{"id":45676,"date":"2023-03-16T09:25:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=45676"},"modified":"2023-03-16T09:25:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T13:25:00","slug":"morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free Agency is upon us as the Legal Tampering period turned into an opportunity for Agents to announce they have agreed in principle to new contracts for the players they represent.\u00a0 These new lucrative contracts can\u2019t be signed until the opening day of the league’s new year 3\/15.<\/p>\n

Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.\u00a0 Atop my list were DB Jonathan Jones and Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers.\u00a0 The Patriots were able to retain Jones on a very team-friendly two-year deal.\u00a0 I thought it would take a Market Rate two-year deal with an AAV of $12.5 M to sign him.<\/p>\n

Jones wanted to be here and stated it several times.\u00a0 He is projected to receive a 2-year $19M contract.\u00a0 That is $3M less than projected.\u00a0 It is also broken down to have a salary of just $1.25M salary in 2023 and $8M in 2024.\u00a0 The Signing Bonus was $7.5M and $13M guaranteed.\u00a0 Throw in a $500K playing time bonus and a $58K roster bonus.\u00a0 Jones, a UDFA in 2016 out of Auburn stands only 5\u20199\u201d but runs a 4.33 40-yard dash.\u00a0 However, his change of direction is slow as he ran a 7.25 3-cone drill at the combine.<\/p>\n

Jakobi Meyers<\/strong> chose to leave the Patriots.\u00a0 He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders to play second fiddle to Davante Adams.\u00a0 He will rejoin Head Coach Josh McDaniels and get to play with QB Jimmy Garoppolo.\u00a0 I said that Meyers chose to leave after agreeing to a 3-year $33M contract.\u00a0 That\u2019s $11M AAV where his market value was projected at 4 years $50M.<\/p>\n

You would think the $11M AAV would be in the Patriots’ wheelhouse for the 26-year-old wideout.\u00a0 It has been reported that the Patriots’ offer was two years and $12M, kind of what they offered Wes Welker back in the day.\u00a0 The Raiders jumped in when they determined that the Pats were the only other offer.<\/p>\n

Meyers led the WRs in receptions the last two years and was a favorite of Mac Jones.\u00a0 However, he didn\u2019t lead the team in receptions last season as that honor went to Rhamondre Stevenson.\u00a0 \u00a0Last year was a big opportunity for Meyers to separate himself from the other Patriots receivers and he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 He will never be a #1 receiver and he won\u2019t have to on Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Josina Anderson posted this quote from Meyers \u201cThey (Raiders) wanted me and I wanted them\u201d.\u00a0 That quote says it all.\u00a0 Meyers no longer wanted to play in NE.\u00a0 New England never got the chance to sign him at $11M a year. \u00a0His contract is actually 3 one year deals according to Taylor Kyles of CLNS Media.\u00a0 The new Massachusetts Millionaires Tax may have helped sway Meyers from playing here. \u00a0Greg Bedard speculated the new tax would have cost Meyers as much as $3M.\u00a0 So for the Patriots to offer an equal deal, they would have to offer more.<\/p>\n

Meyers was outspoken about the offense played last season and also about the amount of playing time Kendrick Bourne was receiving.\u00a0 That may have led to Meyers not being re-signed.\u00a0 Meyers was an Un-Drafted Free Agent (UDFA) and got the most out of his ability.\u00a0 He is slow (4.65 40) and doesn\u2019t possess the quick changes of direction (7.07 3-cone drill) the traditional Patriots slot receiver has. All he did was make a clutch catch time and again.\u00a0 I am disappointed that he didn\u2019t re-sign.<\/p>\n

Devin McCourty in one of his parting interviews listed the as-yet-signed Jones as one of the leaders that would likely take over for him.<\/p>\n

Carl Davis DT<\/strong>, James Ferentz OC<\/strong>, Myles Bryant (RFA Tender<\/strong>), and Raekwon McMillan <\/strong>LB were also early re-signees.\u00a0 Ferentz’s contract only counts $200,000 against the cap.\u00a0 Myles Bryant’s tender is $2.627M and if he signs with another team and the Patriots failed to match, then the Patriots would not receive any compensation.<\/p>\n

The 1st<\/sup> outside Free Agent signee was former Bronco OT Calvin Anderson<\/strong>.\u00a0 Does anyone remember that the Patriots signed the 6\u20195\u201d 300 Tackle from Texas as a UDFA after the 2019 Draft?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 He lasted only a month.\u00a0 Last year Anderson played 7 games at Tackle for Denver.\u00a0 He gave up only two sacks and 22 QB Hurries in 272 dropbacks.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he had a 59.3 rum blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). \u00a0He had only one penalty called in 439 snaps.\u00a0 PFF Gave him an overall 65 grade (66.1 Pass Blocking and 59.3 Run Blocking Grade).\u00a0 These are the opposite of incumbent RT Connor McDermott’s 65.8 Overall (53.7 Pass Blocking and 79.8 Run Blocking).<\/p>\n

