2021 New England Patriots season explained

Team:	New England Patriots
Year:	2021
Record:	10–7
Division Place:	2nd AFC East
Playoffs:	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bills) 17–47
Pro Bowlers:	QB Mac Jones CB J. C. Jackson LB Matthew Judon ST Matthew Slater
Ap All-Pros:	CB J. C. Jackson (2nd team) ST Matthew Slater (2nd team)
Coach:	Bill Belichick
Owner:	Robert Kraft
Stadium:	Gillette Stadium
Uniform:	New England Patriots Uniforms 2020-2021.png
Shortnavlink:	Patriots seasons

The 2021 season was the New England Patriots' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall, their 20th playing home games at Gillette Stadium, and their 22nd under head coach Bill Belichick.

Following the team's 7–9 finish the previous season, their first losing record since 2000, the Patriots spent a record $163 million in guaranteed money to sign new free agent acquisitions. 11 free agents were added to the roster on March 19, with the largest contracts awarded to linebacker Matthew Judon, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, cornerback Jalen Mills, and wide receiver Nelson Agholor. In the 2021 NFL draft, New England selected quarterback Mac Jones 15th overall, marking the first time the Patriots drafted a first-round quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Jones also became the first rookie quarterback to start for the Patriots since Bledsoe after he was named the starter ahead of the season opener.

The Patriots began the season 2–4, but won eight of their next 11 games and finished with a 10–7 record to secure a wild card berth. In their first playoff appearance without quarterback Tom Brady since 1998 and their first (and only) as a wild card under Belichick, they were defeated 47-17 by the division rival Buffalo Bills, the worst postseason loss of Belichick's tenure. The playoff game was also the Patriots' last with Belichick.

Roster changes

Free agency

Unrestricted

Position	Player	2021 team	Date signed	Contract
C	David Andrews	New England Patriots	March 22, 2021^[1]	4 years, $19 million^[2]
CB	Justin Bethel	New England Patriots	March 12, 2021^[3]	3 years, $6 million
FS	Terrence Brooks	Houston Texans	March 23, 2021^[4]	1 year, $1.75 million^[5]
RB	Rex Burkhead	Houston Texans	June 1, 2021	1 year, $1.5 million^[6]
DT	Adam Butler	Miami Dolphins	March 18, 2021^[7]	2 years, $7.5 million^[8]
WR	Damiere Byrd	Chicago Bears	May 4, 2021^[9]	1 year, $1.128 million^[10]
OLB	Shilique Calhoun	San Francisco 49ers	August 10, 2021^[11]	1 year, $990,000^[12]
OLB	Brandon Copeland	Atlanta Falcons	March 19, 2021^[13]	1 year, $1.04 million^[14]
DT	Carl Davis	New England Patriots	March 15, 2021	1 year, $1.078 million
FS	Cody Davis	New England Patriots	March 19, 2021	2 years, $4.3 million
OT	Jermaine Eluemunor	Miami Dolphins	June 14, 2021	1 year, $1.128 million^[15]
C	James Ferentz	New England Patriots	May 17, 2021	1 year, $1.020 million^[16]
K	Nick Folk	New England Patriots	March 23, 2021	1 year, $1.625 million^[17]
DT	Lawrence Guy	New England Patriots	March 30, 2021	4 years, $11.5 million
QB	Brian Hoyer	New England Patriots	May 18, 2021	1 year, $1.075 million^[18]
CB	Jason McCourty	Miami Dolphins	May 7, 2021	1 year, $1.213 million^[19]
WR	Donte Moncrief	Houston Texans	March 22, 2021	1 year, $1.15 million^[20]
QB	Cam Newton	New England Patriots	March 12, 2021^[21]	1 year, $5.1 million^[22]
DE	John Simon	Tennessee Titans	July 25, 2021^[23]	1 year, $1.075 million^[24]
G	Joe Thuney	Kansas City Chiefs	March 18, 2021^[25]	5 years, $80 million^[26]
RB	James White	New England Patriots	March 25, 2021	1 year, $2.463 million
DE	Deatrich Wise Jr.	New England Patriots	March 19, 2021	4 years, $22 million

Exclusive-rights

Position	Player	2021 team	Date signed	Contract
WR	Quincy Adeboyejo
FB	Jakob Johnson	New England Patriots	March 25, 2021	1 year, $850,000

