The New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints have been the smartest spenders in the NFL over the past five seasons, according to a study by Bloomberg.

Bloomberg calculates how much teams spent per win and added bonuses for playoffs wins and championships.

1. New England Patriots
2. Green Bay Packers
3. New York Giants
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Indianapolis Colts
8. San Diego Chargers
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Arizona Cardinals
12. Tennessee Titans 
13. New York Jets
14. Dallas Cowboys
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Chicago Bears
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. San Francisco 49ers
19. Houston Texans
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Denver Broncos
22. Cincinnati Bengals
23. Seattle Seahawks
24. Carolina Panthers
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Miami Dolphins
27. Buffalo Bills
28. Cleveland Browns
29. Washington Redskins
30. Oakland Raiders
31. Detroit Lions
32. St. Louis Rams 

The Patriots surprisingly cut Deion Branch and Brian Hoyer on Friday, according to sources.

Dan Koppen will also be let go.

Branch, 33, spent parts of six seasons with the Patriots, registering 312 receptions for 4,152 yards and 24 touchdowns. He re-signed in March after catching 51 passes for 702 yards and five touchdowns last season.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft might be biased, but he believes that Tom Brady is better than Joe Montana was during his playing days.

"I think that Tommy, with all due respect, is better than Joe Montana," said Kraft. "I know that's a leap, but I really think he might already be the best of all time. I watch how involved he is, how driven he is. He's like (Bill) Belichick, he's into the details. And he's got a skill that makes him so special, he can process all of it so quickly. ... And then, he's just got that quality. Certain people have that sincerity. He's a very genuine guy. People can relate to him. People can trust him."

Kraft admitted that he isn't unbiased.

"He's like a fifth son to me. He's special," he said.

The Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens have the three oldest collections of starters in the NFL. 

The Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals are the youngest.

Former Vikings head coach Bud Grant had a popular saying that "for every young guy you start, you lose a game."

Pete Carroll worked for Grant early in his coaching career, but has had one of the youngest teams in the NFL during his tenure with the Seahawks.

"I was of that mindset in classic fashion until I had to be in charge of calling all the shots and then it just flipped in me that we don't know where we're going unless we find these guys out," Carroll said. "One of the really exciting things about playing guys early is ... by the middle and to the end of the season, you’ve developed players that fit into your rotations now that add to your depth and also add to the opportunity to not over-play your older guys." 

Below is a full list with the rank in offense/defense in parenthesis.

1. Atlanta Falcons (2/5)
2. San Diego Chargers (7/3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (1/15)
4. Chicago Bears (11/4)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (25/1)
6. New York Jets (23/2)
7. New York Giants (9/2)
8. Detroit Lions (3/20)
9. New Orleans Saints (6/13)
10. San Francisco 49ers (8/8)
11. Denver Broncos (14/7)
12. Houston Texans (4/23)
13. Oakland Raiders (13/11)
14. Buffalo Bills (12/17)
15. Arizona Cardinals (16/14)
16. Washington Redskins (21/9)
17. Dallas Cowboys (18/16)
18. New England Patriots (5/28)
19. Green Bay Packers (17/21)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (24/19)
21. Miami Dolphins (26/18)
22. Carolina Panthers (15/26)
23. Indianapolis Colts (28/10)
24. Philadelphia Eagles (19/25)
25. Tennessee Titans (10/31)
26. Minnesota Vikings (30/12)
27. St. Louis Rams (22/27)
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20/30)
29. Cleveland Browns (31/24)
30. Cincinnati Bengals (32/22)
31. Seattle Seahawks (29/29)
32. Kansas City Chiefs (27/32) 

Victor Cruz has been named the NFL's best-dressed player by Esquire.

Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Tom Brady (Packers), Clay Matthews (Packers), Robert Griffin III (Redskins), Reggie Bush (Dolphins), Tim Tebow (Jets), Alex Smith (49ers), Kerry Rhodes (Cardinals), Nnamadi Asomugha (Eagles), Calvin Johnson (Lions), Cam Newton (Panthers), Eli Manning (Giants), Braylon Edwards (Seahawks) and DeMarco Murray (Cowboys).

The Patriots may buck tradition by playing their starters considerable minutes in their preseason finale against the Giants.

Bill Belichick played his starters a lot in the final exhibition of last season after they struggled offensively in the first three.

New England's offense has quietly been out of sync of late, especially on the line.

Aaron Hernandez will be in a Patriots uniform through the 2018 season after agreeing to a five-year, $40 million extension with the franchise that drafted him.

Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski form one of the best tight end combinations in NFL history.

Hernandez will receive a $12.5 million signing bonus, bringing guaranteed money in the deal to $16.4 million.

"He changed my life," Hernandez said of owner Robert Kraft. "[The contract shows] he trusts me to make me the right decision [and it] means a lot."

As for Bill Belichick, Hernandez was again effusive in his praise. 

"You get changed by the Bill Belichick way, you get changed by the Patriot Way." Hernandez said.

The Patriots have released Jabar Gaffney.

Gaffney was a member of the Patriots from 2006 until 2008, and signed a contract with the team in May after stints with the Broncos and Redskins.

New England also released Donte' Stallworth.

The Patriots informed veteran Donte' Stallworth Monday that he will be released.

New England signed Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps to help with the return game last week. The Patriots were also crowded a bit at wide receiver.

The Boston Globe reported that defensive lineman Gerard Warren, safety Josh Barrett and safety Ross Ventrone were also informed of their release.

The Patriots have reached an agreement with Aaron Hernandez on a long-term contract, according to a source.

A fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2010, the tight end has two years remaining on his four-year, $2.785 million rookie contract. The deal is reportedly for five years and will have an annual average of $7.5 million.

New England's Rob Gronkowski, also a Pro Bowler in 2011, signed a six-year, $54 million contract extension in June.