PIT)
Round 3, Pick 91
Round 4, Pick 123
Round 6, Pick 187
Round 7, Pick 219

[Captain Canada]

Good idea to get some draft picks. Fuck the Steelers but I get it

[Soapy]

Good idea to get some draft picks. Fuck the Steelers but I get it

yeah need to build that draft capital back up

[Soapy]

Patriots ink former Packers receiver Christian Watson to four year, $48.4 million
As rumored for the past few days, the New England Patriots have signed receiver Christian Watson to a four year, $48.4 million extension to replace the recently traded Cooper Kupp as their top receiver.

Watson, 27, was a second round pick by the Green Bay Packers out of North Dakota State and is coming off his best career year. He caught 83 passes for 1,060 yards and sixteen touchdowns, all career high for the six-foot-four, 208 pound Watson who is the ideal X receiver to be opposite of Barion Brown.

With the series of move, New England's receiving corps gets more explosive with the speedy Brown and Watson on the outside with Demario Douglas and Xavier Restrepo in the slot who do their best work with the ball in their hands after the catch.

Notable NFL Transactions
TE Cade Otton (3yr/$25.5m)
T Rob Havenstein (1yr/$15.6m)
CB Kyler Gordon (3yr/$18.6m)
LB Micah McFadden (3yr/$16.8m)
T Jedrick Wills Jr (2yr/$13.1m)

[Captain Canada]

Doesn't scream WR1 to me, but I'm bout it. Hopefully Maye doesn't have to run for another 1,000 yards next year (that shit is still wild).

[Soapy]

Doesn't scream WR1 to me, but I'm bout it. Hopefully Maye doesn't have to run for another 1,000 yards next year (that shit is still wild).

I've always been a fan of his game from afar but never played with him (ayo) in any Madden or anything. I was initially going to target Mike Evans but he has similar ratings (lower OVR) but faster with similar jump ball abilities and younger. said fuck it, if he can turn into a stud, i have him on discount for the rest of maye's rookie contract.

[Soapy]

Post Combine New England Patriots 3-Round Mock Draft: How does New England's recent moves impact their draft strategy?
Since the last mock draft, the Patriots have signed a handful of players, traded away Cooper Kupp to acquire a draft pick and the NFL Combine has taken place, changing the stock of various players, including those previously mocked to the Patriots.

With new team needs and an updated prospect order list, it's time for the final mock draft.

Patriots Draft Picks
‣ Round 1, Pick 27
DT Dontay Corleone | 6'2", 320lbs | 2nd ranked DT
In the previous mock draft, the Patriots selected Ohio State's Caleb Downs but in this latest mock draft, the run on safeties before the Pats pick take Downs, Shyheim Brown and Keon Sabb off the board.

At that point, it's best available player and that's Cincinnati's Dontay Corleone who doesn't address an immediate team need but elite defensive tackles are always something you want in stock and the chance to draft a player with top-10 potential in the bottom of the first round is too much to pass on if Corleone is there.

‣ Round 3, Pick 67 (via PIT)
HB Rueben Owens | 5'11", 210lbs | 4th ranked HB
Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson both dealt with injuries last year and as they approach thirty, it would behoove the Patriots to prepare for a world without them by trying to find the next Stevenson in the draft.

Owens was highly productive in the SEC and has the frame and skill set to be a lead back in the NFL with his ability to push the pile and constantly pick up yards, even when things aren't blocked up well. He didn't run as well as many anticipated at the Combine, clocking in a 4.54 forty but that's better than what Stevenson ran at his pro day.

‣ Round 3, Pick 91
LB Chris Paul Jr. | 6'1", 237lbs | 7th ranked ILB
New England addressed their offensive line in free agency, at least for now, so they look to sure up their defense by adding some more speed at linebacker.

Paul Jr. is a dynamic linebacker with a rare combination of speed, physicality, and instincts. At 6'2" and 235 pounds, he has the build to excel as both a run-stuffer and in pass coverage which is an area New England needs improvement from at the linebacker position.

Paul’s closing speed and ability to shed blocks make him a force in stopping the run, while his fluid hips and awareness allow him to match up effectively against tight ends and running backs in coverage.

[Soapy]

Patriots deal safety Kyle Dugger to Las Vegas as they move up in the first round
New England's front office continues to be aggressive in the trade market for a consecutive offseason, pulling off their second trade in a matter of weeks with the Patriots trading away their first, third and fourth round pick in this year's draft along with safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Anfernee Jennings to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the 20th and 52nd overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The Patriots swapped first round picks with the Raiders, moving up seven spots in the draft while dealing away a team captain in Dugger.

New England is certainly selling high on Dugger, who finished the season strong last year once the Patriots started playing him in the box more. Dugger was entering the third year of his four year extension that he signed following his rookie deal and was slated to make $12.5 million this season.

This move likely indicates that the Patriots have zeroed in on a player in the first round and are putting themselves in a position to select such player, putting to rest rumors that the team might have been looking to trade out of the first round in order to acquire more picks.

With the trade up into the draft, the Patriots are now better positioned to draft one of the first round safeties that are projected to be selected in that range, including Florida State's Shyheim Brown, Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Alabama's Keon Sabb.

New England Patriots Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 20 (via LV)
Round 2, Pick 52 (via LV)
Round 3, Pick 91
Round 6, Pick 187
Round 7, Pick 219