Bedard: Patriots sign Landry and Hooper, trade Godchaux, WRs Adams & Metcalf land elsewhere, and best left tackle options after Stanley

Moves are coming fast and furious on the day before the NFL's legal tampering period for free agency kicks off. 

Davon Godchaux has been traded to the Saints for a 2026 7th-rounder.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised they could get anything for him. I suspected that his time here would end with a straight release. The move comes two weeks after the Patriots granted Godchaux permission to shop his services.

Godchaux is not deemed a fit for the defense that Mike Vrabel and DC Terrell Williams want to employ. The Pats are ditching the two-gap approach along the defensive front for a more aggressive, up-the-field scheme. Godchaux is many things. He is not that.

His removal from the equation is also a plus for tightening up the locker room. Godchaux could be a divisive figure, and the organization wasn't pleased with some of his actions/words last season (as we've previously detailed).

- Mike Giardi

D.K. Metcalf got his wish for a contender and warmer weather. Er, scratch that second part. He is being sent to Pittsburgh for a 2025 second-round pick.

The former Seahawk will also get a five-year contract extension worth $150 million (waiting on the guarantee). You may ask yourself: Why weren't the Patriots involved? Here's the sense I got speaking with a team source. They liked the player but didn't love him, and while the AAV of the contract was what they expected, the Pats aren't all that keen on surrendering draft capital. As important, the brass had questions about how Metcalf would fit into their locker room. 

During his introductory press conference, Mike Vrabel addressed how important culture was to him, noting, "People ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our finish is going to be the contract that we make with our teammates."

Metcalf is known to float and would check out on plays he knew weren't designed for him. I quoted an AFC executive in our NFL Notebook who said, "He's not a $30+ million wide receiver, even with the rising cost,". He carries himself like he is, but Seattle showed you what it thought about him in the second half of the year. They were all about JSN (Jaxson Smith-Njigba)."

- Mike Giardi

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New England is on the free agency board with a familiar face to Vrabel.

The Patriots are signing former Titans end Harold Landry, a league source confirmed.

Makes a lot of sense considering Vrabel drafted Landry out of Boston College, and he had his best years with the new Patriots coach.

Landry getting $13 million AAV for the first two years is reasonable. It's really middle of the pack. We'll have to see how the pieces fit but it seems, if the Patriots keep Anfernee Jennings, that there would be some sort of rotation between Landry, Jennings and Keion White. 

Austin Hooper is also back in a move that made sense. He played a season under Vrabel with the Titans, and a season for McDaniels in Vegas.

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This also just broke:

Not a surprise. It looked like Adams was either going to go with Aaron Rodgers, or back to his home state with either the Chargers or Rams. It's the Rams.

It's not known whether the Patriots were in on Adams but it didn't feel like it was a fit since their preference is to get offensive pieces that will grow with Drake Maye, and Adams' football character at this stage wasn't ideal (looking for money and likes to count his catches and targets). 

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The possibility of the Patriots solving their annual issues at left tackle evaporated on Saturday when Ronnie Stanley agreed to a contract with the Ravens. While Stanley was going to have other suitors — the Chiefs and Commanders among them — the Patriots were hoping the best offer would lure him to New England. Whether that would have happened or not is moot. He's off the table.

So is that it? Do the Patriots have no hope for getting adequate left tackle play outside of the draft (if they can find a player worthy of taking) in 2025? Not necessarily. While tackles never hit the open market without some warts, there are a few viable options for the Patriots after we broke down the film on the remaining top targets: Dan Moore (Steelers), Cam Robinson (Vikings), Jaylon Moore (49ers) and Jedrick Wills (Browns).

