This is a HUGE revelation. The Pats have moved a massive amount of salary cap load out of this year and into the future. If we just look at the big ticket free agents that they signed
PLAYER AVG salary (contract) CAP HIT 2021
Judon $13.63M $6.32M
Henry $12.5M $6.82M
Smith $12.5M $5.63
Aghalor $11.0M $7.0M
While it is true that pushing cap hits into future years is common practice in the NFL ...I have never seen anything like this from the Pats before. In the Belichick era, they have always been careful not to sacrifice the future in pursuit of the present. This shift of Cap burden into the future indicates to me (listed in importance of signal derived from this):
1) The Pats are in "win NOW!" mode ...like maybe Bill is on the way out in the near future and they are taking one or two more big swings before taking the (salary cap) medicine 3 or 4 years down the road at the back end of these contracts.
2) The Pats are trading for Julio Jones. They have cleared the room. He is a perfect fit in every possible way. They will probably front load his money as well and just take on all of the fallout with the rest of it (in 2023 or 2024).
Prediction: The Julio Jones trade will be announced after June 1st when the Cap hit drops for the Falcons.
Analysis: After the Patriots acquire Jones, they will have arguably the best non-QB roster in the NFL (although the Cleveland Browns might have something to say about that. On paper, the defensive personnel compares favorably with the 2019 version (which was the best in football for the 1st half of the season). The OL, RB and pass catching groups (including TEs) all project as top 10 units if you add Julio Jones to the mix. The special teams should continue to be among the best in the NFL. An then you have the GOAT as the ringleader. Immediate contenders, I think. If Cam's recent mechanical adjustments can bring him back near his peak form, what out!
