The Patriots came out swinging last season at the start of free agency, dropping a bundle on cornerback Stephon Gilmore to kick off the proceedings. With a lot of salary cap space to work with, and a need to shore up the position, it made sense for them to make a big splash in the pool.
How aggressive will they be this time out? The Pats’ cap number isn’t as generous (slightly more than $21 million, according to overthecap.com), so Bill Belichick might not be looking at the A-listers who would command top dollar. Plus, he has an A-lister in offensive tackle Nate Solder who is a top priority to sign, along with a few others he might like to retain (Danny Amendola, Matthew Slater).