We’re running a mailbag on Fridays during the offseason. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or want gripe about past answers, email cmason@masslive.com or tweet @bychrismason. This week’s installment comes from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Now let’s get to this week’s questions!
Hey Chris! Are the Patriots going QB at No. 3? And your thoughts on Jerod Mayo’s recent backtrack on some of his earlier comments regarding spending? I think many fans would like to see more investment in talent — Jesse O.
Funny you should ask about No. 3! Karen Guregian, Mark Daniels and yours truly can report the Patriots are planning on taking a quarterback there and we’ve got some additional intel on how the depth chart might shake out: They’re also looking to sign a veteran and may sit the rookie until he’s ready.
So I think Mayo’s “burn some cash” backtrack is in line with that.
“You know, I kind of misspoke when I said ‘burn some cash’ but I was excited when you see those numbers,” Mayo told MassLive shortly after finishing a small group session with the local media. “But when you reflect on those numbers … you don’t have to spend all of it in one year.
“This is going to be a process,” he added. “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.”
The Patriots are taking a longer-term view to this rebuild. And honestly, they need to. The roster that Bill Belichick left in Foxborough is a mess and the Patriots are years away from real contention. Going bananas in free agency often leads to a one year bump before a significant regression. With a rookie quarterback who they’re taking things slow with, that approach makes little sense for 2024.
So I think Eliot Wolf will spend this month, but I don’t think it’ll be a kid-in-the-candy-store spree. The Patriots need to be pragmatic in their decisions, and that could impact the types of free agents they’re targeting as well. Maybe they roll the dice on more developmental targets in hopes that they’re ready to really contend in 2025.
Now, should they sign somebody like Calvin Ridley to help weaponize the offense?
Heck yes.
They need an infusion of talent, and though he’s 29, Ridley should have a little extra in the tank because he only played five games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. It’d be great to bring a top-tier wideout into the fold and good players expedite rebuilds, but given what’s ahead, I understand Mayo and company keeping an eye towards the future as well.
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Do you think Robert Kraft cares about the results of the NFLPA survey? He’s always so concerned with appearances and it seems like his appearance lately is mostly cheap — Matt K.
This one is really strange to me.
The Patriots players absolutely crushed the team in the NFLPA survey, with New England finishing 29th overall and getting an F- for the treatment of families. It’s a bad look for a franchise that’s supposed to be a blue blood.
Kraft is obviously image conscious, but the Patriots received poor marks on this survey last year and actually scored worse in almost every single category this time around. Only the training room was spared.
Maybe because this is the first time that Kraft himself his been graded things will be different — he received a D+ and finished 27th among owners — but actions speak louder than words. And if back-to-back duds are any indication, he doesn’t really care.
After the NFLPA rankings came out do you think Kraft told Mayo they would have to spend capital on facility upgrades, so he walked back the burning through cash idea? They should have put a family room/daycare set up in the lighthouse! — Miller
Ha! Well played, sir.
No, these two are things are totally unrelated, but the lighthouse suggestion is sound.
So the Broncos are in a precarious position with Russell Wilson’s cap hit. What if… the Patriots offered them a lifeline? The Patriots take Wilson, his salary situation, and a high draft pick. The Broncos in return take a low draft pick and maybe even one of the Patriots’ much smaller financial headaches. Just thinking of Brock Osweiler but in an even bigger scale — Chris C.
I like the creativity, but this one isn’t happening.
Trading Wilson before June 1 is actually significantly worse for Denver’s salary cap than cutting him — with a post-June 1 designation, which they’ll certainly utilize — so I think this situation is pretty cut-and-dried. The Broncos will release Wilson, eat what they have to from the cap hit, and move on.
Wilson to Denver really was an all-time terrible trade though, especially given the extension the Broncos signed him to.
Am I crazy or did Bengals backup QB Jake Browning look really, really good in replacing Joe Burrow? Would be thrilled sending Bailey Zappe and a fourth-rounder for him — Matt E.
You are not crazy — he filled in admirably — but I don’t think Browning is the right fit for where the Patriots are at. He’s a restricted free agent that the Bengals have tendered and I don’t think giving up an asset for him is the wisest decision.
New England needs an established veteran to keep the seat warm for whichever rookie they’re likely to take at No. 3 overall, so I’d go after a guy more like Jacoby Brissett, who is a good player, good locker room presence, and will understand when it’s time to pass the baton.
Chad Ryland had a rookie season to forget. Do the Patriots think he will improve, or are they going to draft another kicker this year? — Chris B.
I’d be stunned if Ryland didn’t have competition in training camp, be that from a draft pick or an external free agent. If Ryland gets a second season in Foxborough, he’s going to have to earn the gig this summer.
How consistently does NFL Combine success translate to on-field NFL production? — Darryn W.
Ask Tom Brady.
In all seriousness, there’s some value to it. For ages, drills like the three-cone helped Bill Belichick craft his roster. But others? Like linemen running the 40-yard dash in tee shirts? Those are just silly.
