New England is sticking to the game plan its leadership spoke about leading up to free agency.
When Jerod Mayo was introduced as the New England Patriots’ head coach in January, he immediately raised some eyebrows. In a sit-down with WEEI following the introductory presser, he was asked about the team’s vast offseason resources and how they would factor in the organization’s upcoming rebuild.
Mayo, without hesitation, claimed that his team would be “ready to burn some cash.” As he later clarified, however, that was never the Patriots’ real offseason goal.
“I kind of misspoke when I said ‘burn some cash,’ but I was excited when you see those numbers,” Mayo clarified in an interview with MassLive in February. “When you reflect on those numbers … you don’t have to spend all of it in one year.”
The Patriots at one point leading up to free agency had more than $100 million in salary cap space at their disposal, the highest number in the league and one that would seemingly make them competitive in every possible bidding war. But while that potency remained intact heading into the actual legal tampering period, New England actually was aiming for a more measured approach.
“This is going to be a process,” Mayo said last month. “So, I don’t want people to think, ‘You got 60 million dollars, 70 million, whatever, so let’s get this guy, that guy, that guy.’ It may work for a couple games, or maybe a season, but it won’t work long term.”
Instead of throwing cash around, something the team did with inconsistent success the last time it was in a position like this in 2021, the Patriots aimed to focus on retaining internal talent. Eliot Wolf said some himself during the Scouting Combine.
“I think it’s really important in today’s football to be able to play young players and develop from within,” New England’s director of scouting and de facto general manager said.
The two main targets in that regard were safety Kyle Dugger and offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, two members of the Patriots’ 2020 draft class entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in their respective careers. Wolf said in Indianapolis that the team wanted to keep both of them around, and that is exactly what happened.
First, the Patriots used the $13.82 million transition tag to keep Dugger under contract for 2024 while hoping to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. Then, shortly after the NFL’s legal tampering window opened on Monday, New England re-signed Onwenu via a three-year, $57 million contract extension.
If cash was being burned, the ashes were flying directly to players that had already been with the team. Dugger and Onwenu lead the charge that also includes the likes of fellow re-signees Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, and Jalen Reagor.
The early outside signings, meanwhile, lack any high-profile names.
Jacoby Brissett is a former Patriots third-round draft pick who found success as a journeyman quarterback over the last few years; he will serve as a mentor to a likely draft pick and possible bridge starter in 2024. Antonio Gibson is a versatile running back who could help fill the receiving role at the position. Sione Takitaki is an off-the-ball linebacker with plenty of special teams experience as well.
Together, the combined reported value of their contracts stands at $25.8 million over the total duration of those deals. Brissett, Gibson and Takitaki can best be classified as “role players” and are being compensated as such.
That does not mean the Patriots will not make a splash still. They are rumored to still have an eye on Jacksonville Jaguars free agent Calvin Ridley, possibly the top wide receiver still on the market. Other moves will follow as well.
Money will be spent. Whether it will be burnt, is up to debate.
For now, however, the Patriots are doing exactly what they set out to do.
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