BOSTON — The Patriots have agreed to sign free agent tight end Jonnu Smith in their biggest move to date to fill the void created by the departure of Rob Gronkowski.
Smith, who was selected by the Titans in the third round of the 2017 draft, agreed Monday to a four-year, $50 million deal, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press. New deals can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Smith has been a consistent presence for Tennessee, appearing in 60 games with 53 starts over the past four years. His improvement has been steady and he is coming off his best season with the Titans, catching 41 passes for 448 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Patriots have struggled to get production at tight end since Gronkowski initially announced his retirement in 2019.
Gronkowski was a favorite target of Tom Brady and a four-time All-Pro during his nine seasons in New England. But in the past two seasons a group that has included Ben Watson, Devin Asiasi, Ryan Izzo, Matt Lacosse and Dalton Keene combined for just three touchdown catches for the Patriots.
Watson, who came out retirement at age 39 when he signed as a free agent in 2019, produced 17 catches for 173 yards that season. But he retired again that offseason.
The lack of a dependable option at tight end certainly restricted quarterback Cam Newton last season, especially after receiver Julian Edelman went on injured reserve early in the schedule.
Adding Smith to the mix is the first in what is expected to be several moves by coach Bill Belichick this offseason to upgrade options in passing game for Newton, who is currently the front-runner to start again after agreeing to a one-year deal last week.
In addition to Smith, New England the Pats also upgraded their pass rush.
According to the NFL Network, the Patriots are signing edge rusher Matt Judon to a four-year, $56 million deal with $32 million over the first two years of the contract. Judon, 28, is a 6-foot-3, 261 pound outside linebacker. He has 34.5 sacks over his five-year NFL career and is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.
A fifth-round pick in 2016, the Patriots actually had significant interest in Judon prior to that draft. Instead, the edge rusher was selected by Baltimore, where’s played the last five seasons. Coming to the NFL from Grand Valley State, it didn’t take long for Judon to show his talents. He had four sacks that rookie year and then totaled eight sacks in 2017 and seven in 2018 as a situational pass rusher.
Judon earned his first Pro Bowl bid in 2019 when he finished with 9.5. Sacks, 54 tackles, 14 for loss, and a career-high 33 quarterback hits. Last year, Judon earned his second Pro Bowl after finishing with six sacks, 50 tackles, nine for loss and 21 quarterback hits. By comparison, Chase Winovich led the Patriots with 5.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 2020.
Over the last three seasons, Judon has 74 quarterback hits. That’s the fifth most in the NFL behind T.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Za’Darius Smith and Chris Jones. Last season, the Patriots finished tied for 27th in the NFL with 24 total sacks. Simply put, adding Judon would instantly make the Patriots pass rush a lot better.
With Dont’a Hightower returning, after opting out last season, the addition of Judon will give the Pats a formidable front seven.
The Pats also picked up defensive tackle Davon Godchaux,
Mark Daniels from the Providence Journal contributed to this story.