ORLANDO — The Patriots are in a situation they haven't been in eons — picking in the top three after a disastrous 4-13 season that spelled the end of Bill Belichick's long and mostly glorious run in New England. But after promising they would burn some cash this offseason, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo walked that back Monday, preaching patience to the fan base. If only the long-time owner followed suit.
Speaking to us from the NFL league meetings Tuesday, Robert Kraft, called an eternal optimist by those around him, was at it again.
"Well, my hope and expectation is to make the playoffs."
To say that raised a few eyebrows from the gathered media would be an understatement. Kraft meandered through the rest of the answer, expressing some doubt of his lofty goal based on the youth that will be on the roster and not yet seeing all the pieces together on the field, but then found his way back to the power of positivity.
"After my family, the most important thing in my life is to win football games with the Patriots and try to do whatever I can — in the background —t o make that happen. So I say that to our fans and hope, hope — I believe we're going in the right direction."
Perhaps. As Kraft would later note, the organization did its best to identify and keep players they've drafted and developed, something that was severely lacking for the last half of Belichicks' tenure. But a segment of the fan base is scratching their heads at that comment — at least to a certain degree — wondering why a team with oodles of salary cap space has spent very little of it, especially on outside free agents.
"If you want to win consistently, you have to draft well and then get those players on the second contract," he said. "And we started to do that this year. We pursued the people we wanted in free agency; there was one outstanding receiver (Calvin Ridley) that, unfortunately, we couldn't close. It was not because of finance. He made clear his girlfriend wanted to be in the South. We had a situation where the taxes were almost 10% higher, and we offered or were willing to keep going to add that premium, but he didn't want to be in the Northeast. And part of that might be the quarterback situation as well."
Oh, you mean the Pats have a "situation" at quarterback? After watching first-rounder Mac Jones flounder, the team moved on, inking a prototypical bridge signal caller in Jacoby Brissett but with an eye on the draft. It's generally believed — correctly, in my opinion — that selecting a quarterback this high in round one is not just a GM/head coach decision but an ownership one as well. After living through Cam Newton in 2020 and then Mac's mess, Kraft made clear he'd like one sooner rather than later.
"You know, as a fan - I put my fan hat on - and I definitely would. In the end, you can't win in this league consistently unless you have a first-rate quarterback and a first-rate coach," Kraft said. "On the other hand, you're in a different position. We've never been in the third draft position since we've owned the team, and what happens is a lot of people behind that are really desperate to move up, and so we're gonna be open to whatever can come our way, but in the end, I let the team make the decision what they think is best. One way or another. I'd like to see us get a top-rate young quarterback."
The Pats have that opportunity at No. 3 but could maneuver the board and still end up with one of the quarterbacks considered the second-tier of this class (looking at you, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix). In this case, Kraft repeated Mayo's theme that that top pick could be had - if the price is right. That is, if his "fan" hat doesn't move front and center when a decision has to be made. Still, it's clear the owner also wants a new, fresh face in that room, with the hope that he can be the franchise — a burden too heavy for Mac and, in the end, Belichick as well (about those coaching decisions, Bill...).
Whoever that player is, they will come into a situation that his peers don't think highly of. The NFLPA player's survey was unkind to the franchise, and when I asked Kraft if things were being done to rectify that situation, his answer surprised me.
"I must tell you I was unaware of how bad that was," said Kraft. "We had a plan, and we put in place were committing a whole new facility adjacent to ours that has been discussed with the young leadership team. A building that will be in excess of $50 million that will have the most modern facilities, and look, we have to correct anything. I was not aware, even of this daycare issue. That's something that's fixable, and we want to do it. And look, the players are the heart and soul of the business. So I'd be very surprised if that didn't improve."
The problem is that the PA survey was terrible two years ago and worsened this past season. Why these efforts weren't ramped up to correct some of what ailed the Pats after round one shows a disconnect between ownership and the so-called heart and soul of the business. As the organization tries to navigate this new world, one minus the defining coach of this - and maybe any other - generation, they are showing they may be as out of touch as Belichick was at the end, which is concerning as this rebuild begins in earnest.