Signings/waiver claims

Position	Player	Previous team	Date signed	Contract
DE	Montravius Adams	Green Bay Packers	March 19, 2021	1 year, $1.095 million^[27]
WR	Nelson Agholor	Las Vegas Raiders		2 years, $22 million
DE	Henry Anderson	New York Jets		2 years, $7 million
WR	Kendrick Bourne	San Francisco 49ers		3 years, $15 million
TE	Hunter Henry	Los Angeles Chargers		3 years, $37.5 million
LB	Matthew Judon	Baltimore Ravens		4 years, $54.5 million
C	Ted Karras	Miami Dolphins		1 year, $3 million
LB	Raekwon McMillan	Las Vegas Raiders		1 year, $1.149 million
CB	Jalen Mills	Philadelphia Eagles		4 years, $24 million
TE	Jonnu Smith	Tennessee Titans		4 years, $50 million
LB	Kyle Van Noy	Miami Dolphins		2 years, $12 million
DT	Davon Godchaux	Miami Dolphins	March 23, 2021	2 years, $15 million
LB	LaRoy Reynolds	Atlanta Falcons	March 24, 2021^[28]	1 year, $1.213 million^[29]
LB	Harvey Langi	New York Jets	May 10, 2021	1 year, $1.057 million
G	Alex Redmond	Cincinnati Bengals	May 17, 2021	1 year, $1.080 million^[30]
LS	Wesley Farnsworth	Denver Broncos	May 20, 2021	1 year, $660,000^[31]
FS	Adrian Colbert	New York Giants	May 21, 2021	1 year, $990,000^[32]
RB	Tyler Gaffney	San Francisco 49ers		1 year, $660,000^[33]
TE	Troy Fumagalli	Denver Broncos	May 27, 2021	1 year, $850,000^[34]
WR	Marvin Hall	Cleveland Browns	June 4, 2021	1 year, $1.015 million^[35]
G	R. J. Prince	Baltimore Ravens	June 17, 2021	1 year, $780,000^[36]
WR	Devin Ross	New England Patriots	June 21, 2021	1 year, $660,000^[37]
TE	David Wells	New England Patriots	July 23, 2021	1 year, $660,000^[38]
QB	Jake Dolegala	Green Bay Packers	July 28, 2021	1 year, $780,000^[39]
OT	Jerald Hawkins	Pittsburgh Steelers	July 30, 2021	1 year, $920,000^[40]
LB	Cassh Maluia	New England Patriots	August 7, 2021	1 year, $780,000^[41]
LS	Brian Khoury	Baltimore Ravens	August 9, 2021	1 year, $660,000^[42]
SS	Malik Gant	New England Patriots	August 10, 2021	1 year, $660,000^[43]
TE	Kahale Warring	Houston Texans	August 24, 2021	4 years, $3.640 million^[44]
WR	Malcolm Perry	Miami Dolphins	September 2, 2021	4 years, 3.370 million
LB	Jamie Collins	Detroit Lions	October 6, 2021	1 year, 1.075 million^[45]

Releases/waivers

Position	Player	Date released/waived
DT	Beau Allen	March 18, 2021
WR	Marqise Lee
LB	Cassh Maluia	March 23, 2021
LB	Michael Pinkney
K	Justin Rohrwasser
G	Ross Reynolds	April 9, 2021
DT	Michael Barnett	April 12, 2021
C	Dustin Woodard	April 16, 2021
QB	Jake Dolegala	April 30, 2021
G	Najee Toran	May 18, 2021
LB	LaRoy Reynolds	May 27, 2021
FB	Danny Vitale
K	Roberto Aguayo	June 17, 2021
LS	Wesley Farnsworth
WR		July 27, 2021
QB	Jake Dolegala	August 9, 2021
RB	Tyler Gaffney	August 10, 2021
DE	Rashod Berry	August 15, 2021
WR	Marvin Hall
TE	David Wells
OT	Jerald Hawkins	August 16, 2021
TE	Troy Fumagalli	August 17, 2021
SS	Malik Gant	August 24, 2021
LS	Brian Khoury
LB	Cassh Maluia
G	R. J. Prince
WR	Devin Ross
TE	Kahale Warring	August 27, 2021
DT	Montravius Adams	August 31, 2021
DE	Tashawn Bower
CB	Myles Bryant
FS	Adrian Colbert
OT	Korey Cunningham
C	James Ferentz
K	Nick Folk
QB	Brian Hoyer
CB	Mike Jackson Sr.
TE	Matt LaCosse
DT	Bill Murray
QB	Cam Newton
WR	Tre Nixon
G	Alex Redmond
CB	D'Angelo Ross
OT	Will Sherman
DT	Akeem Spence
DT	Nick Thurman
CB	Dee Virgin
WR	Kristian Wilkerson
WR	Isaiah Zuber

