After a 4-13 season, the New England Patriots parted ways with longtime coach and de facto GM Bill Belichick. As a result of the separation, there were drastic changes in both the technical mix and the HR department. It’s not yet known how this move will position the Patriots for the future, but team owner Robert Kraft is optimistic.
In a brief speech at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Thursday, he expressed his excitement about what the future holds for his organization, even if future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick is no longer a part of it. “I’m really excited and looking forward to actually fielding the team,” Kraft said, via The Athletic’s Chad Graff .“For the first time in 31 years, we’re in the position we’re in and we have the ability to bring in great players and have the caliber of goalkeeper we’ve replaced.
So I think this will bode well for us over the next few years. I told the team about it. It’s really exciting.”As a result of the Patriots’ disappointing 2023 season, they have the third overall pick in this year’s draft. All options appear to be on the table as the club hopes to focus on a quarterback to replace Mack Jones and Bailey Zappé, who both started playing in New England last year.
The same goes for free agency, with New England expected to have more than $70 million in cap space. The new front office, led by scouting director Eliot Wolff as associate general manager, will have ample resources to rebuild the team. The Patriots know where they stand and, according to new coach Jerod Mayo, “will be ready to burn money” when the market opens in mid-March.
New England’s inability to be aggressive in the past has led to the perception that the team may be trying to save money or may not want to make the right investments. But Kraft denied the claims Thursday.“I know there is a perception that we have contained costs. I want to say this to our fans: That’s absolutely not true,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have great coaches in our system and coaches who understand the value of it. He ran a tight ship.
They say I’ve spent less money in the last 10 years, and while that may be true, I’ve had a very good experience. We won three Super Bowls.“But I’ve never given up on the coaches I’ve had over the last 30 years. They got what they wanted. If out of pocket costs were an issue for my family and we couldn’t do that, I would sell the team. … “I can assure our fans that the spending will never stop and there will be no reason not to buy players.”
