NFL Free Agency: Pats Signing Brandon Lloyd Was the Steal of the Offseason

Just when you thought the New England Patriots' reign of dominance was coming to an end, they go out and make another remarkable transaction. A move that makes general managers around the league shake their heads in astonishment.

The Patriots signing Brandon Lloyd is another in a long line of savvy moves made by Bill Belichick. If you’re not a Patriots fan, you probably have little fondness towards Belichick, but just looking at his success as both a coach and general manager, one has to respect his NFL career.

Brandon Lloyd is the one thing the Patriots offense has been missing: a big-play receiver. Over the last two seasons, Lloyd is third behind only Mike Wallace and DeSean Jackson with 26 catches of 25 yards or more.

Lloyd, combined with Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, gives the Patriots four receivers who have routinely needed to be double-teamed over the last few seasons. It’s impossible to imagine any defense being able to account for the team’s multitude of threats in the passing game.

The offense the Patriots have now may be even more explosive and formidable than their historic ’07 aerial attack. During the ’07 season, the Patriots had Randy Moss, who had one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history, and Welker, the league’s best slot receiver.

Next season, the team will still have Welker, and instead of Moss, it will have Rob Gronkowski coming off the best season by a tight end in NFL history, Aaron Hernandez, who gained over 900 receiving last year, and Brandon Lloyd, who is one of the best big-play receivers in the league today.

Lloyd wasn’t only a masterful signing because of how well he fits with the Patriots, but also because of how much of a bargain he was for the team. The Patriots signed Lloyd for three years and $12 million. If you compare that deal to some of the money less productive receivers have made this offseason, it shows how well New England made out.

Pierre Garcon signed a five-year, $42.5 million deal with the Washington Redskins. Garcon did have a career year last season, gaining over 900 receiving yards, but he has never scored more than six touchdowns in a season and there are questions as to whether or not he can perform outside of Indianapolis’ pass-friendly offense.

Josh Morgan signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Washington Redskins. How is Morgan making more per year than Brandon Lloyd? He gained just over 200 receiving yards last season and has caught just nine touchdowns in his four-year career.

Lloyd has been among the league’s most productive receivers over the last two seasons. He has gained over 2400 receiving yards, caught 16 touchdown passes and is averaging 16.3 yards per catch during the last two seasons.

Getting a player of Lloyd’s caliber for just $4 million per season is almost incomprehensible.

The Patriots' signing of Brandon Lloyd shows the franchise is still at the top of its game. The move was both great because they are adding a player who fits perfectly with the team and because of the low price they were able to get him at.