Jonnu Smith, a former Tenansee Titans, has reached an agreement with the New England Patriots on a four-year, $ 50 million deal, which includes $ 31.25 million fully guaranteed, Agent Drew said. Rosenhaus for Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The $ 12.5 million annual average of the Smith agreement is the second highest the Patriots have given to a free agent in 10 years, following the 2017 Stephon Gilmore corner deal, which averaged is $ 13 million per season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Patriots also agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $ 16 million, which includes $ 9 million fully guaranteed with former Miami Dolphins nose striker Davon Godchaux, Rosenhaus told Schefter.
The Patriots entered the pay-ceiling space among NFL leaders on Monday and were motivated to tackle the limited extremity, as life after Rob Gronkowski was a challenge for them. In the last two seasons, they have the fewest receptions (55), receiving yards (673), goals (87) and receiving touchdowns (3) from tight ends in the NFL.
Smith took advantage of the fact that it was the Titans’ first close final last season, scoring eight of the best touchdowns of his career, second on the team. He also had 41 receptions for 448 meters.
All eight touchdowns from Smith came in the red zone. The Patriots as a team had seven touchdown receptions in the red zone last season, the fewest in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Smith, 25, started hot and scored five touchdowns in the first four games, but was slowed by an ankle injury in October.
An injury to left-back Taylor Lewan prompted the Titans to use Smith’s blocking ability to help Lewan’s backups. While Smith’s production declined due to being asked to chip defensive goals, his versatility became more apparent.
The tight end was selected in the third round of the 2017 draft. In four seasons, he caught 114 passes for 1,302 meters and 16 touchdowns. Smith was also used in the backfield sometimes and carried the ball six times for 82 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run against the Houston Texans in 2019.
As for Godchaux, the Patriots’ running defense ranked 26th in the NFL last season (131.4 meters per game), and opponents averaged 4.5 meters per goal, ranking New England’s defense on 20th place in this category.
Godchaux, who entered the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2017 fifth round of the LSU, should help address that. Two defensive approaches that have played notable roles for the Patriots over the past four seasons – Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler – are unrestricted free agents.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Turron Davenport contributed to this report.