Anderson is a little short and underweight for a standard Patriots Tackle.\u00a0 His 30 reps on the Bench Press and, \u00a03-cone drill exceeded the Patriots’ standard.\u00a0 All the other drills were in line with the Patriot standard.\u00a0 One of Anderson\u2019s biggest assets is his ability to play both Tackles and G.\u00a0 This makes him a versatile and valuable backup.<\/p>\n

In what I consider a surprise, Jabrill Peppers<\/strong> re-signed with the Patriots on a 2-year deal worth $11M and $6M guaranteed.\u00a0 Peppers had an excellent comeback year with 60 tackles.\u00a0 PFF gave him an 84.8 grade which was top on the Patriots.\u00a0 He also played in 35% of the Defensive snaps and 59% of Special Teams.\u00a0\u00a0 Pepper’s nickname is Hulk and he is not afraid to lay the wood on RBs and Receivers.<\/p>\n

Welcome, Reilly Reiff<\/strong> the 11-year NFL veteran LT.\u00a0 The 6\u20196\u201d 313lb Hawkeye has played for 6 NFL teams including 10 games for Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.\u00a0 Reports have it that Reiff solidified the Bengals’ line helping them to the AFC Championship game.\u00a0 \u00a0Reiff has 149 career starts.\u00a0 Securing Reiff means the Patriots don\u2019t have to take an OT with the #14 pick or if they are dissatisfied with Trent Brown, can cut him and save $10M against the cap. \u00a0This also doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t take a Tackle at #14.\u00a0 They would have Reiff available to coach up a rookie and not force him into the lineup as they did with Cole Strange.<\/p>\n

According to Phil Perry, Ryan Poles GM of the Bears had this to say about Reiff – \u201cThat guy did more than a lot of people think for that O-line room and the mentality. He\u2019s a reason why we ran the ball so well. We finished. We had an attitude. We had an identity and that\u2019s a lot because of guys like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started 10 games for the Bears in 2022.\u00a0 The contract is for one year at $5M.\u00a0 I should be fair about Reiff. \u00a0There is just as good a chance that Reiff decides in the middle of camp that he just doesn\u2019t have it in him for another season.\u00a0 Keep that in mind.\u00a0 Not saying that Reiff is a quitter, just that he is not the Holy Grail.\u00a0 Reiff has never been named to the Pro Bowl.\u00a0 McDermott was ranked 46, Anderson ranked 48 and then Reiff was graded as #51 by PFF OT grades.<\/p>\n

The Patriots also assigned an original round tender on Restricted Free Agent Yodny Cajuste<\/strong>.\u00a0 That equates to $2.743M.\u00a0 No team is touching him and having to give up a 3rd<\/sup> round pick.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have everyone back in the secondary except McCourty.\u00a0 That is remarkable.\u00a0 I like moving Jon Jones to Safety replacing McCourty.\u00a0 The single high safety requires speed and none of the safeties on the team and a limited number of players in the draft have Jone’s 4.3 speed.\u00a0 Jon Jones had some issues with big receivers.\u00a0 He stands only 5\u20199\u201d and that hurt him at CB. \u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t think it\u2019s much of a difference at Free Safety.\u00a0 Jones is also a good open-field tackle.\u00a0 I have a big fear that the Patriots put Jalen Mills at Safety. \u00a0Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger, Joshua Bledsoe, and Jabrill Peppers are more the in-the-box safeties.\u00a0 Moving Jonathan Jones to Free Safety will open the opportunity to draft one of the top CBs available at #14.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have their replacement for Jakobi Meyers in JuJu Smith-Schuster<\/strong>.\u00a0 JSS had a comeback year for KC last year with 78 catches for 983 yards.\u00a0 He was excellent for the Chiefs in the playoffs.\u00a0 The bonus is that he is only 26.\u00a0 The 6\u20191\u201d 215 receiver, Smith-Schuster ran a 4.58 40 but had a 3-cone of 6.93, more in line with what the Patriots like.\u00a0 JSS is a true X wideout.\u00a0 He can stretch the field and is a terror one-on-one.\u00a0 The signing has not been confirmed yet but the term is reported to be 3 years and $33M.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Meyers got from the Raiders, but not what the Patriots would offer him.<\/p>\n

