Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
The New England Patriots look something like the Boston Patriots. Back when the team was synonymous with failure. Back before legendary coaches Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells. Back before owner Robert Kraft.
Everyone in New England is hoping this new era will feel nothing like those old eras. The Patriots are planning for a quick rebuild.
But the truth is that most rebuilds take years in the NFL. It’s possible the Patriots haven’t even hit rock bottom yet.
Coach Jerod Mayo has inherited a team with substantially less talent than the one Belichick inherited back in 2000. It seems Belichick didn’t do as good of a job stewarding the team for his successor as Pete Carroll and Parcells did.
But Mayo has made it clear that he recognizes the talent gap that exists. (How could he not? The Patriots were 4-13 last season.) He alluded to big offseason plans during a recent appearance on WEEI sports radio when Mayo was asked whether he had assurances from Kraft that the franchise would spend in free agency.
“We’re bringing in talent, 1,000 percent,” Mayo told WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “Have a lot of cap space, and cash. Ready to burn some cash.”
He was being playful when he said: “Ready to burn some cash.” You could hear it in his tone of voice. But he wasn’t kidding when he said the Patriots will bring in talent. And that’ll cost money, especially now that they’re not a team with a good reputation.
Lucky for the Patriots, they have money — roughly $70 million in cap space. (And it’s easy to see them getting to $14.3 million more in space by cutting cornerback J.C. Jackson.)
Under the previous regime, players often said they joined the Patriots for Tom Brady and/or Belichick. Now, they’ve got Mayo and … Mac Jones (or is it Bailey Zappe?), so it will be a tougher recruitment process. Unless they somehow sign Kirk Cousins, the top pending free agent, the Patriots’ quarterback situation…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/how-aggressively-will-patriots-rebuild-jerod-mayo-ready-to-burn-some-cash
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Publish date : 2024-02-22 16:16:57
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