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The New England Patriots ensured they'll have Cam Newton back in 2021 by re-signing the quarterback to a one-year deal ahead of free agency. Now, they've ensured he'll have at least one more offensive weapon in his second season in Foxborough. As ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported, the Patriots have agreed to terms on a four-year, $50 million deal with former Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith, arguably the top player at his position on the open market.

Sorely lacking pass catchers throughout 2020, the Pats were expected to explore upgrades at wide receiver and tight end this offseason. They've done just that by locking up Smith, who becomes the third highest-paid tight end in the NFL at $12.5 million per season, behind only the Chiefs' Travis Kelce and 49ers' George Kittle. The Titans were not expected to retain either Smith or wide receiver Corey Davis in free agency because of contract demands, and the former is set to move to New England through 2024.

The 25-year-old Smith, a third-round draft pick of the Titans in 2017, has never posted gaudy numbers as a pass catcher, but he's flashed No. 1 abilities as a steady starter for Tennessee, especially during the club's improved offensive run the past two years. After registering just 415 receiving yards in his first two NFL seasons, Smith emerged in 2019 with 35 catches for 439 yards, then caught a career-high seven touchdowns in 2020. The FIU product missed four games in his contract year but still posted 358 receiving yards and started at least 11 games for the fourth time in his career.

In New England, Smith figures to immediately take over as the Patriots' top tight end, if not one of Newton's top pass targets.

SportsLine's Stephen Oh projects that Smith's addition by itself raises New England's chances of a 2021 playoff appearance by nearly 3 percent, boosting the club's simulated win total from 7.4 to 7.6.

"The Patriots basically had no one at TE last season, so adding Jonnu Smith does make a meaningful difference," Oh says. "The +0.2 wins is actually a large amount for a non-QB. If an MLB player made a +2 win impact that would be very significant."

Fantasy-wise, Smith also figures to catapult up the board in 2021.

"Right now, Smith's main competition for targets in New England are Julian Edelman -- a soon-to-be 35-year-old who is still recovering from October knee surgery -- and James White, a running back," writes CBS Sports' Chris Towers. "In my first run through the projections for the Patriots, I gave Smith a team-high 20% target share, leading to a 62-catch, 732-yard, seven-touchdown season. That is enough to move him up to the No. 6 spot in my tight end rankings, and it admittedly could be too low. This move puts Smith in that third tier at tight end -- Kelce, Kittle, and Waller are the first tier, and Mark Andrews currently represents something of a one-man tier after them -- and he'll likely stay there."