In another surprise move the Patriots have signed RB James Robinson<\/strong> formerly of NYJ and Jacksonville Jaguars.\u00a0 The deal is for 2 years and upward of $8M per report.\u00a0 In 2020, Robinson\u2019s rookie year, he led Jacksonville with 240 carries, 1,070 yards rushing, 4.5 average, and 7 TDs.\u00a0 He also had 49 catches on 60 targets for 344 yards and another 3 TDs.\u00a0 His 1,414 yards and 10 TDs were the most in league history by an UnDrafted Free Agent.<\/p>\n

The Illinois St product did this in 14 games as he missed the last two games with a torn Achilles.\u00a0 In 2021, in 14 games his carries dropped to 164, for 767 yards, and improved his yards per carry to 4.7 and 8 TDs.\u00a0 Robinson added 31 catches on 46 targets for 222 yards but no TFs.\u00a0 2nd-year player and 2029 1st-round pick Travis Etienne took over the #1 RB slot and Robinson was eventually traded to NYJ when they had a rash of injuries.<\/p>\n

Combined he played 11 games with 110 carries, 425 yards, a 3.9 average, and 3 TDs.\u00a0\u00a0 Receiving he had 9 catches on 11 targets for 46 yards and a 5.1 average and 2 TDs.<\/p>\n

In three seasons he has fumbled 4 times.\u00a0 The 5’9″ 219 lb, Undrafted RB from Illinois State ran a 4.64 40, 7.03 3-cone drill, 40\u201d Vertical, 10\u2019 5\u201d Broad Jump, and put up 24 reps of 225#\u2019s \u00a0(very strong for RB) at the combine.\u00a0 I believe that the 25-year-old Robinson can take some of the load off Rhamondre Stevenson’s number of rushing attempts and reduce his receptions.<\/p>\n

Robinson might just be that designated 3rd down back that can pick up the blitz and run the ball between the tackles on draw plays.\u00a0 Although short at 5’9″, he is very strong and compact at 219 lbs.\u00a0 He is very capable of picking up the blitz.<\/p>\n

The veteran running back is a year younger than Damien Harris and this probably signals the end for Harris in NE.\u00a0 Harris never got on the field in his rookie year in 2019.\u00a0 This was essentially a red-shirt year but took one of his 4 years from his rookie deal.\u00a0 He averaged 4.7 yards per carry for the 4 years and only fumbled 3 times.\u00a0 As a receiver, he was adequate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":45641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[23241,2028,22519,2010,121,2163,23242,2019,23184,1039,1875,23243,22588,2011],"class_list":["post-45676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-2023-patriots-free-agency","tag-calvin-anderson","tag-carl-davis","tag-damien-harris","tag-devin-mccourty","tag-jabrill-peppers","tag-jak","tag-jakobi-meyers","tag-james-robinson","tag-jonathan-jones","tag-juju-smith-schuster","tag-reilly-reiff","tag-rhamondre-stevenson","tag-yodny-cajuste"],"yoast_head":"\nMORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg?fit=2177%2C1236&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2177\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1236\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Morse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\"},\"headline\":\"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1775,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2023 Patriots Free Agency\",\"Calvin Anderson\",\"Carl Davis\",\"Damien Harris\",\"Devin McCourty\",\"Jabrill Peppers\",\"JAk\",\"Jakobi Meyers\",\"James Robinson\",\"Jonathan Jones\",\"JuJu Smith-Schuster\",\"Reilly Reiff\",\"Rhamondre Stevenson\",\"Yodny Cajuste\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/\",\"name\":\"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"width\":2177,\"height\":1236,\"caption\":\"Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2023\\\/03\\\/16\\\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\",\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Morse\"},\"description\":\"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/markmorse5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots","description":"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_published_time":"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2177,"height":1236,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg?fit=2177%2C1236&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Morse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@patsfans","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Morse","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167"},"headline":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots","datePublished":"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/"},"wordCount":1775,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg","keywords":["2023 Patriots Free Agency","Calvin Anderson","Carl Davis","Damien Harris","Devin McCourty","Jabrill Peppers","JAk","Jakobi Meyers","James Robinson","Jonathan Jones","JuJu Smith-Schuster","Reilly Reiff","Rhamondre Stevenson","Yodny Cajuste"],"articleSection":["Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/","name":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg","datePublished":"2023-03-16T13:25:00+00:00","description":"Two months ago, when I did the Patriots\u2019 Season Post Mortem I started with their list of Free Agents and stated who I thought they should retain and why.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg","width":2177,"height":1236,"caption":"Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2023\/03\/16\/morse-thoughts-on-the-start-of-free-agency-for-the-patriots\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots News","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MORSE: Thoughts on the Start of Free Agency For the Patriots"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167","name":"Mark Morse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Morse"},"description":"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/markmorse5\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USATSI_19983855_168390408_lowres.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45676"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45686,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45676\/revisions\/45686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}