Patriots

“It’s like Kraft can’t live in a world where he is looked at as the problem.”

The Patriots’ 2024 offseason hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.

Even though New England’s efforts to revitalize a roster that went 4-13 last season won’t be fully realized until the 2024 NFL Draft wraps, the Patriots had several avenues to bolster their team this spring via free agency or trades. 

But even with New England entering free agency with more than $100 million in cap space, the Patriots spent a hefty chunk of that capital re-signing their own players, rather than bolstering the team with new talent.

After pledging to “burn some cash” during a radio spot on WEEI in January, Jerod Mayo backtracked from those claims just a month later. 

New England has signed a few playmakers like running back Antonio Gibson, quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and wide receiver K.J. Osborn, but the team has not added a No. 1 target on the open market — even with all of their spending power.

The Patriots pushed hard to sign No. 1 wideout Calvin Ridley, but the former Jaguars receiver opted to sign a four-year, $92 million deal with the Titans on March 13.

Even with familiar faces like Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and Kyle Dugger back in Foxborough, the case can be made that the 2024 Patriots have not significantly improved from the roster that floundered at the bottom of the AFC this past fall.

Such a sentiment seems to be shared by several executives across the NFL when it comes to Robert Kraft and his handling of New England’s offseason so far. In a piece from The Athletic’s Mike Sando, two execs blasted Kraft for the Patriots’ sluggish approach over the last month.

In particular, Kraft’s explanation for why Ridley turned down an offer from the Patriots drew the ire of those execs.

“We pursued the people we wanted in free agency. There was one outstanding receiver that unfortunately we couldn’t close. It was not a because of finance,” Kraft said last month of New England’s failed pursuit of Ridley. “He made clear that his girlfriend wanted to be in the south, and we had a situation where the taxes were like almost 10-percent higher. We offered—or were willing—to keep going to add that premium, but he didn’t want to be in the northeast. Part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”

“Kraft mentions the (state income) taxes, the quarterback, the player’s girlfriend and then he mentioned the money,” one exec told The Athletic. “The reality is, if the dollar net taxes was higher in New England than in Tennessee, they would have gotten the player. It’s like Kraft can’t live in a world where he is looked at as the problem.”

Another exec found Mayo’s comments about wanting to spend heavily this offseason — along with de-facto GM Eliot Wolf’s plan to “weaponize” New England offense — troubling, considering New England’s inactive approach once free agency actually began. 

“So you have the two highest appointed people in the organization saying they are going to spend and they are going to prioritize speed, and then they do neither. What the hell?” the second exec told Sando. 

New England could still make major strides this spring by adding a few impact players during the draft. But so far, some of this criticism about the Patriots’ inability to reel in talent holds some validity.