After two days worth of legal tampering, the NFL flipped the switch on Wednesday afternoon. The new league year was officially kicked off at 4 p.m. ET, and with it free agency.
And just a short time after, the New England Patriots already saw one of their player depart. Unrestricted free agent running back Brandon Bolden left to join the Las Vegas Raiders, now led by former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Bolden was not the only member of the backfield to leave for Las Vegas, though.
Fullback Jakob Johnson will also play with the Raiders after signing a reported one-year deal; the Patriots had previously declined to tender him as a restricted free agent.