The Patriots went into free agency with the third-most cap space in the NFL. After a 7-9 season in 2020, it was expected that Bill Belichick and his front office staff would be aggressive. Still, what the Patriots did exceeded expectations.
The Pats signed 13 new veterans: Matt Judon, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Jalen Mills, Nelson Agholor, Davon Godchaux, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Van Noy, Henry Anderson, Ted Karras, Raekwon McMillan, Montravius Adams and LaRoy Reynolds. The Pats also re-signed Cam Newton, David Andrews, Lawrence Guy, James White, Deatrich Wise, Nick Folk, Cody Davis, Justin Bethel and Carl Davis.