Patriots: Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones Contracts to Put an End to Belichick’s FA Dealings?

The New England Patriots may have to change their free agency strategy after this year.

In the span of a week, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Patrick Mahomes to a record-breaking 10-year, $503 million contract and defensive tackle Chris Jones to a four-year, $85 million contract. The financial tinkering that front office has had to do to lock up their two star players is beyond comprehension.

But aside from that, it’s important to think about the future implications of these dealings. Yes, we know Mahomes is the exception to the rule given his immense success right out of the gate, but the Chiefs just raised the bar in free agency, no matter which way you look at it.

Take the Dak Prescott negotiations with the Cowboys, for example. The quarterback reportedly won’t accept $100 million guaranteed with an annual salary in between $33-$35 million — and he’s won only ONE playoff game!

We know Bill Belichick tends to not deal with those kinds of players, but it seems we’re witnessing a changing of the guard in the NFL where the players are holding more power than they ever have. Could that drastically alter the New England Patriots‘ cost-effective approach when it comes to signing free agents and extending players?

The days of guys like Tom Brady willing to take team-friendly deals (Brady, a six-time Super Bowl winner and three-time MVP with the Patriots, took home $235 million over the course of 20 seasons, which is only $11.75 million per year) are likely over, especially for star players.

We already saw Belichick budge recently when he gave cornerback Stephon Gilmore a five-year, $65 million contract. But in the past, when the Patriots legitimately paid players and made them among the richest in the league, it just never felt like it was significant.

Brady signed a four-year, $72 million deal in 2010; Vince Wilfork signed a five-year, $40 million deal in 2010; Logan Mankins signed a six-year, $51 million contract in 2011; Jerod Mayo agreed to a five-year, $48.5 million extension in 2011; Rob Gronkowski became the highest-paid tight end on a six-year, $53 million contract; to name a few.

And let’s not forget about the refs!!

Just kidding guys, my god, take a joke.

But now we’re seeing star defensive linemen getting deals in the $120 million range, and Mahomes set the new standard for quarterbacks (by a country mile). Landon Collins set the benchmark for safeties and Byron Jones’ $82.5 million deal did the same for cornerbacks. How much longer can Belichick pull off his game of financial musical chairs to avoid breaking the bank one too many times? How much longer will players buy into the “Patriot Way”?

Honestly, there’s no telling, but Brady leaving because the organization wouldn’t give him the money he wanted this offseason could force the Patriots to adjust a bit. Then again, as long as there’s an NFL Draft as well as hungry players looking to prove their worth, it seems Belichick will always be able to orchestrate his philosophy in some way.

But you have to assume striking gold in free agency or getting players to sign team-friendly extensions may start becoming a trend of the past.