Before free agency will even start later today, the first major losses for the New England Patriots have already been reported (moves that cannot be made official, however, until 4:00 p.m. ET today): While the team will be able to retain one of its core special teamers, it will also lose three of its most important players of the last three seasons. Let's quickly recap what happened yesterday:
Here are some quick-hit thoughts on the moves as well as other news from around the league ahead of the start of free agency.
Only one of New England's losses is surprising – until you look at the contract
The Patriots were expected to lose at least one of their big-name free agents to the open market: After his benching in Super Bowl LII, Malcolm Butler playing elsewhere in 2018 was a foregone conclusion.