Retirements

Position	Player	Date retired
S	Patrick Chung	March 18, 2021^[46]
WR	Julian Edelman	April 12, 2021^[47]

Trades

• March 18 - Offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, the Patriots' 2021 fifth-round selection (No. 158 overall), and 2021 sixth-round selection (No. 194 overall) were traded to the Houston Texans for the Texans' 2021 fourth-round selection (No. 122 overall, originally acquired from Arizona) and 2021 sixth-round selection (No. 187 overall).
• March 18 - The Patriots' 2022 fifth-round selection was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for offensive tackle Trent Brown and the Raiders' 2022 seventh-round selection.
• March 23 - Tight end Ryan Izzo was traded to the Houston Texans for the Texans' 2022 seventh-round selection.
• August 25 - Running back Sony Michel was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for the Rams' 2022 sixth and 2023 fourth round selections.
• August 26 - The Patriots' 2022 seventh-round selection (originally acquired from Houston) and 2023 fifth-round selection were traded to the Baltimore Ravens for cornerback Shaun Wade.
• August 31 - The Patriots' 2022 seventh-round selection was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for offensive tackle Yasir Durant.
• October 6 - Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was traded to the Carolina Panthers for the Panthers' 2023 sixth-round selection.^[48]

Draft

See main article: 2021 NFL draft.

2021 New England Patriots Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Notes
	15
2	38	Christian Barmore	DT		from Cincinnati
3	—	Selection forfeited
	96	Ronnie Perkins	DE	Oklahoma	Compensatory pick
4	120	Rhamondre Stevenson	RB
5	177	Cameron McGrone	LB	Michigan	Compensatory pick
6	188	Joshuah Bledsoe	FS	Missouri	from Houston
	197	William Sherman	OT	Colorado
7	242	Tre Nixon	WR	UCF

Notes

• The Cincinnati Bengals' 2021 second-round selection (No. 38 overall) was acquired in a trade that sent the Patriots' 2021 second-round selection (No. 46 overall) and two fourth-round selections (No. 122 and 139 overall) to the Bengals.
• The Patriots forfeited their third-round selection as the punishment for illegal filming of the field and sidelines by the team's television crew of a 2019 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.^[49]
• The Houston Texans' 2021 fourth-round selection (No. 122 overall) and 2021 sixth-round selection (No. 188 overall) were acquired in a trade that sent offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, the Patriots' 2021 fifth-round selection (No. 158 overall), and the previously acquired Dallas Cowboys 2021 sixth-round selection (No. 194 overall) to the Texans.^[50]
• A sixth-round selection (No. 185 overall) was acquired in a trade that sent wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the New York Jets.^[51] The Jets re-acquired this selection when the Patriots traded two of their 2020 fourth-round selections and this 2021 sixth-round selection in exchange for a 2020 third-round selection.^[52]
• An additional sixth-round selection (No. 194 overall) was obtained in the trade that sent defensive end Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys.^[53]

Undrafted free agents

Staff

• July 23: Cole Popovich left the team as co-offensive line coach after refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.^[54]

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1		Washington Football Team	W 22–13	1–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2		at Philadelphia Eagles	W 35–0	2–0	Lincoln Financial Field	Recap
3	August 29	at New York Giants	W 22–20	3–0	MetLife Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

The Patriots' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 12	Miami Dolphins	L 16–17	0–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	at New York Jets	W 25–6	1–1	MetLife Stadium	Recap
3	September 26	New Orleans Saints	L 13–28	1–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
4	October 3	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 17–19	1–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	at Houston Texans	W 25–22	2–3	NRG Stadium	Recap
6	October 17	Dallas Cowboys	L 29–35	2–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap
7	October 24	New York Jets	W 54–13	3–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap
8	October 31	at Los Angeles Chargers	W 27–24	4–4	SoFi Stadium	Recap
9	November 7	at Carolina Panthers	W 24–6	5–4	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
10	November 14	Cleveland Browns	W 45–7	6–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap
11		at Atlanta Falcons	W 25–0	7–4	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Recap
12	November 28	Tennessee Titans	W 36–13	8–4	Gillette Stadium	Recap
13		at Buffalo Bills	W 14–10	9–4	Highmark Stadium	Recap
14	Bye
15		at Indianapolis Colts	L 17–27	9–5	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	Buffalo Bills	L 21–33	9–6	Gillette Stadium	Recap
17	January 2	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 50–10	10–6	Gillette Stadium	Recap
18	January 9	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–33	10–7	Hard Rock Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins

In rookie quarterback Mac Jones' first NFL start, a back-and-forth affair against divisional opponent Miami was sealed when Patriots running back Damien Harris fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter, allowing the Dolphins to run out the clock.^[55] With the close loss, the Patriots began the season 0–1 for the first time since 2017.

