The New England Patriots have retained key players this offseason, though the spending spree may not be up to original expectations.
Jerod Mayo kicked off the offseason with the exclamation of New England having "cash to burn" when adding talent in free agency. The Patriots have spent a solid amount, though most of that went to bringing back in-house free agents such as Kendrick Bourne, Mike Onwenu, Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche. Outside of that, the Patriots have not made any splash signings to aggressively improve a team that went 4-13 in a last-place 2023 season.
The Patriots still can make major changes through their work in the NFL Draft, though New England likely needs to utilize cap space in free agency to expedite that process. While several realizations seem to have swept through Foxboro since the season ended, former Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty compared the New England situation to a young adult living out on their own for the first time.
McCourty shared his summary on "Good Morning Football" on Tuesday.
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"That's the Patriots right now," McCourty shared. "That voice is still in their head of, 'We've got to be responsible. We've got to make the necessary picks and moves to build our team.' I think that started with taking care of some of their own."
Moves to bring back productive players have given the Patriots returning leadership and production, though they absolutely need to keep adding to step forward from last season. As of now, McCourty does not believe that they have done enough.
"They didn't really do anything to move the needle at all," McCourty added. "I like the Jacoby Brissett move. He's a veteran. He's a leader. I don't know if there's enough in that locker room... to really do anything in the AFC East this year."
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If the Patriots are done with impact moves in free agency, the NFL Draft presents another pivotal opportunity in April.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
