NFL free agency is around the corner and the New England Patriots, like most teams, are hoping to make a splash. That hasn’t gone so well in some instances.
Free agency is one of the most exciting things about the NFL offseason. Not only do free agents get to negotiate with teams, but it is also an active time in the trade market. Each year, teams will make deals that can change the complexion of their future. The New England Patriots are no exception.
Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are generally known for making great moves in the offseason. For example, moves such as trading for Corey Dillon in 2004 or signing Darrelle Revis in 2014 helped propel the team to Super Bowl championships. However, like any other team the Patriots have also made some bad acquisitions.
It’s easy to gloss over those in hindsight, as the team has overcome every bad signing or trade that they have made to this point on their way to six Super Bowl victories since the turn of the century. That being said, in some cases it is frustrating to think about the lack of production from certain players who were highly touted when they first joined the team.
While they get it right more often than not, in the next few slides we are going to focus on some trades and signings that didn’t work out for the Patriots.
Shawn Springs
Cornerback Shawn Springs was a solid player in his prime. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the third overall pick in 1997 and spent the majority of his career with the Seahawks and the Washington Redskins.
Springs picked off 33 passes, forced six fumbles, and scored three defensive touchdowns in his career, which spanned from 1997-2009. Unfortunately, once the Patriots took interest in him he was pretty much cooked.
Springs was entering his age-34 season when he signed with the New England Patriots in 2009. The team inked him to a three year deal, which seems pretty ambitious for a 34-year old at almost any position.
Springs was only able to play 12 games in ’09, finishing with one interception and four pass deflections. After that season he was released and never found another suitor.
Michael Bennett
This one is fresh in our memories, as the New England Patriots traded for defensive lineman Michael Bennett just last offseason. The Patriots traded 2020 5th and 7th round draft picks, so the trade was relatively low risk, but the reward was quite low as well.
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Bennett has proven over the course of his career to be a very disruptive force in the trenches, accruing 69.5 sacks and 132 tackles for loss over the course of his career. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for him in New England.
Bennett played in just six games for the Patriots last season and played sparingly. It was rumored that Bennett was unhappy with his lack of playing time. The Patriots wound up trading him to the Dallas Cowboys for a conditional 7th round pick for 2021.
Bennett played nine games for Dallas and racked up four sacks, playing 40 percent of their defensive snaps from the point he was brought onto the team. For perspective, he only played 13 percent of the snaps when playing for the Patriots. Bennett is currently a free agent at the age of 34.
Chad Johnson
You might know him better as Chad Ochocinco, as that was his legal name when the New England Patriots traded two late-round picks for him in 2011. A star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson was expected to add a whole new dynamic to the Patriots offense in 2011. However, he never really found his footing in New England.
Johnson caught just 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown in 15 games played for the Patriots that year. The team ultimately made it to the Super Bowl and lost to the New York Giants, but he was not a contributing factor to their playoff run, either.
While Johnson didn’t work out for New England, the Patriots offense thrived anyways. Fans look back at that year primarily thanks to the ascendance of Rob Gronkowski, which made it easier to accept Johnson’s lack of production.
The Patriots released him after that season, and that was the last time Johnson played in the league. He joined the Miami Dolphins in 2012, but never actually appeared in a game for them.
Adalius Thomas
Adalius Thomas was an absolute beast for the Baltimore Ravens. He racked up 38.5 sacks and 58 tackles for loss in seven seasons with them, and received a first team All-Pro nod in 2006. Thomas signed a five year, $35 million contract with the Patriots in 2007.
The deal wasn’t a complete bust at first, but Thomas underperformed compared to the level he played at in Baltimore. Over time, Thomas grew frustrated in New England. He publicly expressed his issues with Bill Belichick on more than one occasion.
Things got really bad during the 2009 season. At one point, Thomas was sent home after being late for a meeting. He made it known that he was not happy with being disciplined for that, and after the season he continued to take shots at the Patriots.
Thomas was released after that season, and predictably he never played in the NFL again.
Albert Haynesworth
Albert Haynesworth rounds out the list of disappointing acquisitions, but the primary reason that he makes this list isn’t the fact that he didn’t meet expectations in New England. The real issue here is the fact that the Patriots even brought him onto the team to begin with.
Haynesworth had a history of recklessness before the Patriots traded for him prior to the start of the 2011 season. While for a time he was an awesome player, with two first team All-Pro appearances, his play dipped significantly after he signed a seven year, $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins in 2009.
The fact that the New England Patriots even bothered with Haynesworth despite his history is baffling to this day. They only gave up a 5th round pick, but even still it wasn’t really worth it thanks to the fact that Haynesworth only lasted six games before the team put him on waivers.
Haynesworth was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but after the 2011 season he would not play in the NFL again. To this day, he is considered one of the most controversial players in league history.