Following their epic Super Bowl victory, it would have been easy for the Patriots to rest on their laurels this offseason, especially considering they didn’t have Rob Gronkowski for their postseason run. However, rather than maintain their status quo, the Patriots made a few offseason splashes.
The Patriots’ first big move was signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a five-year/$65 million deal. This move was out of the ordinary for Bill Belichick who hadn’t given a huge, multi-year deal to an opposing team’s free agent since Adalius Thomas about a decade ago. Along with signing Gilmore, the Patriots were aggressive in the trade market by sending their first round pick to New Orleans for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.