While NFL free agency was ramping up, tabloid photos showed a shirtless New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick winding down on a beach in Barbados, girlfriend at his side.
An admiring coach from a rival team marveled at the juxtaposition.
"While Bill is strolling on the beach," this coach said, "his proteges are out there working with metal detectors looking for the shiniest specks that they can turn over for $18 million a year."
Indeed, that was the reported price the Detroit Lions, led by former Belichick underlings Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn, paid for free-agent Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers. That signing and the Patriots' inactivity in the unrestricted market will probably send a 2020 third-round compensatory pick to New England.
Meanwhile, the Patriots traded for defensive lineman Michael Bennett, who has been more productive than Flowers and will cost $7.2 million this coming season.
You already knew the Patriots were ahead of the game.
The following takeaways from the first day of free agency weren't so obvious. They come directly from conversations with more than a dozen team executives and other insiders discussing the hottest topics, including: the New York Giants' trade of Odell Beckham Jr., what people typically miss regarding Le'Veon Bell, and thoughts on what the Oakland Raiders' moves mean for Derek Carr.
Takeaway No. 1: The Giants aren't talking about drafting a quarterback, but they might be clearing a path for one
Evaluators have long credited the Patriots for accurately evaluating their own roster, a critical component of team building. That is where so many execs think the Giants went awry last year when they kept Eli Manning, drafted running back Saquon Barkley second overall, re-signed Odell Beckham Jr. and basically acted like a contender.
"Like most football guys, they overestimated themselves, which is why they extended Beckham, because they did not want him to be a distraction," an exec said. "Now they realize, 'S---, we were totally wrong. Now we do need a quarterback. Do we want to bring in a new quarterback and have Beckham screaming at him all the time to get him the damn ball?'"
From there, this exec theorized, the Giants traded Beckham to Cleveland, a team with an eager owner and a willing general manager.
"It lets the Giants convert Beckham into assets that will be more valuable with a young quarterback and let him develop the way he should, which is running the offense and not having to answer to one guy, and they made a decent deal," this exec said.
Reports surfaced Wednesday that the Giants would bring back Manning, and there were suggestions the team might not select a quarterback early in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, Beckham will still be paired with a young quarterback in the Browns' Baker Mayfield, who might just possess the swagger to withstand what awaits.
Takeaway No. 2: Le'Veon Bell lost money in the short term, but we have no idea whether he'll lose money longer term
My initial take on the Bell situation held that he won the battle to leave Pittsburgh while losing ground financially. The second point is difficult to argue against if we assume Bell lost a full season of his career by sitting out in 2018. But did he really lose a season?
"Look, what he did was ridiculous, in my opinion," an exec said, "but we do not know if he has lost any money. Let's say he signed the franchise tender last year, made the $14.5 million and then played three more seasons on a new deal. How is that different from playing four years starting right now?"
Is it fair to count one missed season as part of the mileage on Bell's body? We don't know how long he would have played or will now play.
"At the same time," this exec said, "he wanted to be a receiver/running back at $17-18 million a year or more, and that clearly did not happen. If you are not going to get any more money somewhere else, why would you forgo winning and become a pariah?"
Adam Schefter reports that Le'Veon Bell plans to sign with the Jets after holding out last season.
Takeaway No. 3: Sure, the Raiders could still unload Derek Carr, but they're also set up to evaluate him more fairly
Execs and evaluators voiced a range of opinions on the Raiders' moves to add receivers Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams, tackle Trent Brown and safety Lamarcus Joyner. The Trent Brown signing for $16.5 million a year drew the harshest criticism from some.
"I actually think they have done a good job," a longtime evaluator said. "The guys they signed fill top needs, and they were all good players last season. If you really look at the moves, they are giving the quarterback every chance to be good. Big tackles, two receivers, maybe they do a running back. It's like, 'OK, is Derek Carr our guy?' They will know a lot 10 months from now."
This evaluator predicted Trent Brown would play right tackle, where he would match up against Von Miller and Joey Bosa in the AFC West.
Takeaway No. 4: The Chiefs could be preparing to do something big. Will they make a move for a pass-rusher?
Cutting Justin Houston and trading Dee Ford subtracted two top pass-rushers from Kansas City while clearing millions in cap space and creating a big need for pass-rushing help. Could the Chiefs make a move for a top pass-rusher? DeMarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark and Jadeveon Clowney are pass-rushers on the franchise tag at the moment.
An exec walked me through a hypothetical trade he thought could make sense for both teams: Clark to the Chiefs for draft choices.
"I can see it because Seattle is in a quandary with Russell [Wilson] in the last year of his deal," this exec said. "You cannot tag Frank again next year. Are you going to tag him for one year, then let him walk and get a third-round comp pick a year later? Or do you just say, 'Screw it, we will get something good for him this year and save the cash.'"
