The New England Patriots won six Super Bowls and became one of the greatest dynasties in the history sports with Tom Brady. After watching him leave this offseason, Bill Belichick can now look forward to getting even more out of his future Hall of Fame quarterback.
After investing a sixth-round pick in Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots will get even more for their return 21 years later,
Patriots draft-pick compensation for Tom Brady
The NFL awards teams compensatory draft picks between rounds 3 and 7 based off the league’s formula to account for players they lost in free agency. The Patriots lost multiple stars this offseason and without any notable free-agent additions of their own, New England is projected to land even more draft picks in 2021.
Based off projected compensation by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, the Patriots will receive a third-round compensatory pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for Brady. Because Brady signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England will receive the highest round compensatory pick possible.
New England is also projected to receive fourth-round picks after linebacker Kyle Van Noy signed with the Miami Dolphins and Jamie Collins signed with the Detroit Lions. Coincidentally, Belichick will be landing those picks after his players signed with his two former defensive coordinators (Brian Flores and Matt Patricia).
Bill Belichick’s big plans for 2021 offseason
While the Patriots were quiet this offseason, it was the result of the team’s limited cap room. Fortunately for Belichick, that will change next offseason when he’ll have the opportunity to make all kinds of moves to help his team contend once again.
The Patriots are expected to have more than $110 million in cap space next offseason, per Over The Cap. New England’s immense cap room will allow the organization to pursue stars like Chris Godwin, Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa and Chris Jones.
We expect the Patriots to struggle in the 2020 season in our current projections. If they finish with a top-10 pick, Belichick could have all of the team’s draft picks, two third-round picks and three fourth-round picks to work with in the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s the kind of draft capital that could help the Patriots trade up for Trevor Lawrence.
While things might be unusually rough for New England in 2020, the future is clearly bright. Until Belichick decides to retire, the Patriots likely won’t be down for long.