Patriots Post Meme of Belichick's Dog Nike amid Judon, More Free-Agent Contracts

The New England Patriots have been busy at the unofficial start of NFL free agency Monday, and now we all know who is responsible:

No free-agent signings can become official until the start of the league year Wednesday, but the Patriots' Twitter account seemingly acknowledged the flurry of activity with the picture of Nike, Bill Belichick's dog. The image was originally taken during the virtual 2020 NFL draft last offseason.  

The meme comes after New England reportedly agreed to deal with a wide variety of players shortly after free agency opened:

• WR Kendrick Bourne: three years, $22.5 million (NFL Network's Ian Rapoport)
• WR Nelson Agholor: two years, $26 million (ESPN's Adam Schefter)
• TE Jonnu Smith: four years, $50 million (Schefter)
• DT Davon Godchaux: two years, $16 million (Schefter)
• LB Matthew Judon: four years, $56 million (NFL Network's Tom Pelissero)
• S Jalen Mills: four years, $24 million (Schefter)

Judon is arguably the biggest addition after earning Pro Bowl selections in each of the past two years. Not only did he have 15.5 sacks in this stretch, but he also had 54 quarterback hits and 63 total pressures, per Pro Football Reference, proving his effectiveness even when he doesn't get onto the stat sheet.

Smith should also play a significant role in the offense, which heavily used tight ends in the past but had limited options at the position last year.

It might be uncharacteristic for the Patriots to spend big in free agency, but it could be needed to turn things around after a disappointing 7-9 record in 2020.