Uttering the phrase "screw it" generally is not an ideal way to enter into an important decision, but if the Seahawks became convinced Clark planned to play out the franchise tag and force the team's hand, would a team like the Chiefs, with a relatively cheap quarterback on his rookie deal, meet the pass-rusher's contract demands?
Seattle, with no second-round choice in its possession at present, could land a couple of them from Kansas City, or possibly a package including the Chiefs' first-round pick.
"I think the Seahawks would probably want to sign Clark," the exec said, "but I could absolutely see him getting traded because with Russell's situation, they are staring at possibly having Clark for only one season."
At the combine, this same exec said he could envision Houston trading Clowney if a long-term deal became elusive.
Takeaway No. 5: Losing teams drive the market
Jacksonville, Detroit, the New York Jets, Green Bay and Oakland accounted for the five largest contracts through the early stages of free agency, as measured by annual average. All five teams had losing records last season. That is no coincidence. The deals:
Jacksonville: Nick Foles ($22 million)
Detroit: Trey Flowers ($18 million)
N.Y. Jets: C.J. Mosley ($17 million)
Green Bay: Za'Darius Smith ($16.5 million)
Oakland: Trent Brown ($16.5 million)
"The teams spending the crazy money are all the teams that didn't win and so they are looking for the fix," a former GM said.
Execs marveled over inside linebackers and safeties commanding salaries that would suggest teams think those are premium positions.
"What happens to a team like the Jets this year is, C.J. Mosley is a really good player, but no one on earth should be paying an inside linebacker," an exec said. "Yet, would I rather have C.J. Mosley or Dee Ford? I'd rather have Mosley, but then you wind up building your team based on what free agency has to offer, not based on how you should build a team. The market dictates your team because you've lost for a while, you need a splash, the coaches need to win. How some teams base decisions is all based on how people perceive them to be."
OK then, but why $17 million for Mosley?
"Perfect storm," another exec said. "One is the Landon Collins deal, which was unbelievable for the player based on how a lot of people viewed him as a box safety. If you are the Jets and a box safety got $14 million a year and $45 million guaranteed, why can't you get a linebacker who you believe to be of high character, good leadership and all that for a little bit more?"
Or a lot more.
"What we are seeing is, if you suck and you think the guy is an outstanding player, you pay whatever it takes," a cap manager said. "If you have money, why fight to [sign] Mosley at $13 million when you might lose him, if getting him at $17 million, in your mind, gets you a great player? That is the thinking of these teams."
Process matters over the long term. Then again, who cares about the long term if you're under intense pressure to win right now?
Takeaway No. 6: The salary cap remains overrated as a driver of team behavior
The salary cap was a huge factor back before teams figured out how to manipulate it, and before rules allowed teams to roll over unused space into the future. It's a minor inconvenience now, a point driven home when the Steelers, a team with relatively little cap flexibility at the time, traded Brown even though the receiver's contract would continue to count more than $20 million against the 2019 cap.
As a team salary-cap manager said in January for a Feb. 20 piece on Brown's future: "If they decide to keep him, it will not be because of the cap consequences. It will be because they do not want to give up on a player that is this good and still productive."
Takeaway No. 7: The fully guaranteed portion of Earl Thomas' contract with the Baltimore Ravens could make up for the deal's annual average, which fell just short of the $14 million mark that Collins and Tyrann Mathieu hit.
Teams won't get access to official contract information for new deals until Thursday and Friday in many cases. When they do, contract negotiators will investigate the reported $32 million in fully guaranteed money within Thomas' four-year, $55 million deal. They will specifically look to see whether any of that guarantee carries into the third year, a rare milestone, especially for a safety.
"Earl Thomas could have some guaranteed money in the third year the way Darrelle Revis did years ago," a contract negotiator said. "I am guessing his [guarantees] are all in the first two years, but his guarantee at signing was so high, I never would have considered that reasonable for a safety until this week."
Thomas' deal runs four years, but in most cases, teams need to get two years and hope to get three from a newly signed veteran player, no matter the length of the contract (quarterbacks excluded).
Takeaway No. 8: Buffalo's new receivers drew one small complaint
John Brown will ideally give the Bills a deep threat to maximize quarterback Josh Allen's arm down the field, but he is also rather slight at 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds. The other receiver Buffalo signed, Cole Beasley, goes 5-foot-8 and 180.
"It's interesting to me because they have this quarterback who is a deep-ball thrower and not very accurate, and their plan is to put John Brown and Cole Beasley into the offense," an exec said. "Will Josh Allen be able to accurately throw to these small receivers? I think the answer is going to be no, but that will be interesting to watch."