New England Patriots: The Real Void Left By Tom Brady

It wasn’t too long ago that the New England Patriots were the hot spot for free agents. Every ring chaser in the NFL would sign there hoping to catch some of the Patriot dynasty and cement their legacy. Now future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick is still there, but the legendary Tom Brady has moved on. They’ve never spent the bank to bring in all the big names, but they’re usually making a splash or two. Is the lack of big names a sign of changing fate for the Pats?

Free agents like Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins are in the market for new teams. The Pats could use an upgrade at both WR and RB yet neither have signed on. Hopkins was brought in for a visit and still could sign, but the talk is he’s looking to wait out free agency for a better opening. There’s a chance a team becomes desperate with their lack of progress on developing players or teams often lose players to camp injuries. Hopkins might be waiting for a better-than-offered deal, but he still left New England without one.

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A few short years ago, he wouldn’t have left the New England Patriots facility without a deal. A wide receiver looking for a contender to win a championship would’ve had the Pats as his first choice. Now the top free agent left on the market is still searching for a home. It may be a sign of the Patriots’ lack of star power as they had before, or it could be as simple as the rest of the NFL has finally caught up with the Pats.

New England is no longer the say-all, end-all when it comes to championships. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs have developed their own dynasty. The Cincinnati Bengals have a young and talented group. The Baltimore Ravens have a unique dynamic for splashy plays. The Buffalo Bills have the firepower and need one more explosive player to get them over the hump. Those are just the AFC teams. New England still has the large market and championship pedigree but they’re no longer the go-to destination when it comes to free agency. Players have options now to push their careers.

Was it Tom Brady all along that made players want to go to the New England Patriots? Now that the magic has worn off can they turn it around and get back to their winning ways to bring in free agents? The rest of the AFC East has made moves over the past few seasons and it seems like the Pats are falling behind. Is it time to hit the panic button yet?