Here’s a question for all of you New England Patriots fans who are understandably distressed with the team’s perceived sluggish approach to NFL agency:

Say quarterback Mac Jones didn’t have as decent a 2021 season. How would you have reacted had the Patriots traded for Deshaun Watson?

Safe to say there would have been two reactions: the die-hard Patriot fans would be applauding the move, casually dismissing Watson’s legal issues. And another faction would be vehemently protesting the deal, and also for the amending the contract to a huge $230 million dollar deal for a player who is facing 22 civil lawsuits for alleged sexual misconduct.

The NFL has yet again another image problem, and it will be interesting to see how it deals with it. The Browns will forever be known as the team that felt the Watson legal issue wasn’t big enough, perhaps through their own investigating, to prevent them from making their deal. The tipping point must have been the 4,823 yards and 33 TDs with just seven INTs two years ago before Watson became radioactive. You think?

In the case of Watson, we probably don’t know what we don’t know – especially why he wasn’t indicted — but that number of 22 accusers really stands out, doesn’t it?

There have been many written pieces of outrage. Cleveland Rape Crisis Center issued a public statement after Friday’s deal, saying “To the community we say, we see you. We hear your outrage. We feel it too.”

Not good. The Browns are obviously expecting an NFL suspension because Watson’s first-year salary is just $1 million, safeguarding the rest of the contract. They likely got some indication from the NFL as to what the league is leaning toward once it completes its own snail-paced investigation.

It’s just a shame. Things are really off-kilter these days. So many media were, in this view, discussing Watson during the last year as if what he had been accused of didn’t or doesn’t matter, except to slow up a trade. Just like the teams that tried to trade for him have. A team like Atlanta was ready to dump a QB, Matt Ryan, who gave them several years and was by all accounts a pillar of the community. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, as much of an odd duck as he can be, played all of last year with his non-throwing shoulder held together by duck tape. Thanks Baker, but…

Thank goodness Jones worked out for the Patriots; you’d have to wonder what might have happened otherwise.

Now, about the Patriots’ real problems: It’s back to doing business in the bargain basement, which is driving fans nuts. The general feeling is that worked when you had the greatest quarterback of all-time named Brady, players would even take less to come here. Not now.

But, there was no way, as we told you, that they were going to spend much after last year’s record free agent splurge. That, more than anything else, is why the Patriots are shopping in the discount/return aisle this March.

In the secondary, Rasul Douglas might have been an attractive option. He re-signed with the Packers for a reported three years, $21 million. Surely New England could have afford that for a corner who had five interceptions in 12 games after being an early season pickup this past season. They obviously felt last year’s top corner, J.C. Jackson, wasn’t worth the $40 million guaranteed he got from the L.A. Chargers, and we can’t really disagree with that. Still, supply and demand you would have thought would have come into play.

The Patriots offensive line will need re-tooling. They dealt away Shaq Mason, feeling they can replace him with Michael Onwenu. They’re gambling on Trent Brown not signing with Seattle.

Receiver? They need receivers who can make yards after the catch, and can probably get one in any early draft round, but not likely the first (please, not again) round. But Buffalo just released Cole Beasely, and the Patriots should go after him.

But meanwhile, thank goodness they weren’t in position to be possibly ever so tempted to go after a quarterback named Watson.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.