First-year Patriots head coach took part in his first press conference at that NFL Owners meetings Monday morning in Orlando.
In the midst of his crucial first offseason helping to run the post-Bill Belichick show in New England, Mayo seemed to have one message on his mind above all else. One question to answer that wasn’t ever really asked. And it wasn’t about orange juice, French toast or what kind of cream cheese he wanted on his bagel.
Nope, Mayo seemed to want to make one thing very clear in this unfulfilling time in Foxborough in which he set a tone for free agency with his January “burn some cash” comments that forthcoming action failed to live up to: Don’t blame the Krafts for what the Patriots haven’t done this offseason.
No burning of cash?
No weaponizing of the offense?
No big free agency landings of any kind?
No buzz?
No hope for a swift turnaround in New England?
None of that should result in fingers being pointed at the Krafts, because those are all, apparently, Mayo and Eliot Wolf issues.
Mayo oh so conveniently offered up “clarity” for fans and media alike as far as New England’s frugal, conservative “strategy” in team-building.
“The clarity I would begin with, free agency obviously the media, the fans, everyone wants that big signing but at the same time as we continue to put this team together I think there has to be a process,” Mayo said. “There has to be a methodical process. Look, when there is a guy that we want to get the Krafts have already told us they’ll spend the money.”
That money just hasn’t been spent much this offseason, when New England entered free agency with more than $100 million to burn. It hasn’t been spent in most recent offseasons, aside from the “uncharacteristically aggressive” outlier offseason of 2021 that included splashes like Matthew Judon, Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry and others.
And while we’re talking about clarity, Mayo once again tried to clear up his “burn some cash” comment from an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI in January.
“I don’t regret it,” Mayo said of the much parroted and criticized quote. “I’m a first-year head coach. I didn’t mean like burn some cash. I know we have a lot of cash to utilize but we are going to utilize it the right way. We have to be very convicted when we do spend that cash. But ownership has done a good job letting Eliot and I know that we have the cash to spend, just try to spend it smart.
“Once again, the Kraft’s have given us the ability to really…I don’t want to say modernize, but to really do the things that we want to do going forward to bring people in, which I think is important.”
Obviously the biggest decision facing the Patriots this offseason is what to do with the No. 3 pick in April’s draft and whether to use it on a potential franchise QB such as North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Robert Kraft noted the importance of the highest selection of his ownership tenure, and as such will be involved in conversations around such a key decision. But the Krafts won’t be making the decision, according to Mayo.
“They don’t want to be involved in football decisions,” Mayo said of ownership in relation to the No. 3 pick. “But they have given us the tools to go out there and get the guys that we want. They’ve given us the backing or the confidence to go out there and be aggressive if we are convicted on a player. At the end of the day they don’t want to be involved with football decisions.”
Even Mayo isn’t sure exactly how things will play out with that critical decision to be made between now and the night of April 25.
“This is my first draft as the head coach. I’m really not sure,” Mayo said. “One thing I will say is that the Kraft family, ownership, they have given us the ability to go out there and offer big contracts. To go out there and take a quarterback at 3. To go out there and move down. All of those things are up in the air. Once again, it’s their team but they have entrusted myself and Eliot to really kind of put this thing back together.”
Beyond defining how much impact the Krafts have had on the first months of the Mayo and Wolf collaborative era in New England, the youthful former All-Pro linebacker-turned-head coach had a final message for fans who’ve seen their team finish with a losing record in three of the last four seasons, including a bottoming out with just four wins last fall.
“For Patriots fans, I understand the frustration. I understand the expectation that has been really built over the last 20 years.
But at the same time hopefully the fans understand that we are trying to build this the right way, we’re trying to bring in pieces that we think are for the long term. I think there is a combination of bringing people in for the short term but also you have to think long term. That’s always the hard thing to do.
I would just ask Patriots fans for patience.
“Sit back and kind of let us do our job going forward.”
And if you don’t like what Mayo and Wolf are doing this offseason, don’t blame his bosses, the Krafts. That’s for sure.
Mayo made that clear. Over and over and over again.