6 rings: Mike Kadlick joins the show to discuss J.C. Jackson lack of playing in Sunday's loss
The Patriots have just three games left in their tumultuous 2023 season, and head into the final stretch with many more questions than answers surrounding the future of the franchise.
Speaking of questions, it's time for another mailbag.
A reminder: to stay involved, be sure to keep an eye out for the thread on Twitter @mikekadlick and @WEEI. Don't have Twitter? Email me at michael.kadlick@audacy.com to submit any questions you may have.
And we're off:
Q: Top three Patriots free agent targets and top two draft targets?
A: The Patriots have quite the rebuild in front of them heading into 2024. They're without a starting quarterback, high-end NFL caliber weapons, and
Here are my top three favorite free agent targets for this team:
- WR Tee Higgins
- WR Michael Pittman Jr.
- WR Mike Evans
And my top two draft targets, should they find themselves a mid-first round pick on top of ther No. 2 overall selection:
- QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
- OT JC Latham, Alabama
Q: Will the Patriots just tank now?
A: While I've said ample times on this website that NFL teams will never actively try to lose in this league, Sunday's second-half performance from the Patriots certainly looked like it.
Down 17 points early in the 4th quarter on Sunday, New England had the ball on their own 43 yard-line on 4th-and-3.
They punted.
Then, still down 17 and this time on their own 33, they against faced a 4th-and-manageable (four, to be exact). They punted it again.
Did the Patriots actually want to lose the game? It's hard to say, but even Bill Belichick admitted on Monday's edition of The Greg Hill Show that they "could have handled that a little bit better."
So will New England just tank for a top spot moving forward? Perhaps they already are.
Q: Why do you have so many excuses for Bailey Zappe?
A: Me?!
For better or for worse, I've always been #TeamMac in the Patriots' quarterback debate, and for a second there on Sunday it looked like I was going to end up on the completely wrong side of history.
For the second week in a row, Bailey Zappe came out flying on all cylinders in the first half on Sunday, completing 17 of 19 pass attempts for 141 yards and a touchdown. Combine that with his first half against Pittsburgh last Thursday, and the signal caller is 31 of 40 for 337 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers in the first half of New England's last two games.
The problem? Zappe can't finish. He was just 6 of 12 throwing the football in the final two frames against the Chiefs, and threw an interception on his first attempt of the second half.
Has he played better than Mac Jones this season? Yes. But I don't have many excuses for him, and the Patriots still need a new quarterback in 2024.
Q: Given how good the first halves have looked over the last two weeks, is there a scenario where the Patriots build around Zappe in the draft and free agency?
A: To your point, the first halves in the last two games have been promising, and I even found myself wondering on Sunday if Zappe was build-aroundable (not a word).
However, after watching the way it ended against the Chiefs and the struggle they had on offense in the second half against Pittsburgh, it feels like, while they have two rostered quarterbacks through the end of 2023, neither will be the starter in 2024.
Q: What are the odds the next Patriots' head coach is Jerod Mayo?
A: There's a widespread feeling in Patriots land that linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is the heir apparent to Bill Belichick in Foxborough. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano last week, "[Robert] Kraft's plan entering this season was for Belichick to coach two more seasons and have Mayo take over in 2025."
Interestingly, he also added that "multiple sources in and around the building say Mayo taking over next year is the most likely outcome, though others are no longer certain that's the way Kraft will go." Graziano continued, "Mayo would have to sell Kraft on who will be in charge of the offense, the quarterback's development, and personnel. That could all happen and work out in Mayo's favor, but it doesn't sound like it's a 100% sure thing."
Additionally, Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard reported last week that, "multiple team sources indicated Mayo has rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building since his extension and when he, perhaps, received a strong indication he would be the successor."
Point being? Kraft telling NFL Network last March that Mayo is "a strong candidate to be the heir apparent" may have been wishful thinking.
To the question, and to put a number on it, I'll call it a 75% chance that Mayo is the Patriots' next head coach.
Q: What's a fair deal for Mike Onwenu in free agency?
A: Mike Onwenu's mid-season move from guard to tackle makes his impending free agency fascinating.
Arguably a top-five free agent offensive lineman this offseason, the question becomes: will be paid as a guard, or a tackle? And yes, it matters.
Averaging out the top-five highest paid players at each, take a look at the difference in both base salary and total contract value between the two positions:
Tackle:
Average base salary: $14 million
Total contract value: $109.58 million
Guard:
Average base salary: $6.84 million
Total contract value: $77.6 million
Like I said, it matters.
So what's a fair deal for Onwenu? I think four years, $60 million makes sense depending on the guarantees. He also may ask for a fifth season, bumping up the total value to five years, ~$80 million. Given both his production and his positional flexibility, he deserves it.
Q: How much of an impact would a top-tier wide receiver make on the Patriots offense?
A: Having a No. 1 wide receiver is paramount to a quarterbacks development, and it would certainly make a difference if the Patriots had one on their roster.
How much of a difference? It's hard to say. What I will say, however, is that even though their record may not show it, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (who the Patriots were in on this offseason) has made quite the impact for the Titans this year.
Through 14 games, the 31-year-old has hauled in 59 balls for 919 yards and six touchdowns. Hopkins has remained healthy, and has also served as a security blanket for rookie quarterback Will Levis.
He could have done the same in New England.
Q: What's the ideal path to turning this team around for next season?
A: If the Patriots have the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams goes No. 1, New England should draft Drake Maye.
Maye, a 6-foot-4 230-pound quarterback from North Carolina, is widely considered a top-three player in this year's class. A two-year starter for the Tarheels, the signal caller racked up 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns through the air during his time in Chapel Hill while adding 16 more scores on the ground with his sneaky athleticism. The majority of current mock drafts have Maye landing in New England at pick No. 2, and it feels like the correct choice.
As to who's making the pick and coaching the team? I'll predict a Patriots disciple as general manager (à la Thomas Dimitroff, Jon Robinson, Adam Peters), and Mayo as head coach.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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