Patriots have taken care of their own, but done little else in free agency

Free agency began well for the New England Patriots as they took care of re-signing their own important free agents like offensive tackle/guard Michael Onwenu and tight end Hunter Henry. Things went downhill from there, though.

Patriots’ fans were sold a bag of goods that they were going to spend money, and lots of it, this offseason. New head coach Jerod Mayo was quoted in his first radio appearance on Boston sports radio WEEI, saying:

"We're bringing in talent, 1,000 percent. We have a lot of cap space and cash. We're ready to burn some cash!"

Owner Robert Kraft also had this to say when asked if it was former coach and GM, Bill Belichick, was the cheap one of the two: 

“Money spending [for the Patriots] will never be the issue, I promise you, or I’ll sell the team."

No team in the NFL was further under the salary cap than the Patriots entering free agency. The Patriots had over $100 million to play with. The week ended with the Patriots still being $58 million under the cap, but the shelves are bare.

The Patriots absolutely needed to re-sign Michael Onwenu. They actually got him at a good price – slightly below what they would have had to pay him if they franchised him. The Patriots needed to fortify their line, especially at tackle. Re-signing Onwenu meant the Patriots only needed to address one tackle position instead of two.

But the Patriots didn’t address the left tackle position. This was the biggest mistake the Patriots and new, de facto, GM Eliot Wolf made all week. Former Bengals’ offensive tackle Jonah Williams signed with the Arizona Cardinals for a modest 2-year, $30 million contract. Williams should have been New England’s top free agent target and it has been their biggest misstep.

Don’t get me wrong – Williams is not the second coming of Bruce Armstrong. But he is a legit starting tackle who has experience at both tackle spots, both in college and in the pros. He could easily slide into the starting left tackle spot, allowing the Patriots a lot more flexibility in the draft to go after some high end talent at the skill positions.

No offense to Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, or Taliese Fuaga, but the Patriots’ fan base won’t get worked up over a 320-pound offensive lineman. Patriots’ fans want the next Ja’Marr Chase or Pat Mahomes, not the next Nate Solder or Jason Kelce. It is just sexier to get a wide receiver or quarterback– no offense to Kelce’s shirtless romp in the sky box with Taylor Swift et al during brother Travis' playoff run.

If the Patriots could have shored up their offensive line via free agency, they could draft Drake Maye with their third overall pick, as everyone expects, and pair him up with a future WR1 with the second pick – someone like Keon Coleman or Xavier Legette, or maybe even trade up a little bit for a more sure thing like Brian Thomas Jr. The Patriots could even double dip and get a difference maker wide receiver in the third round as this is an incredibly deep wide receiver field. How does that sound? Would that get you excited for next year? I would be.

There was a lot of talk this week about Calvin Ridley. The free agent wide receiver was regarded as the top free agent wide receiver. The Patriots need a wide receiver. Makes sense, right? I have no problem with the Patriots passing on Ridley. Actually, they didn’t pass on Ridley. It sounds like Ridley passed on them. Reports are that the Patriots made a competitive offer for Ridley – offering somewhere in the area of $22 million per year. Ultimately, Ridley chose to join the 2-15 Carolina Panthers.

Which leads me to probably the top story to come out of this free agency period so far. Nobody wants to come and play in New England. Maybe that is why the Patriots only had luck re-signing their own players or players who had connections with Eliot Wolf in Cleveland. When Tom Brady was here and the Patriots were winning Super Bowls, players wanted to play for the Patriots. It was almost as if players would pay the Patriots to play for them. Almost.

Now the Patriots aren’t winning Super Bowls. They don’t have a quarterback. They have a new rookie coach (which, on second thought, may actually be a better draw). They operate in a state with some of the highest income taxes that target millionaires. It snows and is windy and cold in December in New England. There is not much to do in Foxboro in the winter (or anytime of the year, for that matter).

Calvin Ridley wanted no part of coming to New England. For most of the week, it sounded like Ridley only had two choices – New England or Jacksonville. Jacksonville had signed a couple of free agent wide receivers earlier in the week so I’m sure the Jaguars weren’t offering much, if anything, for Ridley to come back. If it were 2014, I’m sure Ridley would have jumped at the chance to play for the Patriots. But this is 2024, and Ridley waited for another suitor and was ecstatic when the phone rang and Carolina was on the other end. Carolina!

That’s fine. I don’t want anyone playing here who doesn’t want to play here. Look no further than Trent Brown to see how a single disgruntled player can ruin a team’s chemistry, especially a team that may lose a lot.

There were a trio of trades this week that bothered me much more, though. Quarterback Justin Fields and wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Keenan Allen were all moved for late round picks.

Justin Fields was traded to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round pick. Sixth round!!! I wrote an article a week ago with my ideal plan of trading a third-round pick to Chicago for Fields, then trading down, accumulating some more draft picks, forego a quarterback, then draft one of those top offensive tackles, and scoop up some of those talented young wide receivers.

Fields has experience playing in cold weather in Chicago. As opposed to Mac Jones, his play improved in the second half of last season. The Patriots haven’t had someone with Fields’ mobility since the days of Doug Flutie and Steve Grogan. If nothing else, it would have been exciting to watch. It would have been more exciting than watching Jacoby Brissette start eight or ten games.

I got excited when I heard the Chargers were shopping Keenan Allen. Sure, Allen is 31 years old and may be considering retirement soon. But the stud wideout still had 108 receptions for 1,243 yards last season. I’m not sure if you could find three Patriots’ receivers that, combined, could have matched those numbers. I do know the Patriots didn’t have a receiver who produced a single 100-yard game last season. I bet Allen could produce at least one next year.

I’ve heard the argument that what is the point in trading for Keenan Allen. “To what end” is a question I heard a lot. Is it too much to ask to be entertained this year? Just because the team stunk last year, does that mean we need to be subjected to another dull season again? The answer is no. Fans should be able to have it both ways – rebuild while being entertaining.