Week 2: at New York Jets

A battle of rookie quarterbacks saw Zach Wilson of the Jets throw four interceptions to the Patriots defense, allowing New England to coast to a 25–6 win, its 11th straight win over divisional rival New York. Mac Jones completed over 70% of his passes for the second game in a row.^[56]

Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints

Jones threw three interceptions, including a pass bobbled by tight end Jonnu Smith before being returned by P. J. Williams for a touchdown, as the Patriots lost to the Saints 28–13 and dropped to 1–2.^[57] This was also the Patriots' first loss to the Saints since 2009.

Week 4: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

See main article: 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers–New England Patriots game. This game marked former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's first return to Gillette Stadium since leaving the Patriots after the 2019 season, as he was cheered by the Patriots' home crowd during pre-game introductions before being jeered during the game. During the rain-soaked, back-and-forth contest, Brady was held without a touchdown and completed just over half of his passes; he was held to his third lowest passer rating - 70.8 - since joining the Buccaneers but led them to a go-ahead field goal just after the two-minute warning. Jones, who passed for 2 touchdowns and an interception, led the Patriots into position for their own field goal, but Nick Folk's 56-yard attempt hit the left upright, sealing the loss for the Patriots to their former franchise quarterback.^[58]

Week 5: at Houston Texans

Despite being down 22–9 to Houston at one point, the Patriots came back to win – coincidentally in the same stadium where they overcame a 28–3 deficit to the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI. Aside from a missed extra point in the first half, Nick Folk made four field goals during the game, including the game-winner with 15 seconds left in the game.^[59] With the win, New England improved to 2–3, taking sole possession of 2nd place in the AFC East.

Week 6: vs. Dallas Cowboys

This was the Patriots' first overtime game since the 2018 AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the Pats' first loss to the Cowboys in 25 years and their first home loss to them in 34 years.

Week 7: vs. New York Jets

With the win, the Patriots improved to 3–4 and swept the Jets for the sixth consecutive season and have won 12 straight meetings.

Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers

With the win, the Patriots improved to 4–4 on the season. It was the Patriots' seventh straight win over the Chargers. Their last loss came on October 12, 2008 in San Diego.

Week 9: at Carolina Panthers

The Patriots intercepted Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold three times en route to victory, including an 88-yard pick-six by J.C. Jackson. New England improved to 5–4 on the year and 4-0 all-time vs. Darnold. This was also the Patriots first win over the Panthers since 2009.

Week 10: vs. Cleveland Browns

The Patriots outplayed the Browns on both sides of the ball. Mac Jones had one of his better games as a rookie, completing over 80 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions as the Patriots converted 7 of 9 third downs. The defense only allowed points on the first drive of the game, held the Browns to 1 of 11 on third down, and knocked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield out of the game in the third quarter.^[60] With Damien Harris sidelined with a concussion from the Panthers game,^[61] Rhamondre Stevenson served as the primary running back, rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns.^[60] With the score 38–7 in the fourth quarter, Brian Hoyer replaced Jones and threw the pass that ended Jakobi Meyers' record touchdown drought.^[62]

Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons

The Patriots defense intercepted all three quarterbacks on the Falcons—Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen, and Feleipe Franks—as New England coasted to a 25–0 win over Atlanta on Thursday Night Football, improving to 7–4.^[63] They would gain the AFC East division lead later in the week after the Buffalo Bills lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans

The Patriots defense put up a show against a banged up Titans team. The offense was only forced to punt once but struggled to finish drives and get the run game going, resulting in five Nick Folk field goals. Mac Jones threw for 310 yards, and completed a pair of touchdown passes to Kendrick Bourne, with Damien Harris adding a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on the ground. Cornerback J. C. Jackson secured his seventh interception of the season, while the rest of the defense forced five fumbles, three of which were recovered by the Patriots. The Patriots improved to 8-4 for the AFC East division lead and an overall second place in the AFC.

