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Why Patriots’ free-agent spending could mean another ‘old’ team in 2021

Bill Belichick is not interested in rebuilding.

That’s the message he sent when he shelled out the second-most free-agency dollars in history to retool the New England Patriots roster on the fly and get back on a playoff path.

He made Jonnu Smith and Henry Hunry two of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends, wooed Pro-Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon and added two wide receivers (Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne) coming off their best seasons.

Belichick also brought back a few former Patriots, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and center Ted Karras, continuing a tradition of bringing trusted players back into the fold after letting them seek paydays elsewhere.