How can Patriots become destination for players? Mayo has simple answer originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots are no longer a destination for top-tier NFL players, and this offseason — especially the Brandon Aiyuk saga — served as compelling evidence.
The Patriots were unable to land the top free agent wide receiver back in March, Calvin Ridley, despite making a strong offer. New England wasn’t able to land any other coveted free agents, either. The team’s most notable offseason moves were re-signing its own players.
When San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk became available on the trade market, the Patriots were interested and, again, made a strong offer for the dynamic playmaker. The Patriots reportedly offered Aiyuk more than $30 million per season on a new contract, but he wasn’t willing to come to New England. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported last week that the Patriots’ quarterback situation wasn’t to Aiyuk’s liking, and that he also didn’t think they’d be a playoff team.
The events of the offseason are a complete reversal from most of this century when the Patriots, thanks to Tom Brady, were often a top-three destination for players. Want to win a Super Bowl? Want to be pretty much guaranteed of playing in an AFC Championship Game? Want to play with the best quarterback in the history of the sport? Come on down to Foxboro.
Those days are over, but this new reality doesn’t have to last for a long time. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked Sunday about the notion that the team is no longer a destination.
“Look, we’re always trying to get better,” Mayo told reporters. “I think Aiyuk is still in San Francisco right now, and he didn’t go to some other teams as well.
“What I will say is, when we start to win games, guys will want to come here. When we start to establish the culture, establish the roster, I think guys will be excited to come back.”
Winning matters quite a bit, and so does roster composition. It’s not always enough to just throw around the most money (or close to it). Players, at least on some level, really want to win. And if you look at the Patriots’ roster, they’re probably not going to be winning at a high level in the next couple seasons.
The good news for the Patriots is Drake Maye has the potential to turn around the team’s fortunes fairly quickly. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. If he lives up to expectations, or at least comes close to meeting them, the Patriots should be able to attract good offensive players in the near future.
It’s a quarterback-driven league these days, and that’s why the development of Maye needs to be the No. 1 priority for the Patriots. His success will help the team on and off the field, including roster building.
