Overall, NFL teams were more measured financially at the beginning of free agency compared to previous years because of the salary cap dropping from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million this year. Nonethele s, a select group of players were still able to make out like bandits on the open market. Here are 10 contract-related thoughts and observations relating to free agency and the early part of the offseason. head coach Bill Belichick decided the Patriots needed a major infusion of talent after going 7-9 in 2020. He hadn't had a losing season since 2000, his first one as New England's head coach. Typically, the Patriots rarely make a splash in the first wave of free agency. Armed with an abundance of salary cap space, the Patriots were uncharacteristically aggre sive. New England signed 12 players who weren't with the team in 2020 to contracts totaling $242.245 million with $139.8 million of overall guarantees. Rodions Kurucs Jersey Performance bonuses make these deals worth as much as $262.445 million. Most notably, tight ends and received three- and four-year deals averaging $12.5 million per year. The duo is tied as the 's third-highest paid tight ends behind and , whose deals with the and average $15 million and $14,312,500 per year, respectively. Smith's $31.25 million is the most ever fully guaranteed in a tight end contract. was brought in from the on a four-year, $54.5 million deal with $32 million in guarantees to help boost a weak pa s rush.Voiding Spencer Dinwiddie Jersey /dummy years in NFL contracts aren't a new concept. Teams are now liberally using voiding/dummy years in order to prorate a signing bonus over more years to help combat the $15.7 million drop in the salary cap. Defensive end J.J. Watt's two-year, $28 million contract with the -- that is worth a maximum of $31 million through salary escalators and incentives -- is a prime example. Since three contract years for 2023 through 2025 that automatically void on the last day of the 2022 league year were added, Watt's $12 million signing bonus is prorated for five years at $2.4 million annually, rather than $6 million in both 2021 and 2022. Watt's 2021 cap is $4.9 million when it would have been $8.5 million without the inclusion of the voiding/dummy years. There is a cost to manipulating the salary cap in this manner. The Cardinals will have a $7.2 million cap charge in 2023 when Watt's 2023 through 2025 contract years void that March from the signing bonus proration a sociated with those years.Shortly after winning LV, the stated a goal of keeping the core together for another championship run despite a salary cap crunch and several key players having expiring contracts. Linebacker was the first to return. He signed a two-year, $25 million contract before free agency started. David's deal was revealing because the Buccaneers abandoned their preferred "pay as you go" contract structure where a player's cash and salary cap numbers are the same in each contract year because there isn't a signing bonus that would be prorated over the life of the contract (for a maximum of five years). Not only did David's deal include a fully guaranteed roster bonus that's prorated just like a signing bonus, three dummy/voiding years were added to lower his 2021 cap number. Quarterback freed up $19.3 million of cap space with a one-year, $25 million contract extension running through the 2022 season with three dummy/voiding years. His $20 million signing bonus -- of which $15 million is deferred until 2022 -- and $20 million fully guaranteed roster bonus are prorated over the five years. The Buccaneers have yet to lose any key free agents. Wide receiver was given a $15.983 million franchise tag. Edge rusher signed a four-year, $68 million contract with $34.5 million fully guaranteed (worth a maximum of $72 million through salary escalators). Tight end signed a one-year deal for $8 million with another $2 million in incentives. Kicker received a three-year, $12 million contract. Defensive tackle is reportedly on the verge of Chris Chiozza Jersey signing a one-year, $9 million deal worth up to $10 million in incentives. All of these contracts are structured similarly to Brady and David's deals. The deals have bonus proration and voiding/dummy years were used. There are going to be some hefty cap charges if the deals aren't extended before the voiding date. The Buccaneers will have a $24 million cap hit for Brady in 2023 if he decides to retire after the 2022 season when he is 45 years old. Offensive linemen continued to be paid a premium in free agency. became the NFL's first $15 million-per-year interior offensive lineman on a player-friendly contract. He signed a five-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs averaging $16 million per year. The previous standard had been the four-year, $56.55 million extension averaging $14,137,500 per year received from the during the middle of the 2019 season. Thuney also raised the bar for guarantees in offensive guard contracts. He has $46.89 million of guarantees. Thuney being the league's highest-paid offensive guard could be short-lived. Thuney's $16 million per year should serve as the floor for , Garrett Temple Jersey who was franchise tagged for a second straight time by the Washington Football Team, and . The are interested in signing Nelson to an extension.Technically, and became the league's highest-paid center and offensive tackle, respectively, on deals more team friendly than Thuney's contract. Linsley signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the averaging $12.5 million per year. The deal has $26 million in guarantees. Of the $26 million, $9 million doesn't become fully guaranteed until next March on the second day of the 2022 league year, but things would have to go really wrong for Linsley to be released before vesting occurs.On the surface, Williams is the highest-paid offensive tackle ever at $23.1 million per year, eclipsing the $23 million per year received from the in a four-year extension last season. Williams signed a six-year, $138.6 million contract to return to the 49ers after the Chiefs made a strong push for him. There are $45.1 million in guarantees. Williams' $30.1 million signing bonus is the largest ever in an offensive lineman contract. The deal is structured with the 49ers having to exercise an option for the final three years (2024 through 2026) worth $77.31 million by April 1, 2023. An additional $10 million of Williams' $19.4 million 2023 base salary becomes fully guaranteed with the option being picked up. Declining the option would mean Williams has a three-year deal for $60.75 million, which still makes him the third player in the $20 million-per-year offensive lineman club with Bakhtiari and .Pa s catchers were in for a rude awakening on the open market. A deep wide receiver draft cla s has been a contributing factor. Initially, only quickly signed a lucrative multi-year contract. The gave Davis a three-year Nicolas Claxton Jersey , $37.5 million deal with $27 million fully guaranteed. was the first to shift gears to a one-year "prove