The 2024 offseason has been characterized by inflated, buzzy quotes.
Most prominent was Jerry Jones' "all-in" comment from the Senior Bowl. New England Patriots first-time coach Jerod Mayo also added some pizzazz to the mix, suggesting in January that the Pats were "ready to burn some cash" in free agency.
Months later, Mayo took a mea culpa for the outsized comment that missed the mark on the Pats' actual plan.
"That was a rookie mistake. That was a rookie mistake by me," Mayo said Monday on WEEI, . "As soon as I got downstairs, [Patriots vice president of communications Stacey James] slapped me in the head, like, 'What are you doing?'
"You understand what I meant, though. What I really meant, though, is we're going to be, obviously, smart with cash and smart with acquisitions. I was just very excited. At the same time, I feel like we're building the roster the way we want to build it."
The cash certainly wasn't burned. New England spent the bulk of its offseason retaining key cogs like Michael Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche and Hunter Henry. Some medium-level additions like Jacoby Brissett, Antonio Gibson and K.J. Osborn upgraded the club but weren't close to big splashes.
New England's biggest reported play was striking out in an attempt to woo receiver Calvin Ridley to Foxborough. Christian Barmore's recent contract extension remains as the Patriots' biggest offseason investment.
The most significant Patriots additions came last week in the draft, when they took Drake Maye at No. 3 overall and added potential top target Ja'Lynn Polk in the second round.
"We have to be smart," Mayo said. "Once again, the burning of cash was a mistake. In saying that, we do have cash and we'll spend it on guys that we think will make this team better."
