Happy Legal Tampering Period Day to all who celebrate across the NFL. Over in New England, Bill Belichick has decided to get the ball rolling not with a signing, but by trading one of his most recent signings.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons. New England will reportedly receive a seventh-round pick in the deal.
Smith signed a four-year, $50 million free agent deal with New England in 2021 during what was one of their very rare free agent spending sprees. But in two seasons with the Patriots, he had just 55 receptions for under 600 yards and only one touchdown.
Now Smith is off to Atlanta, where he will partner with Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Pitts and potentially start if Pitts gets hurt again.
For the Patriots, the move will free up a good amount of cap space as the legal tampering period begins. NFL free agency officially starts tomorrow with the new league year.
The Patriots have a solid war chest right now with around $30 million in cap space according to OverTheCap.
As for the Falcons, they are absolutely flush with cap space even with the acquisition of Jonnu Smith and will probably be among the most active teams in the hours to come.
Which side do you think won this trade?