Patriots pick up option on another ERFA

The New England Patriots continue to work on getting their roster set for where they want it to be when the new league year begins next week. That includes taking care of their internal free agents.

On Friday, the team made a big splash by retaining tight end Hunter Henry on a three-year, $30 million dollar deal. However, Henry isn't the only player the team re-signed on Friday.

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According to multiple reports, the Patriots signed offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley to an ERFA tender on Friday. Wheatley, 27, will now be under contract for one year at $915K.

Wheatley was an exclusive rights free agent, or ERFA. That category of free agent is for players with less than three years of NFL experience. Rather that becoming true restricted free agents, NFL teams can bring those players back simply by tendering them a minimum contract. Wheatley is the second ERFA the Patriots have re-signed this week, after cornerback Alex Austin.

The Patriots acquired Wheatley during roster cuts last year from the Cleveland Browns, in a trade for running back Pierre Strong. Wheatley was active in a reserve role for two games to start the season, but ended up on IR and didn't play again in 2023.

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The Apple TV New England Patriots docuseries The Dynasty continued on Thursday night. This week saw the debut of episodes seven and eight, with seven mainly covering the Patriots' 2014 season - and subsequent fallout from events that happened that year.

Episode 8 centered on the Patriots' 2016 season. That included Brady's eventual Deflategate suspension (Deflategate was the main focus of Episode 7), and their trip to Super Bowl LI where they came back from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons.

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An underlying theme in the episode is the standing of Jimmy Garoppolo, who was initially drafted by Bill Belichick to replace Tom Brady. That action has often been cited as one of the early reasons for the eventual rift that formed between Brady and the Patriots.

What stood out in the latest edition of The Dynasty? Focusing mainly on newly-recorded interviews, here are the most notable quotes from Episode 8...

Belichick: "Look, age is age. As a coach and somebody who is responsible for an organization, it's trying to do what's best for the team, and that's what I've always tried to do." 

Tom Brady was entering his age-37 season in 2014 when the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. It wasn't hard to tell Garoppolo was drafted to be Brady's replacement in Belichick's mind.

Kraft: "I think Bill thought Tommy was starting to lose it. I remember Bill used to show me different statistics - Tommy's throws over 20 yards were ranked near the lowest in the league, and Bill said 'we have to be ready to move on'...I think after that Jimmy Garoppolo draft, the tension between Bill and Tom increased. I think it was a turning point in their overall relationship dynamic. 

Brady: "It was an FEA year."

Interviewer: "FEA?" 

Brady: "F--- 'em all, baby. Said that for a long time. They're not pulling for us anyway." 

Hell yeah.

Slater: "During that [2016] season, Tom was unbelievable. But Coach Belichick being Coach Belichick, held Tom to even a higher standard than everyone else. Do I think Tom felt disrespected? Yeah, I think so. I don't think I would want to be treated differently but I would expect a certain level of respect. Especially as a grown man. But what that does for Tom Brady, that's gonna add fire to an already burning inferno...it just seemed like at times with Belichick, I felt like we lost the game even though we won. It was brutal. Not only was he critical of every player in there, but he was extremely critical of Tom. You see a lot of coaches in the league and the love affair they have with their star players, and Bill's never been that way."

This was maybe the ultimate catch-22 of the final years of Belichick and Brady's relationship. Belichick's treatment of Brady pushed him and motivated him, but also pushed him further away. With Brady starting to outplay the window in which Jimmy Garoppolo would have realistically taken over on a rookie contract, Belichick timeline to cleanly move on from Brady was slipping away.

Kraft: "Tom and I had a number of discussions about how Bill treated him. Tommy is very sensitive. He was always looking for Bill's approval, almost in a father/son kind of way, and it's not Bill's style ever to give that.

If Belichick treated Brady so badly, and there were numerous stories shared beyond Slater's above, why did Brady put up with it for as long as he did? Kraft offers his explanation.

Amendola: "We worked for Bill, but we played for Tom."

This quote was in the trailer so it's not exactly new, but it's still powerful. It really sums up the point this entire episode is trying to get across.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.