Patriots letting Cowboys sign Everson Griffen is a big miss for Bill Belichick

Everson Griffen would’ve been the perfect Patriot, but he signed with the Cowboys.

After the New England Patriots signed Cam Newton, there was literally no cap space left — maybe just enough to sign an undrafted free agent who specialized in being a special teams backup.

But as the weeks progressed, the Pats freed up a bunch of money. They got a few million back in contract settlements with Aaron Hernandez and Antonio Brown. They watched eight players opt out for the 2020 season. And when you factor in the number of free agents the team has coming off the books after this year, money is very much not an issue.

And that makes their failure to sign defensive stalwart Everson Griffen even more disappointing.

With a clear need for a pass rusher, the Pats instead let Griffen sign with the Cowboys, who have an embarrassment of riches on defense and an extremely tight cap situation themselves. Why was this move not considered earlier in New England?

Griffen spent the last 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and hasn’t really missed a beat. Aside from off-the-field concerns stemming from a mental health issue, Griffen has been one of the most reliable defenders in terms of production since 2014. After his relationship soured with the Vikes, he was looking to move on and prove his worth elsewhere.

An aging veteran looking for revenge and hungry to finally get over that playoff hump? Griffen and the Patriots couldn’t have been a better free agency fit based on what we’ve seen from Bill Belichick and Co. over the last decade.

They were even interested in drafting him back in 2010! Now, 10 years later, he could have provided a veteran presence on a defense that’s becoming younger and younger as veteran players move on or price themselves out of New England.

And please, don’t give us the “he wouldn’t have been a fit in our defense argument.” Yes, he’s a traditional 4-3 defensive end, but has that ever stopped Belichick? He can put almost any defender in a position to succeed even if it means they have to adapt or play a role a bit foreign to them. Griffen transitioning to a standup 3-4 OLB wouldn’t have been farfetched.

This was a missed opportunity. Though the Patriots have some promising young options on the outside in Chase Winovich, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, adding Griffen wouldn’t have interrupted that at all. He would’ve just added another frightening layer to the Patriots’ complex defense.

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