Week 13: at Buffalo Bills

The Patriots entered the game in first place in the AFC following the Baltimore Ravens' loss the previous day, and were playing for first place in the AFC East. The game was impacted by 40mph winds;^[64] Belichick noted after the game that the winds in the Patriots' Week 17 game in Buffalo in 2008 were "way worse".^[65]

The Patriots drew up a run-heavy game plan in which Jones attempted just three passes, completing two for 19 yards (in 2008, Cassel completed six of eight passes for 78 yards). The Patriots ran the ball 46 times, for over 220 yards, utilizing a sixth offensive lineman on the majority of their offensive snaps. The three pass attempts were the fewest in a game since 1974 (when the Bills attempted just two in a game), the fewest in franchise history, and the fewest by a winning team in 30 years.^[66]

The Patriots defense was also stout: the Bills' only touchdown came after a N'Keal Harry muffed punt, and Myles Bryant broke up a fourth-down pass in the red zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the Patriots' 14–10 win.

The Patriots had their bye week after this game, making it their latest regular-season bye since their Week 16 bye in 2001.^[67]

Week 15: at Indianapolis Colts

The Patriots were flat for much of the game, being shut out in the first half for the first time in 99 games. A late second half comeback brought the Patriots to within three points, but fell short when Jonathan Taylor put the game away with a 67-yard touchdown run. With the loss, the Patriots fell to the #3 seed in the AFC prior to Week 15's Sunday games, while still maintaining first place in the AFC East. It was also the first time the Patriots lost to the Colts since Week 10 of the 2009 season.^[68] The Patriots gave up 226 rush yards in the loss.

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

This was the first time in five years the Pats and the Bills split the season series. Because of this loss (their second straight after a bye week), the Pats fell to the #6 seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Bills did not have a single punt in this game.

Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

A blowout win combined with a Dolphins loss sent the Patriots back to the postseason, following a 1-year absence.

Week 18: at Miami Dolphins

This was the first time since 2000 that the Patriots were swept by the Dolphins.

Standings

Conference

Postseason

See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs.

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) Buffalo Bills

In New England's first playoff game since the departure of quarterback Tom Brady, they were unable to stop the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen defensively, with the Bills being the first team in NFL history to never punt, kick a field goal or turn the ball over on any of their drives (every Buffalo offensive possession ended in a touchdown or was the end of the game).^[69] It was the New England Patriots' worst playoff loss in franchise history.

Statistics

Team

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank
Passing offense	3,857	226.9	14th
Rushing offense	2,151	126.5	8th
Total offense	6,008	353.4	15th
Passing defense	3,181	187.1	2nd
Rushing defense	2,103	123.7	22nd
Total defense	5,284	310.8	4th

Individual

Category	Player	Total yards
Offense
Passing yards		3,801
Passing touchdowns	Mac Jones	22
Rushing		929
Rushing touchdowns	Damien Harris	15
Receiving yards		866
Receiving touchdowns		9
Defense
Tackles (Solo)		70
Sacks		12.5
Interceptions		8

