Technically, Tom Brady’s signing in Tampa Bay didn’t leave the Patriots with nothing.
NFL.com is already doing projections for the 2021 NFL Draft, and Brady’s departure is set to land New England a third-round compensatory pick. Because of their free agent losses, Bill Belichick is expected to get three additional picks, the third and two fourth-rounders.
“The formula is very straightforward here, with the Patriots losing five qualifiers and collecting two free agents with very modest contracts to cancel out the lower-end free agents,” Lance Zierlein writes. “The contracts for Brady and (Kyle) Van Noy will clearly garner a third-round pick and a fourth-rounder, respectively, while (Jamie) Collins is likely to bring in a fourth.