The truth hurts.
Damien Woody was in Foxborough for the start of the Patriots dynasty, winning two Super Bowls in three years before leaving in free agency. When he looks at the Patriots now, he sees a diminished franchise.
Woody knows Robert Kraft does, too.
“I know this has to be eating Mr. Kraft up, that the Patriots are basically irrelevant. I know it has to.” Woody told the Herald’s Karen Guregian. “So go out there and make a couple of splash moves. Bring some spice and some relevance back to the Patriots. Make it interesting.”
It’s apparent this Patriots offseason has been presented by Kraft Sports Productions. Kraft sent out an email to season ticket holders the morning after their regular-season finale, pledging scrutinize all aspects of the football operation. In the ensuing weeks, they’ve re-hired Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and brought in Adrian Klemm as an offensive assistant.
They’ve also been working on a contract extension with Jerod Mayo, who reportedly sat in on the offensive coordinator interviews.
Like many observers, Woody thinks bringing in O’Brien will be excellent for Mac Jones’ development, which stalled last season under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.
“I think they made a step in the right direction bringing Billy O back, because that was madness what they were doing last year,” said Woody.
But the coaching staff isn’t the only area of the team that needs improvement. Woody says the Patriots need to find Mac Jones a bonafide top receiver.
“They need weapons. They need difference makers on offense,” he said. "It’s not good enough just getting Billy O’Brien back. They need actual guys on the field that will make a difference.”
We’ll see if the Patriots target a veteran wideout such as Tee Higgins or DeAndre Hopkins, both of whom could be available via trade. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday that Jakobi Meyers, who’s a free agent, could net between $15 million and $20 million annually.
That would seemingly take him out of the Patriots’ price range. Talking about upgrading the roster and actually doing it are two different things.
