For all of the "cheating" the patriots have done over the years, the thing they have benefitted most from is perfectly legal. Brady was the 15th highest paid qb in 2017. This allows NE to sign free agents to contracts that other teams can't match because of salary cap and having big bucks invested in their quarterbacks. While perfectly legal, not having huge $ tied up in their franchise quarterback has given NE a big advantage in free agency.