Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
The New England Patriots appear to be mostly sitting on their hands in NFL free agency.
They seemed like the most-eligible bachelor for the league’s top free agents, at least in a fiscal sense. New England had more than $100 million to spend, the most in the NFL. And yet the team’s biggest moves (so far) have been tagging Kyle Dugger and re-signing guard Michael Onwenu, tight end Hunter Henry and edge Josh Uche.
New England is doing what it can to hold onto its core of talented players. And on the one hand, those are four excellent players for the Patriots to retain. On the other hand, they went 3-14 in 2023 and they haven’t gotten tangibly better during 2024 free agency. Beyond those four players, New England also re-signed linebacker Anfernee Jennings and receiver Kendrick Bourne.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these moves. The issue is the lack of any major supporting moves to bring in new talent.
It was foolish to expect the Patriots to “burn some cash,” as new head coach Jerod Mayo joked about in mid-February and later walked back. But the Patriots made sense for several younger free agents, who could have provided value in longer-term deals to push New England into an accelerated rebuild.
So far? It has been an unimpressive haul.
QB Jacoby Brissett
WR K.J. Osborn
TE Austin Hooper
OT Chukwuma Okorafor
RB Antonio Gibson
DT Armon Watts
LB Sione Takitaki
OL Nick Leverett
The biggest headline the Patriots made was in their failed attempt to pursue receiver Calvin Ridley, who landed with the Tennessee Titans on a four-year, $92 million deal. Maybe the Titans’ contract with Ridley was an overpay for a receiver who is 29 years old (nearing the age when wideouts tend to decline). But maybe it was a missed opportunity for the Patriots, who so badly needed (and still needs) help at receiver to support their next starting quarterback, presumably the rookie they pick at No. 3…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/why-havent-cap-rich-patriots-splashed-with-free-agent-additions
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Publish date : 2024-03-18 18:38:53
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