Brian Baldinger breaks down the Patriots' offense
In Tom Brady’s absence, the Patriots have become the league’s highest spenders in the pass-catching game with a combined $69.8 million payroll for wideouts and tight ends in 2022. The runners-up out of Jacksonville aren’t even close, dolling out $53.8 million to the combined skill groups in salary cap spending, according to Spotrac.
It begs the question: Will Bill Belichick get bang for his buck surrounding sophomore quarterback Mac Jones with this expensive arsenal?
The Patriots’ pass catchers have caught flak from national and local media for perhaps lacking elite talent and separation, at least on paper. Former NFL executive and Audacy analyst Brian Baldinger highlighted dynamic plays from the offense as a question mark for the upcoming season:
“I would have a concern at the explosive plays you can get out of the offense, whether it’s wide receiver or the running back position. I think they’re solid, I just don’t think they’re explosive. Those type of plays dictate the outcome of a lot of Sundays,” he told Merloni Fauria and Mego earlier this week.
(For the sake of simplifying this operation, pass-catching running backs were excluded. Sorry!)
A significant portion of New England’s hefty pass catching bill went to free agents signed during an admittedly opportunistic spree in the 2021 offseason. But while some of those contracts have been early success stories (tight end Hunter Henry at $9 million base salary for 2022, not including bonuses), others haven’t panned out yet. Both wide receiver Nelson Agholor and tight end Jonnu Smith are playing out contracts in the same ballpark, but added little to the Patriots’ offense in 2021-22.
Belichick had to jump into free agency with both feet following 2020 because of glaring roster holes from years of whiffed drafts. The team that made its name finding talent like Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski in the draft mortgaged its future on players who never caught on in Foxboro, like recently departed N’Keal Harry. And in doing so, they passed on elite talent in draft classes, like Seattle Seahawk D.K. Metcalf.
These are the teams behind the Patriots in spending on wide receivers and tight ends:
2. Jacksonville Jaguars at $53.8 million
3. Los Angeles Rams at $48.6 million
4. New York Giants at $47.7 million
5. Miami Dolphins at $45.2 million
6. New Orleans Saints at $43 million
7. Washington Commanders at $42.3 million
8. Arizona Cardinals at $41.2 million
9. New York Jets at $38.2 million
10. Kansas City Chiefs at $36 million
In an ideal world, the investment at the position would bolster Mac Jones’ second season, clarifying what his highest value may be when his rookie contract expires.
But once again, Baldinger was pessimistic on that front:
“I don’t know that the players around him are Randy Moss good, or what you have to be, Stefon Diggs good, or that type of player that makes a quarterback good. Tyreek Hill all those years in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes. Those types of guys help make that quarterback elite,” he said on WEEI.
Some teams can buy their offenses, but that’s hardly ever been the recipe for success in Foxboro. In the case of the 2022-23 Patriots, the best hope is that between 2021 free agency and the 2022 draft, the Patriots haven’t been sold a bill of goods.