Patriots Player Departure Jonnu traded to ATL

[Steve102]

Wait... Falcons trade... hold up sec...


Ok, we can continue.

 

[Tunescribe]

My guess is that he wasn't really deemed a fit for what BOB wanted to run and cost way too much so they moved on. However, he was their best blocking TE, all they have left is Henry who is a fine receiver but not much of a blocker. Very curious if they pursue an FA TE...

Apparently the upcoming draft has lots of TE prospects.

 

[PatsFan2]

Hope Jonnu passes that physical.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Does this reflect money saved cutting Allen?

Good question, i feel like no because 32m was the figure I’ve been hearing for weeks prior to his release

 

[upstater1]

it does not hurt at all, its a good move to, as early as possible, admit you made a poor decision to give such kind of contract to a player that never came close to give you added value, you eat the dead money (its anyway gone) and you have freed up cap space for next year, the big cap hit shows just how bad of a deal it was nothing more

I was just joking. sorry

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

I think with a new start Jonniu could be very good. He just never fit in here. He is very athletic quick and strong. Good deal for Falcons, but also good deal for Patriots. They need to clear out some of the negative baggage (Wynn, Agholor, Jonny) and put some new guys out there with a clean slate. Win-Win for both teams

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

OTC has different numbers for a pre-June 1 trade. View attachment 50385

I’m assuming that Miguel is correct.

I would assume so too, otherwise i dont see the benefit to dumping him right now for not even 4m. For that youd probably be better off hanging on at least this year and seeing if he can turn it around.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

I could definitely see Bill drooling about his potential. I don’t think that Washington will ever be the receiving threat that Gronk was but he could perhaps be a Bavaro type TE (elite blocker, good but not elite as a receiver), and we know how Bill feels about him.

plus a big time redzone threat which we need

 

[Real fan 02]

That's the interesting thing to me. Last season everyone said Jonnu Smith failed because Matty P couldn't work him into the offense. Now we see BOB took a look at the film and sent him packing to one of the worst teams in the league for a 7th. Hope Jonnu invested the money wisely.

Smith had 1 TD in 2 seasons...

 

[Bill Lee]

Got nothing In return.. a 7th rounder..

And yet, our team made the deal, therefore they feel having a 7th rounder is better than having Smith and his contract.

Clearly they felt he was a bad fit here and that the situation wasn't going to improve going forward.

 

[Bill Lee]

Smith had 1 TD in 2 seasons...

True. A lot of rationalizations were created to explain why that was, but now the rationalizations are gone, just like Jonnu himself.

 

[Wozzy]

And yet, our team made the deal, therefore they feel having a 7th rounder is better than having Smith and his contract.

Clearly they felt he was a bad fit here and that the situation wasn't going to improve going forward.

They feel they can get better value for his contract. It’s a deep draft, there’s good free agent TE’s available and for less money probably.

They should go after Foster Moreau from the Raiders or Brock Wright from the Lions if they go the F/A route.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Worst signing of BB's tenure.

Best outcome/resolution to a situation which just wasn't working out for either party as they had both hoped for.

 

[patman52]

We'll take it.

and savings off next years cap also.

 

[holyredeemer]

Great for the cap, now and in the future. Further strengthens the chance that we double dip at TE this offseason. Preferably in the draft. I’d love to double dip at WR, CB, OT, and TE. Take your shots. We’ve got to make those positions of strength again. Draft yourself a big legged young kicker, go p/u a punter, FS, LB in FA and see what we’ve got! If it turns out to be a solid draft, we’ll be looking phenomenal over the next few years with all of that cap space.

 

[patfanken]

There IS a TE that they can probably get in the 3rd or 4th rounds that intrigues me a LOT.

Zack Kuntz - 6'7 255, who ran a 4.55 40 with a spectacular 6.8 3cone time. He could be that blocking TE that can come in and be a big target in the red zone. The knock will be that he comes from a school that doesn't play big time football. Old Dominion DOES play Wake Forest and Va Tech. though the rest of the schedule is weak.

I didn't know anything about his but he kept popping up on the PFN draft simulator as being 6'8 260. So I thought about him as a mid round pick and when I looked up his combine numbers I was SHOCKED at how good they were, especially the 3cone. You can't be "stiff" and run a 6.8. That's a CB time.

That being said, clearly there was something going on at PennSt, if he couldn't get on the field with that kind of athletic ability. STILL a shot in the dark

This is one scouting report:

​

TE, Old Dominion Monarchs​

Old Dominion’s Zack Kuntz is one of my favorite small-school prospects and I believe he will be a big asset in the NFL. Kuntz is a former 5-star recruit who originally enrolled at Penn State before he transferred to Old Dominion. Kuntz had a sensational 2021 season which really put him on the map in the eyes of NFL evaluators but an injury cut his 2022 season short.

Kuntz is a long and well-built tight end who has outstanding size. At 6-foot-8, he towers over opposing defenders and is a mismatch nightmare. Old Dominion had Kuntz aligned all over the field and he saw snaps at Y, F, in the slot, and out wide. Kuntz is an advanced pass-catcher who runs good routes and understands how to uncover. He has good speed to stress defenders through the stem and has good lateral quickness to separate at the top of his route. He is an instinctual player who understands how to work leverage, finds soft spots in zones, and knows how to make himself available for his quarterback on scramble drills. For a longer athlete, he shows good flexibility and the ability to sink to get in and out of breaks. He has good hands, body control, and ball-tracking ability and can easily high-point the football in contested situations.

He isn’t a threat with the ball in his hands and won’t make many defenders miss but he runs with passion and will fight for yards. Kuntz must improve his ability to block in the run game, as he plays too high and allows defenders into his chest far too often. He has reps where he flashes impressive power and sustains at the point of attack but is far too inconsistent at this point in his development.

Overall, Kuntz has high-end potential as a receiving tight end with speed, ball skills, and a catch radius that will allow him to excel in a passing offense, but he likely won’t be an every-down starter until his run blocking catches up to his receiving ability.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Length
• Ball skills
• Route-running
• Catch radius

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Blocking
• Run after catch
• Pad level

The blocking thing bothers me the most.

 

[Bill Lee]

I don't know what it is about Kuntz, but perhaps he is very stiff.

 

[Hyped]

Yeah, it was time to move on. I am happy the Falcons are taking that cap space away...for 2024 especially. 17M+ will help get us an elite WR in 2024....

Bet a change of scenery does wonders for Jonnu....and he'll probably have 40 rec, 650 yards, and 5 TD's this year easy...IMO.

 

[Real fan 02]

And yet, our team made the deal, therefore they feel having a 7th rounder is better than having Smith and his contract.

Clearly they felt he was a bad fit here and that the situation wasn't going to improve going forward.

Exactly.. like the deal supposedly created a bunch more in cap room, ok if this is the deal made for something impactful to happen then great.. not too many Edelmans in the 7th round these days..

 

[Real fan 02]

True. A lot of rationalizations were created to explain why that was, but now the rationalizations are gone, just like Jonnu himself.

Yes, I think the defense had more touchdowns then he had in 2 seasons here! Lol