After a disappointing campaign in 2020, the New England Patriots immediately went to work this offseason. They hauled in a handful of free agents who are expected to contribute right away in their campaign next season. Patriots team owner Robert Kraft explained why the franchise opted to go big in free agency after years of not playing that game.
Via Peter King's Football Morning in America:
“We had the second or third-most cap room at the start of free agency,” owner Robert Kraft told me Friday. (It was third, at $69 million.) “This year, instead of having 10 or 12 teams competing for most of the top players, there were only two or three. And in my 27 years as owner, I’ve never had to come up with so much capital before.”
Despite securing some of the market's biggest names, Kraft knows that the acquisitions the Patriots made are still a risk. He even compared these moves to playing the stock market:
“It’s like investing in the stock market,” Kraft said. “You take advantage of corrections and inefficiencies in the market when you can, and that’s what we did here. We’ll see. Nothing is guaranteed, and I’m very cognizant of that. But we’re not in the business to be in business. We’re in this business to win.”
Kraft also acknowledged a change in the Patriots' tactics from past years:
“We’ll see,” Kraft said with some caution. “I do remember we always made fun of the teams that spent a lot in the offseason. So we know nothing is guaranteed, and I’m very cognizant of that.”
The Patriots landed the services of tight end Hunter Henry, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, tight end Jonnu Smith, pass-catcher Kendrick Bourne, and center David Andrews. On the other end of the field, safety Jalen Mills, linebacker Matthew Judon, and a returning veteran in Kyle Van Noy will also aim to make an impact for New England.
It remains to be seen if the team will continue to engage in deals for the remainder of the offseason. However, their new pieces should already be enough to give more firepower to the revamped Patriots in a bid to contend in the AFC East come the 2021 season.
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