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The New England Patriots entered the offseason with hefty expectations.
No one knew what to truly expect from them after Bill Belichick’s departure, as his military-like regime was finally over and someone else would be making the calls, most likely in consensus with other decision-makers.
Then, first-year coach Jerod Mayo stirred the pot a little more, stating that the team was ready to ‘burn some cash’ in free agency.
Needless to say, that quote didn’t age well, as the Patriots were rather modest in spending and looked to build through the NFL Draft instead.
With that in mind, Mayo finally admitted that he had made a ‘rookie mistake’ when he created all that buzz with that quote (via Around the NFL).
“That was a rookie mistake. That was a rookie mistake by me,” Mayo said Monday on WEEI, via the Boston Globe. “As soon as I got downstairs, [Patriots vice president of communications Stacey James] slapped me in the head, like, ‘What are you doing?’
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo: Burning cash comment was “a rookie mistake”https://t.co/SvH7trNciw pic.twitter.com/pRVO71tOlj
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) April 30, 2024
The Patriots did fulfill some of the expectations, though.
They added a potential franchise star in Drake Maye, and some were worried they could’ve been tempted to trade down and not get their quarterback of the future.
Of course, he’s not going to be thrown into the fire right away — or at least he shouldn’t — and it might take a year or two before the UNC product is actually ready to make an impact on the team.
Patience isn’t one of Robert Kraft’s biggest virtues, and he proved it by letting Belichick go after four terrible seasons, even despite being considered the greatest coach of all time.
But success wasn’t built overnight, so it’ll be interesting to see how much time he gives Mayo and this new regime of decision-makers before pulling the plug again.
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