What Patriots Retaining Young Core Means For State Of Franchise

The Patriots primarily used their massive amount of cap space this offseason to retain their homegrown core players, and it could be a positive sign for New England in the post-Bill Belichick era.

Head coach Jerod Mayo admitted he made a “rookie mistake” when he set lofty expectations of free agent signings. That didn’t come to fruition, but there does appear to be buy-in from the Patriots’ young core.

Mike Onwenu, Joshua Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Kyle Dugger and Christian Barmore were among the notable players who signed extensions with the Patriots this offseason. Barmore’s contract will make him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles.

“This team drafts, develops and keyword retains talent,” Travis Thomas said on Wednesday’s edition of NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat.”

Thomas viewed the signings as a “new day” for the Patriots. However, George Balekji pushed back and argued New England only would be a destination if external players chose to sign. Calvin Ridley, one of the best free agents available this offseason, chose to sign with the Tennessee Titans over the Patriots.

Balekji believes there was a positive that players saw in working for Mayo and first-year defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington. While Uche didn’t sign a lucrative contract, he could have a breakout season under the new Patriots regime and sign a deal he’s seeking.

Thomas viewed the desire to retain players like Barmore and Dugger at high-priced contracts as a new version of the “Patriot Way,” where players are valued and re-signed to big deals but not contracts that “break the bank.”

You can check out the Wednesday edition of “Boston Has Entered The Chat” in the YouTube video embedded above.