Winner: Patriots somehow emerge so much stronger
Okay, this just isn’t fair.
After winning their fifth Super Bowl in the past two decades, somehow the New England Patriots are entering the 2017 NFL season stronger than ever before, at least on paper.
How the rest of the AFC feels about the offseason the #patriots are having in 2017 pic.twitter.com/CCT5l8uVTN
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) March 15, 2017
It started with a trade with Indianapolis in which the Pats landed tight end Dwayne Allen, who should be beastly next to Rob Gronkowski next year, if Gronk can stay on the field. Then New England shocked everyone by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a lucrative deal, then shocked again by scoring receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with New Orleans.
They also traded with the Carolina Panthers to nab up-and-coming pass rusher Kony Ealy, moving down in the draft less than 10 spots to do it.
Then, just to add insult to injury as it concerns the rest of the AFC, New England brought back linebacker Dont’a Hightower on a four-year deal.
Incredibly, there is still a way for the Patriots to get even richer. If they trade Malcolm Butler and/or Jimmy Garoppolo, then there is a good chance New England will be in a position to take a gluttonous approach to the upcoming draft, which is ripe with talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball.