Few people know more about Bill Belichick’s approach to player personnel than Scott Pioli. The longtime Patriots exec says New England’s quiet offseason is nothing to worry about … yet.
On NFL Network Thursday, Pioli explained why the Patriots’ conservative approach isn’t surprising or out of character, especially considering they shelled out a record $175 million in guaranteed money in free agency last year.
“Player acquisition isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Pioli said. “Just like the season. Last year the entire league was in a depressed market, so the Patriots went out and spent two years worth of free agency money and they received tremendous value. You look at the financial terms a year later and they look very good.”
That might be the case in isolation, but poor performances from some free agent signings negate whatever value they may hold in relation to this year’s class. For example, Nelson Agholor, Jonnu Smith and Devin Godchaux are eating up more than $37 million in cap charges. That’s not good.
As Pioli insinuated, it’s apparent Belichick expects the underachievers from last year’s spending spree to rebound in their second season with the Patriots.
“It’s wise to be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful,” Pioli said, quoting the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. “That’s how the Patriots have treated free agency going back to when I was there. It’s a core tenet of their football, and their business. This idea of ‘all gas and no brakes’ isn’t always the best way to do business. It works sometimes, it’s good sometimes, but sometimes you need to tap the brakes and be a little bit more patient.”
The issue is, the rest of the AFC is pressing on the gas. The Patriots are struggling to keep up with the flow of traffic. But the race isn’t over yet. The first wave of free agency is just one part of the team-building process.
“The first wave of free agency has ended,” Pioli said. “We’re now into this second wave. In this second wave, there’s a new free agency, because once players are signed, [other] players get cut. So now there are even more players [available]. After the draft, there will be more players cut. After the 53-man cut, there will be more players available in free agency. So building a football team and building a roster is something that takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of patience.”
Belichick is certainly asking for a lot of that.
