FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 08: Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Tom Brady is the biggest star the Patriots need to re-sign this offseason, but bringing back Devin McCourty may be just as important to New England.
The Patriots have a number of important free agents to retain, but no defensive player means more to New England than Devin McCourty. That’s precisely why the team’s front office moved swiftly and decisively to make sure he returns to the team in 2020.
The terms of the new deal also happen to be favorable to Bill Belichick and company. McCourty will only receive a maximum of $23 million over the life of the two-year agreement. It’s clear he took a discount to return to the Patriots and continue to play in the same secondary as his brother.
Chalk this up as a big win for a franchise that still needs to spend serious money on several other free agents. If they’re able to bring Tom Brady back for another tour of duty it will cost them a mountain of cash. Getting McCourty to come back on a team-friendly deal will open up a healthy amount of cash for the Patriots to spend on other players.
It could even allow the team to re-sign guard Joe Thuney. He was a key cog in last year’s offensive line than did a terrific job of keeping Brady upright. Any signal-caller who starts the season under center for New England is going to need quality protection to succeed.
On the field, McCourty’s return gives the Patriots’ defense a chance to achieve the same level of success that propelled the team to the playoffs in 2019. Remember it was Belichick’s defense, not the offense driven by Brady that really pushed New England into the NFL elite last season.
If McCourty had been allowed to hit the open market he certainly could have commanded a stronger contract from teams looking to strengthen their secondaries. He’s certainly approaching the twilight of his career at 32 years of age, but there’s no reason to think he can’t be an above-average starter over the next two seasons. The Patriots are making a very reasonable bet that he’ll continue to be the same player through the 2021 campaign.
Now that McCourty is back in the fold the Patriots can afford to turn their attention, and resources to strengthen their offense. This is a great deal for a front office that desperately needed to get off to a quality start in free agency.