The Patriots' 2023 season was certainly memorable for all the wrong reasons. It's a year that will be remembered for far more than just their poor performance and startling finishing record, as it was also the last year Bill Belichick coached in New England.
Many of the issues that led to his departure could have easily been avoided, with the most obvious one being putting together a better roster.
Although poor quarterback play was responsible for most of the offense's struggles last year, the players the legendary coach chose to sign or trade for massively contributed to the underlying problems. To make matters worse, their contracts and the amount of money the team was forced to dish out became a grave mistake that will hopefully be avoided in the future.
Among the list of players who didn't perform well are the ones who made the situation even worse because of their contracts.
4 Patriots who didn't live up to their contracts in 2023
DeVante Parker
Earned salary: $7,120,000
Bill Belichick's decision to trade for DeVante Parker in 2022 was questioned from the start and unfortunately for all involved, remained that way during the two years he spent in Foxboro.
The longtime Miami Dolphin had a roller coaster career before moving to New England, putting together impressive seasons like 2019 when he recorded 72 receptions for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns, while also dealing with an injury bug that kept him off the field more than on it sporadically throughout his career.
The Patriots needed help on offense when Parker arrived, and he seemed like a good fit for the team. He was known for his contested catch skills, and his size was a welcomed change in the receiver's room.
He showed flashes of impressive play on 50/50 balls and out-of-this-world catches, but he never exploded in the way the team needed him to.
It was particularly disappointing last year, as he recorded 33 receptions for 394 yards and no scores through 13 games. He suffered another injury that ended his season prematurely, hurting his stock with the team, which would ultimately be the end of his career with the Patriots.
It's likely why the new regime decided to release him at the start of free agency earlier this year, which looks like an even better decision now that Parker announced his retirement from the NFL not long after he signed with the Eagles.
Trent Brown
Earned salary: $5,882,353
Perhaps one of the more disappointing performances of all was that of Trent Brown, who had been a great starting left tackle for the Patriots during two stints with the team.
After departing in free agency after winning a Super Bowl in New England, he got paid big time by the Raiders. After that fell apart, he prioritized getting back to the team he saw the most success, only to seemingly check out mid-season and want out as soon as possible.
With so many consistency issues on the offensive line, Brown needed to lead by example and help motivate those around him. For a stretch of the season, he was the best player on the line, helping the team move in the right direction.
But as quickly as that came about, it ended and that's when things got a little foggy.
Brown began to air his grievances to the media and made it clear he wanted to play elsewhere for the 2024 season. He dealt with injuries that prevented him from earning several bonuses written in his contract, which seemed to deter him from wanting to get back on the field to help the team.
By season's end, it was apparent he would not be returning no matter who was in charge, which is why he wound up with the Bengals. It was a disappointing end to Brown's career in New England since he had become a fixture on the offensive line for many years.
But his questionable demeanor and attitude, coupled with his lack of desire, was a recipe for disaster and made his contract seem too rich for what the team was getting out of him.
Mike Gesicki
2023 salary: $4,500,000
At first glance, seeing a seasoned veteran tight end earning under $5 million for a season feels like a bargain. However, as we know, the Mike Gesicki experiment didn't go as planned, making his contract feel hefty given his production.
The longtime Dolphin was deemed a sneaky-good signing by Bill Belichick, and there were expectations for Gesicki to thrive in his new environment.
He was set to be utilized as a jumbo receiver, especially in the red zone, rather than as an extra blocker on the offensive line since that was his weak point. That would in turn allow Hunter Henry to be an extra body on the line and also be used used more with Gesicki as more of a decoy.
Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan. Both tight ends had down years as a result, with Gesicki recording the worst statistical season of his career since his rookie year. He totaled just 29 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 8.4 yards per catch.
Pharaoh Brown became more of what Gesicki was supposed to be for the Patriots offense, which was a great surprise but also a disappointing development for the Penn State alum.
It would have been nice to see him pan out and become the perfect complement to Henry for 2023 and beyond, but the writing was on the wall fairly early into his tenure, and now he will continue his career with the Bengals next season.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Cap hit: $4,674,509
2024 cap hit: $10,280,392
Based on the drama that encapsulated his arrival to the team, it looks as though JuJu Smith-Schuster's first year with the Patriots was doomed from the start.
Belichick's decision to pay him over Jakobi Meyers remained a talking point all season, especially once it became clear that he was either not a great fit on the offense or was more injured than initially reported. Or maybe even a combination of both.
Fast-forward to this offseason, and we now know the truth: Smith-Schuster's knee was only at 60%, much lower than the 100% he was hellbent on convincing everyone of. That likely explains why he performed so poorly all season long, recording just 29 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown, most of which came after Kendrick Bourne left with a season-ending injury in Week 8.
Although in the big scheme of things, his contract wasn't all that expensive, Smith-Schuster's lackluster performance paid a bigger price for the offense than just the dollar amount. Quarterback play was atrocious, but Jakobi Meyers had been consistently productive no matter who was under center.
He went on to have the best season of his career with the Raiders, making Belichick look like a fool for letting him go and signing Smith-Schuster.
Hopefully, he's correct with his assessment regarding his knee this year, as he will need to have a great summer and season (if he makes the team) to be worth the massive increase in his salary, which goes from over $4.6 million to over $10 million.
If he continues to flounder the way he did last year, it'll be an even bigger issue for Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf to try and deal with now.