Patriots: Zach Ertz trade raises questions about offseason strategy

Let’s preface this by saying that the New England Patriots had no other choice but to overhaul their pass-catching arsenal this past offseason.

How they went about that order of business, though, was up for debate. Equipped with as much cap space as any team in the NFL, most talking heads predicted that Bill Belichick would go on a spending spree for the ages.

That’s exactly what happened. At the time, fans were thrilled. With a bushel of new offensive weapons, how could they not be?

However, is it time to start second-guessing Belichick for spending like a drunken sailor instead of browsing the trade market for upgrades?

It just might be, especially after the Eagles traded star Zach Ertz to Arizona in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round pick.

That’s a pretty measly return for a three-time Pro Bowler, no?

Arizona acquiring Zach Ertz for pennies on the dollar raises questions about the Patriots’ free agency strategy.

We know hindsight is 20/20, but the early returns suggest the Patriots probably overpaid for Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.

They signed Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including a $15 million signing bonus and $25 million guaranteed. Henry broke out with six caches for 75 yards and a touchdown in the comeback win over Houston in Week 6. Prior to that, though, he was a non-factor, averaging 3.5 catches for 35.2 yards to go with one TD.

Smith, meanwhile, signed a four-year, $50 million (!) deal with the Patriots. The contract included $15 million up front at the time of signing and $31.25 million in guaranteed money. In terms of production, Smith’s has cratered since Week 1 when he caught all five of his targets for 42 yards. In the four games since, he’s averaged 2.5 catches for 18.2 yards.

We know they’re only five games into those contracts, but is that production really worth $87.5 million? While Henry and Smith are just both entering their primes — whereas Ertz will turn 31 in November and has clearly lost a step — Ertz is more than capable of producing those numbers on a weekly basis.

Sorry, but that’s not up for debate.

Unloading a fifth-round pick and a backup cornerback (Gowan, a rookie, literally hasn’t played a snap this year) for Ertz and extending him on a short-term deal sure seems like the more responsible decision as opposed to doling out close to $90 million for two tight ends who’ve largely been non-factors in the passing game.

This isn’t to say that Henry and Smith won’t be excellent players for the Patriots. However, this roster still has a lot of holes and they’ll owe Henry and Smith each $12.5 million per year for at least the next three seasons.

Something to think about if Henry and Smith continue to underperform.

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New England is known for being overly high on their Patriots, but this take ahead of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys is straight up delusional.