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season^{[70] [71]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: New England Patriots. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
2. Web site: New England Patriots Contracts. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
3. Web site: Report: Patriots re-sign Justin Bethel. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
4. Web site: Official Site of the Houston Texans. 2021-08-17. www.houstontexans.com. en-US.
5. Web site: Spotrac.com. Terrence Brooks. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
6. Web site: Spotrac.com. Rex Burkhead. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
7. Web site: Miami Dolphins. 2021-08-17. www.miamidolphins.com. en-US.
8. Web site: Spotrac.com. Adam Butler. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
9. Web site: Roster Move: Bears sign WR Damiere Byrd. 2021-08-17. www.chicagobears.com. en-US.
10. Web site: Spotrac.com. Damiere Byrd. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
11. Web site: San Francisco 49ers. 2021-08-17. www.49ers.com. en-US.
12. Web site: Spotrac.com. Shilique Calhoun. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
13. Web site: Falcons Sign LB Brandon Copeland and S Erik Harris. 2021-08-17. www.atlantafalcons.com. en-US.
14. Web site: Spotrac.com. Brandon Copeland. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
15. Web site: Spotrac.com. Jermaine Eluemunor. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
16. Web site: Spotrac.com. James Ferentz. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
17. Web site: Spotrac.com. Nick Folk. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
18. Web site: Spotrac.com. Brian Hoyer. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
19. Web site: Spotrac.com. Jason McCourty. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
20. Web site: Spotrac.com. Donte Moncrief. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
21. Web site: Report: Cam Newton returning to Patriots on a one-year deal. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
22. Web site: Spotrac.com. Cam Newton. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
23. Web site: The Official Site of the Tennessee Titans. 2021-08-17. www.tennesseetitans.com. en-US.
24. Web site: Spotrac.com. John Simon. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
25. Web site: Official Website of the Kansas City Chiefs Chiefs.com. 2021-08-17. Kansas City Chiefs. en-US.
26. Web site: Spotrac.com. Joe Thuney. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
27. Web site: Spotrac.com. Montravius Adams. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
28. Web site: Patriots Sign LB LaRoy Reynolds. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
29. Web site: Spotrac.com. LaRoy Reynolds. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
30. Web site: Spotrac.com. Alex Redmond. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
31. Web site: Spotrac.com. Wes Farnsworth. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
32. Web site: Spotrac.com. Adrian Colbert. 2021-09-01. Spotrac.com. en-US.
33. Web site: Spotrac.com. Tyler Gaffney. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
34. Web site: Spotrac.com. Troy Fumagalli. 2021-08-18. Spotrac.com. en-US.
35. Web site: Spotrac.com. Marvin Hall. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
36. Web site: Spotrac.com. R.J. Prince. 2021-08-25. Spotrac.com. en-US.
37. Web site: Spotrac.com. Devin Ross. 2021-08-25. Spotrac.com. en-US.
38. Web site: Spotrac.com. David Wells. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
39. Web site: Spotrac.com. Jacob Dolegala. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
40. Web site: Spotrac.com. Jerald Hawkins. 2021-08-17. Spotrac.com. en-US.
41. Web site: Spotrac.com. Cassh Maluia. 2021-08-25. Spotrac.com. en-US.
42. Web site: Spotrac.com. Brian Khoury. 2021-08-25. Spotrac.com. en-US.
43. Web site: Spotrac.com. Malik Gant. 2021-08-25. Spotrac.com. en-US.
44. Web site: Spotrac.com. Kahale Warring. 2021-08-27. Spotrac.com. en-US.
45. Web site: Spotrac.com. Jamie Collins. 2021-10-24. Spotrac.com. en-US.
46. Web site: Patrick Chung announces his retirement. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
47. Web site: Edelman's unlikely star turn comes to an end. 2021-08-17. www.patriots.com. en-US.
48. Web site: Carolina Panthers. 2021-10-24. www.panthers.com. en-US.
49. Web site: New England Patriots fined $1.1 million, lose draft pick in film crew fallout . ESPN . Mike . Reiss . June 28, 2020 . June 28, 2020.
50. Web site: Lane. Mark. 14 March 2021. What picks are the Texans swapping with the Patriots in the OT Marcus Cannon trade?. 17 March 2021. TexansWire.USAToday.com. USA Today.
51. News: Patriots trade WR Demaryius Thomas to Jets. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913152858/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001053463/article/patriots-to-trade-wr-demaryius-thomas-to-jets. dead. September 13, 2019. NFL.com. September 10, 2019. January 19, 2020.
52. Web site: Patriots trade up for TEs Asiasi, Keene in third round . NFL.com . Nick . Shook . April 24, 2020 . January 8, 2021.
53. News: Sources: Patriots Trade DE Michael Bennett to Cowboys . ESPN.com. October 24, 2019 . October 27, 2020.
54. Web site: Patriots co-OL coach Cole Popovich no longer on staff due to COVID-19 requirements. 2021-07-27. NFL.com. en-US.
55. Web site: Goss . Nick . 2021-09-12 . Patriots QB Mac Jones looks like the real deal despite Week 1 loss . 2021-09-23 . RSN . en.
56. Web site: Rapp . Timothy . Mac Jones, Patriots Cruise to Win vs. Jets as Zach Wilson Throws 4 INT . . 19 September 2021 . 19 September 2021.
57. Web site: The Associated Press . 2021-09-26 . Saints pick Jones 3 times in 28-13 win over the Patriots . 2021-10-13 . WMUR . en.
58. Web site: Vatour . Matt . 2021-10-04 . Tom Brady was far from terrific, but Bucs beat Patriots on Sunday Night Football . 2021-10-04 . masslive . en.
59. Web site: Price . Christopher . 2021-10-10 . Patriots come back to defeat the Texans 25-22 . 2021-10-13 . www.boston.com . en-US.
60. Web site: 2021-11-14. Jones tosses 3 TDs, Mayfield hurt as Pats beat Browns 45-7. 2021-12-09. AP NEWS. en.
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63. Web site: Patriots at Falcons score, takeaways: New England beats up Matt Ryan, blanks Atlanta for fifth consecutive win . 2021-11-27 . CBSSports.com . en.
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