3 offseason moves that will backfire on the Patriots

The Patriots' 2024 offseason was expected to be unlike one we have seen for a long time. They had some of the most money in the league to spend in free agency with plenty of roster holes to fill and a new head coach likely looking to impress early in his tenure.

Jerod Mayo further amplified the hopes of a big offseason when he stressed his desire to "burn some cash," which he eventually regretted and was forced to retract. It was clear that wasn't the plan anyway, as the team made very few moves with free-agent signings or trades, disappointing most fans.

On top of the lack of movements made to improve the roster, the overwhelming agenda to essentially eliminate Bill Belichick from the organization has been at the forefront of the offseason.

From comments made by the new staff and Robert Kraft to the heavily criticized docuseries "The Dynasty" being labeled as a Belichick hit piece, it's not been universally approved and has tarnished the owner and franchise's reputation.

Many of these decisions, or lack thereof, could backfire on the team at some point next season.

3 offseason moves that will backfire on the Patriots

1. Not extending Christian Barmore at the start of free agency

Among the list of contract extension candidates, Christian Barmore is near the top. Unfortunately, it looks like the new regime in Foxboro missed the best opportunity to get that done before several defensive tackles received monster deals in free agency last month.

This inevitably means they're on the hook to pay up to keep Barmore either in a contract extension or to keep him from going elsewhere when he becomes a free agent for the first time in 2025.

It's certainly possible that Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf will be more open to opening the pocketbook to keep young, building block-like players than Bill Belichick had been in the past. But we haven't seen any indication of that yet, so how they will proceed remains unclear.

If they want to avoid more salaries skyrocketing, they'll need to address these extensions as soon as possible, especially Barmore.

2. Missing out on signing/trading for a top receiver

Besides a quarterback, this year's biggest offseason need was to add a top-caliber wide receiver, either via free agency or trade. It was a good move to re-sign Kendrick Bourne and bring in K.J. Osborn, but they're still not exactly the type of player the team needs.

An effort was made to convince Calvin Ridley to make his way to Foxboro, which was a positive and unexpected sign. But he decided to take a lesser offer to sign with the Titans, making it another year the Patriots missed out on a quality receiver to Tennessee.

Jerod Mayo revealed the team's interest in the trade market for a pass catcher after missing out on Ridley, but nothing has been reported in the weeks since. It now appears like they're banking on the talent they can get in the draft, which is said to be a deep class. That's not necessarily a bad idea, but adding a veteran game-changer would benefit the offense more.

There's still time to make a deal, even if the top trade candidates look less available than they did a month ago. It would be best for the Patriots to get something done for one of them, though, especially if they want to utilize a rookie quarterback as soon as next season.

3. Trying to erase Bill Belichick from the team's history

The decision to part ways with Bill Belichick after over two decades was met with conflicting reactions, but what the team has said and done since has been universally agreed to be inappropriate and excessive.

Even those who felt it was time for Belichick to be fired agree the negativity coming from the Patriots is beyond understanding at this point.

Since the initial press conference to announce he was leaving the team, Robert Kraft and many others in the organization appear to take any opportunity they can to take a jab at the accomplished head coach, so much so that it dominated what the docuseries "The Dynasty" was supposed to be about.

The emphasis on negativity is not being met with good responses from fans and reporters to even current/former Patriots players. Kraft seemed to agree that many unflattering comments were being made despite him mainly leading the charge, so hopefully, an active effort will be made to cut it out.

Otherwise, this time period won't be looked back upon too fondly.

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