Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots find themselves in unfamiliar territory.
Six games into the 2020 NFL season and the Patriots have a 2-4 record, matching their worst start through six games since 2000. They head into the Bills Stadium on Sunday to take on the Buffalo Bills, which currently lead the AFC East with a 5-2 record, hoping to stop a three-game slide after losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke candidly about the team’s situation in a recent radio interview, admitting that the team is playing more young players than in the past years. Part of the reason for this, he said, was due to the team’s salary cap and lack of financial flexibility, per Mark Reiss of ESPN.
“We're playing more young players than we've played in the past [for a] combination of reasons. We were pretty heavily invested in our team in the past few years. From a salary-cap standpoint, we didn't have much flexibility at all. I think that was obvious on the Cam Newton contract [one year, $1.05 million base salary].”
While it’s true that New England is relying more on young players this season, it’s hard to believe that it could be blamed on the NFL’s salary cap. Sports insider Andre Brandt even pointed out that the Patriots actually have the lowest payroll in the league.
Bill Belichick blaming the Salary Cap for his team's issues is a good one; not surprised he would say it, but surprised anyone would believe it.
They have the lowest payroll in the league by far, around $150 million (Cap is $200 million).— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) November 1, 2020
While it is unconvincing for Bill Belichick to blame the salary cap for the Patriots’ depth issues, he did point out other reasons for their struggles, such as the players who opted out of the season and injuries.
The opt-outs, in particular, have significantly contributed to the Patriots’ struggles. Just before the lineups were finalized ahead of the season, New England announced that eight of their players will skip this season, the most in the NFL, mainly due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. These players are tackle Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung, tight end Matt LaCosse, running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Dan Vitale, receiver Marqise Lee and guard Najee Toran.
Newton has also struggled in his return after testing positive for COVID-19 last month, and the Patriots had a 2-1 record before he left the team. A combination of several factors led to New England’s current predicament, but it’s unlikely that the salary cap is one of them.
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