Every signing, trade, transaction

Welcome back to NFL free agency! The Patriots are trying to put some finishing touches on a roster that just reached the Super Bowl, and they still have work to do. On Monday, they signed running back Dre'Mont Jones, fullback Reggie Gilliam and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Heading into Tuesday, wide receiver, tight end, edge rusher and safety remain major needs. Find all the Patriots signings, trades and rumors this week, plus free agent grades, in the Herald's up-to-the-minute live tracker here. tuesday Source: Patriots sign former Packers WR Romeo Doubs 14:15 The Patriots have their replacement, Stefon Diggs. Former Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs, the top free agent wide receiver available, will join the Pats, a source confirmed to the Herald's Doug Kyed. According to Sports Illustrated, Doubs is signing a 4-year, $68 million contract with a maximum value of $80 million. Doubs is coming off a career year in Green Bay, where he had 55 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. He also had 124 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Packers' wild-card playoff loss in Chicago. Last season was the first year of his career in which he surpassed 700 total yards. Doubs is a taller, high-threat target who profiles as a No. 2-3 receiver in most offenses. He primarily lined up wide in Green Bay and took 17% of his snaps in the slot. Packers quarterback Jordan Love had a 112.7 passer rating when targeting Doubs, one of the highest ratings in the league among regular receivers. Doubs posted a career-high 58%+ receiving success rate, a reflection of his ability to keep the offense on schedule when targeted. He turns 26 next month and joins Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III on the team's roster. Grade: B In a free agent class that the Patriots felt didn't feature much in the way of real change, Doubs is no exception. But he did improve the Patriots on Tuesday. Doubs helps the Pats' offense by accentuating an existing strength (deep passing) and mitigating a specific weakness (wide receiver play vs. man-to-man coverage). Doubs was the 20th-best receiver against man in coverage last year based on Pro Football Focus grades and average yards per route run. He's a tall target with 4.4 speed who has caught more than half of his career contested sack targets, according to PFF. However, that percentage fell a year ago to 43.3%. Doubs will never dictate coverage and his presence doesn't fundamentally change what the Patriots can do offensively. But there is one case where he is better than most, if not all, of the receivers on the Patriots roster. Boutte has never surpassed 600 receiving yards in a season, much less 724, and he doesn't have the same physical gifts. Like Boutte, Doubs appears to have matured recently, after being suspended for one game in 2024 because he missed meetings due to his diminished role in the Packers' offense. Doubs' contract makes him the 20th highest-paid catcher in the league. A little rich, but that's free agency. He's also tied for 27th in average annual value, per Over the Cap, with re-signed Seahawks target Rashid Shaheed. Doubs is less dynamic than Shaheed, but he fits better in New England. The final piece of this signing is perhaps the most interesting: The addition of Doubs tilts some leverage toward the Patriots in any negotiations they may revisit with Philadelphia over an A.J. Brown trade. If the Doubs deal helps them land Brown, a legitimate No. 1, it's all worth it. The Eagles can still point to the Patriots' boring receiving corps as a reason why Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf should pay their price, but the Pats can more credibly claim that they're willing to start the regular season with this group. They have depth, deep targets and young receivers with more