The legal tampering period is now done, which means free agency is officially here. Make sure you follow along here for all the updates, and feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments -- I'll make sure I check the comments section for questions throughout the day.
5:25 p.m.: Two notes worth passing along:
--Multiple outlets are now reporting that talk of quarterback A.J. McCarron drawing the interest of the Patriots is off-base, with Jim McBride of the Globe quoting a league source as saying it's "completely false."
--Any thought about the possibility of Ndamukong Suh coming to New England might be out the window, at least right now. Dianna Russini of ESPN is reporting that she has communicated with Suh, and he's only open to speaking with the highest bidder -- fit and team don't matter. OK then.
4:41 p.m.: Just got this from Greg: "A league source just told me the Patriots offered Solder $12 million per season well before the tampering period commenced."
4:28 p.m.: Cameron Fleming, LaAdrian Waddle, Johnson Bademosi, Marquis Flowers, James Harrison and Matthew Slater are the remaining Patriots' free agents who are on the market here at the start of free agency. If I'm handicapping the field, I can see at least half of them -- with Slater being the favorite -- returning to Foxborough. We reported a looooong time ago that Harrison and Bademosi had an interest in coming back, per league sources. Meanwhile, we also know that Flowers and Waddle have drawn interest from around the league, but are open to coming back. These things can change pretty quickly, but that's where things stand with their own guys, at least at this point.
4:13 p.m.: The Patriots have rung in the new league year with the signing of running back Rex Burkhead. (EDIT, 4:48 p.m. -- Per Ian Rapoport, it's a three-year deal "heavy" on guaranteed money.) Burkhead, who struggled with knee and rib issues last season in New England, had 64 carries for 264 yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 30 catches for 254 yards and three receiving touchdowns in 2017. Jim McBride of the Globe was first with the report. (For what it's worth, it also doesn't look like Mike Gillislee is going anywhere, at least right now, as we have previously reported. Look for the Pats to basically bring back everyone except Dion Lewis and add at running back via the draft.) The bottom line here? The Patriots are betting that Burkhead's health issues were just a one-year blip. If he's OK for 12-16 games in 2018, I can see him picking up some of the production that left when Lewis departed.
3:45 p.m.: Looks like the Dolphins are set to release defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh before the start of the new league year, which means he'll be on the market. If you're the Patriots, do you make that move?
3:12 p.m.: One name that several folks have asked me about as potential insurance in case Rob Gronkowski decides to retire is Eric Ebron. The Lions have just announced that Ebron has been released -- the tight end, who will turn 25 next month, is a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder who has 186 catches for 2,070 yards and 11 touchdowns in his four years in the NFL.
2:49 p.m.: Per Adam Schefter, pass rusher Trent Murphy, who had drawn the interest of the Patriots, is set to sign with the Bills.
2:35 p.m.: Cornerback Patrick Robinson, who the Patriots had been talking to earlier in the week, is now expected to sign a four-year deal with the Saints. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder, who just won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, has 14 picks in his eight seasons in the NFL.
2:00 p.m.: Legendary left tackle Joe Thomas is retiring, according to the Browns. I know there were some folks in the comments below asking about the possibility of the Pats swinging some sort of deal with Cleveland involving the veteran, but that looks like it won't happen at this point.
1:35 p.m.: The Patriots are now one of a handful of teams in on veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN. Clayborn who led Atlanta with a career-high 9.5 sacks last year, is a 6-foot-3, 280-pounder. The Colts, Bucs, Browns and Falcons are also all reportedly in the mix. (Around these parts, Clayborn is best known as the guy who scared the bejabbers out of everyone when he was part of a play where Tom Brady was upended during a joint practice in the summer of 2013.)
1:24 p.m.:
Cardinals have informed the Tyrann Mathieau The Honey Badger they are releasing him
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 14, 2018
Some context on Malcolm Butler’s reported 5-year $61M deal with Titans: the Patriots’ final offer before last season was for 6-years, $66M, with $25.5M guaranteed (five years on top of his restricted free agent tender of $3.91M). Same neighborhood.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 14, 2018