Our rankings with video analysis of each player:

1. Jaylon Moore, 49ers (Combine measurements: 6-4, 311, 33 3/8 arms, 82.5 wing span, 11 hands)
2025 season age: 28

The former fifth-round pick out of Western Michigan in 2021 is a virtual unknown because he barely played as Trent Williams' understudy. He's only started 12 games in four seasons, but five of those came last year in an impressive stretch from Weeks 12-16 in which he went up against playoff teams from the Packers, Bills and Rams. He doesn't exactly have an ideal tackle body but he's quietly very effective in all facets of the game, and he has a lot of work done in the run game due to being in Kyle Shanahan's system. He allowed one sack, two hits and seven hurries in 158 pass blocks. He quietly goes about his job and is usually very reliable, and he can get up the field in the run game. He would at least give the Patriots average LT play. I would be happy with this. In fact, if I were the Patriots, I would just sign Moore and 49ers free-agent LG Aaron Banks and be done with it. Both of them worked well together in their stints, especially against a Rams front that shredded another listee, Cam Robinson. Of course, like with all these guys, there is a lot of risk and unknown. For Moore it's that he's never played more than 271 snaps, so how is he going to hold up for 1,000 in a season? 

2. Dan Moore, Steelers (6-5 ½, 311, 34 ½  arms, 83.5 wing span, 10 ¼ hands)
2025 season age: 27

Pittsburgh is letting him go because it doesn't want to play an average LT more than average, and, unlike the Patriots, they planned ahead and drafted Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu in the first round the past two years. And Moore is definitely average. He does nothing special and he's a real liability blocking on the second level in the run game. Another problem with Moore is that he can't play RT - he's never done it, and even Mike Tomlin has said in the past that Moore is waaaay better on the left side. He could possibly play some guard as he did at Texas A&M. Football character is excellent and he's durable, great in the locker room. Would he be an upgrade for the Patriots and be a stopgap for a year or two? Yes, but how much are going to pay for that? You'll see stats that he allowed the most sacks among LTs last season, and that's true. But he also goes up against Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson twice per season, and Russell Wilson holds onto the ball forever. 

3. Jedrick Wills, Browns (6-4 ¼, 313, 34 ¼ arms, 83.5 wing span, 10 hands)
2025 season age: 26

If you were just going off the film, Wills would be No. 1 with a bullet because there's a reason why he was the 10th overall pick in 2020 out of Alabama: the guy looks like he was built in a tackle lab. Perfect size, great feet, quick pass set, elite athletic ability. Wills has it all, even if his technique is a little sloppy and he lacks a little in the strength department. He's close to the prototype. But there's a reason why he's on the street: there are big questions about his football character, especially after he made what he called a business decision not to come back last season with an injury. Of course, Mike Vrabel would know all about this because he was in the Browns' o-line room last season as a consultant. It's highly doubtful the Patriots would go down this road because they are putting a premium on football character, but it has to be temping with Stanley off the market to bring him in on a prove-it deal and see if you can't reach him.

4. Cam Robinson, Vikings (6-5 ¾, 322, 35 ½ arms, n/a wing span, 10 ½ hands)
2025 season age: 30

The former second-round pick of the Jaguars and Doug Marrone in 2017 will likely be on his third team in the last year after a trade to the Vikings. Physically imposing and at times a punishing blocker, Robinson is very erratic with his technique and will have some horrible reps every game. His film against the Bills, Lions and Rams (in the playoffs, 12 pressures!) was pretty horrendous and he led the league in pressures allowed. Still, he'd be an upgrade over what the Patriots have and it's possible Marrone might vouch for him. But the Patriots would be rolling the dice big-time if they put their eggs into Robinson's basket.

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If you're looking to give Drake Maye some comfort, the first two on the list stand the best chance, and the third comes with a huge asterisk in that you'd be getting into Trent Brown and Chuks Okorafor territory as far as the room and their buy-in for 17 games.

The best course for the Patriots just might be Jaylon Moore at LT, Aaron Banks at LG and then you draft someone among Will Campbell, Armand Membou, Josh Simmons, Kelvin Banks, Josh Conerly, Anthony Belton, Aireontae Ersery, etc.