Bears veteran All-Pro safety Kevin Byard signed a one-year deal with the Patriots on Wednesday. (AP photo)

It was a busy New Year’s Day, NFL-wise, in Foxborough.

The New England Patriots were busy on the first day of the new NFL year, filling a few holes with free agent signings.

The biggest move was adding Bears All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on a one-year $9 million deal. He led the NFL with seven interceptions last year and has the most picks (32) of anyone since he came into the league in 2016.

Byard played for Patriots coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee from 2018-2023. He softens the blow of losing Jaylin Hawkins, who signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. They also added safety Mike Brown from the Titans on a one-year deal and released edge rusher Anfernee Jennings. Jennings barely made the team last year out of training camp but was a good depth piece this past season.

New England also got a No. 2 tight end in former Dolphin Julian Hill on a three-year deal. Hill played a season-high 55 percent of the snaps with the Dolphins and is seen as primarily a blocking tight end. The Patriots also signed another former Dolphin, linebacker K.J. Britt. Britt has started 16 of the 76 games he’s played in, a fifth round pick by Tampa in 2021.

As for another loss, Washington agreed to terms with edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson on a one-year contract worth $12 million with $10.3 million guaranteed, according to Athletes First, the agency that represents him. Nearly all of the Patriots unrestricted free agents signed elsewhere.

Several of the newly signed Patriots plus VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf are set to meet the media today at Gillette Stadium.

(Material from the Associated Press was also used in this report)