Patriots Re-Sign S Devin McCourty; Grade and Analysis
The New England Patriots re-signed one of the best defensive backs in the league Sunday night in All-Pro safety Devin McCourty.
Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 broke the news late Sunday night:
S Devin McCourty expected to remain with the Patriots, source says.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2015
Here’s a little background information via our NFL Mocks staff write-ups:
"Devin McCourty, a former cornerback, has established himself as one of the premier safeties in the NFL. He has no weaknesses in his game — he is elite against the run and the pass. It can seriously be argued that McCourty is the best safety in the entire league. He’ll command a HUGE contract on the open market, and deservedly so. McCourty’s presence immediately upgrades the effectiveness of any defensive unit due to his ability to play single high safety and shut down the middle of the field — an invaluable trait in today’s pass happy NFL."
It’s always a good idea to keep your homegrown players and that’s exactly what the Patriots are doing here. They’ve helped develop McCourty to be one of the elite safeties in the game — it’s difficult to let that kind of talent walk out the door. Versatile defensive backs don’t grow on trees and this weak upcoming safety class ensured that the Patriots would do everything in their power to make sure he comes back.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the contract details:
#Patriots S Devin McCourty will sign a 5-year, $47.5M contract, source said. Wow. And... turned down more elsewhere
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2015
Grade: A+
I love this signing. Having an elite talent at safety who can play single high, while also being a factor in the run game is extremely rare these days. When you draft and develop elite talent it’s devastating to let them walk out the door. The Patriots once again should field an elite secondary regardless of what Darrelle Revis does in upcoming days. Bill Belichick just got one of his prized chess pieces back for a few more shots at a Super Bowl championship.
I like this signing much more than the Eagles signing of Byron Maxwell. The Patriots are keeping an elite talent for less than he would’ve received on the open market — instead of breaking the bank on a new free agent.
The rich stay rich, but that’s usually how it goes in New England.
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