Patriots plan to ‘weaponize’ their offense this offseason

New England has the second-most projected cap space this offseason.

The New England Patriots’ new regime has plenty of work to do to get the team back into contention. It’s what prompted new head coach Jerod Mayo to proclaim the team is “ready to burn some cash” in order to acquire talent in free agency.

At the NFL Combine on Tuesday, the man in charge of said cash, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, isn’t ready to just light a flame. He will join Mayo in his aggressive pursuit, though.

“We’re going to aggressively try to help the team,” Wolf said. “Take that however you want it, but we will try to do what’s right; whether that means spending or saving, TBD.”

The Patriots are projected to enter the offseason with over $87 million in cap space, according to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan. That number can climb over $100 million after the expected released of cornerback J.C. Jackson.

Wolf said New England’s front office — which includes director of player personnel Matt Groh and new senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith — will emphasize several key traits when deciding how to spend their available resources.

“I think the main thing is just getting players that fit our culture, getting players that want to do right, want to do the extra [work],” he explained. “But in terms of just physical skills, we need to weaponize the offense. We need to be faster and more explosive on defense,” Wolf said. “Height, weight, speed, playmaking ability, there will definitely be an emphasis on those things.”

After a 4-13 season in which the Patriots missed the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons, New England knows they may not be a top free agent destination anymore — especially with Tom Brady or Bill Belichick no longer in the organization.

Wolf, however, believes the new program and culture being installed under Mayo will be a key selling point to free agents.

“This is a new program, and we’re heading in the right direction. It’s a new era,” Wolf said. “We have leadership with Jerod Mayo, that is going to be tremendous. He’s just an unbelievable leader and developer of people. And I think that as we move forward with the new offense and defense, it’s going to be pretty special and exciting here.”