The New England Patriots, since Tom Brady’s exit, have been on a downward spiral. While many expected them to recover after a major spending spree in 2021 during free agency, the failure of that season has seen them not spend much on free agents since then. However, after the last 2 seasons being below par, fans and pundits were baffled to see the Patriots not spend on free agents this season too. But Eliot Wolf, executive VP of player personnel, argues this “stingy image” of the Patriots is all a misconception.
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Appearing on the Up and Adams Show, the newly appointed VP argued that the Patriots saw re-signing potential free agents Kyle Dugger, Henry Hunter, and Calvin Anderson as their activities in free agency. Eliot revealed that the Patriots management saw these players as the best opportunities when compared to the free agency market this season.
“We signed what we felt was the best offensive tackle in free agency and the best tight end in free agency,” Wolf said. “They just so happened to be guys that we retained. We gave Kyle Dugger a contract extension, we added pieces at almost every level of the team… we signed a player at every position group.”
Eliot Wolf’s message to fans who say the #Patriots did not spend enough money in the offseason:
“We signed what we felt was the best offensive tackle in free agency and the best tight end in free agency. They just so happened to be guys that we retained. We gave Kyle Dugger a… pic.twitter.com/wZ0o0nVOkY
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) May 28, 2024
Moreover, Eliot Wolf shared that the Patriots plan to go back to their roots of ‘draft and develop’ — a philosophy that has led the Patriots to immeasurable success, case in point: Tom Brady. Thus, Eliot admitted that the Patriots’ future business will be rewarding and extending key players with big money and drafting the best of talents rather than splurging big on free agents.
“I think what you said about draft and develop, that’s what we’re gonna be. That’s what we strive to be,” Wolf claimed. “That’s where the core and foundation is going to be. Some of our deals in free agency were extending players that we drafted and developed previously. So, I think that’s the key.”
It must be encouraging for Patriots fans to see Eliot elucidate such measured words and justify the Patriots’ scouting strategy. With Bill Belichick’s absence leaving the GM position empty, many consider Wolf to be the replacement without the formal title.
With Eliot being able to eloquently explain his strategies in the media, it’s highly likely that we will see him become the next GM. Another encouraging sign for the Patriots fanbase is the fact that he is walking the talk as well.
A key example of Eliot’s claim of ‘draft and develop’ can be seen with the signing of Drake Maye in this draft. The young quarterback is not only among the best in his class but has also been awarded a swashbuckling deal by the Patriots, proving they spend as per their philosophy.
New England Patriots Seal the Deal With Drake Maye
Earlier today, veteran ESPN journalist Adam Schefter revealed that Drake Maye has finally signed his contract with the New England Patriots. As per Schefter, the contract is four years long and guarantees the rookie a whopping $36.36 million with a $23.46 million signing bonus.
This is an extremely impressive deal, considering the “miser” perception of the New England Patriots. To put things into perspective, Maye’s peer, Caleb Williams, signed a $38.5 million, 4-year deal with the Bears with a similar joining bonus amount. Similarly, number two overall pick Jayden Daniels signed a $37.7 million deal with Washington on similar bonus terms, as reported by the Bleacher Report.
As the comparison shows, despite their salary cap woes, the New England Patriots have managed to award fair compensation to Maye. So far, Eliot is walking the talk with his preseason moves. If he continues this way and his moves click, it won’t be surprising to see him take up a bigger responsibility for the Patriots.
