Playing for the franchise that had arguably the most successful runs in NFL history would typically be attractive to players around the league. But the New England Patriots are a different case study, and based on reports regarding this off-season’s free agents, players may be assuming that things haven’t changed much now that Jerod Mayo has taken over for Bill Belichick.
Patriots Have Never Been A Marquee Destination
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: The #Patriots were interested in WR Mike Evans, but he had no interest in them, and the same may be true for QB Baker Mayfield, per @ChadGraff
“They had planned on making a run at Buccaneers free agent-to-be wide receiver Mike Evans. But even before Evans agreed… https://t.co/ujfJhofOcl pic.twitter.com/7mN6UYLSzw
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 5, 2024
He is widely considered to be the best coach in the history of the game, but things fell apart at the end for Belichick. He struggled to put together a consistent winner once Tom Brady departed, and his harsh coaching style and unapproachable demeanor was put on display more frequently based on stories from Brady and others.
And while the Patriots did do all of that winning over the course of two decades, New England was never an attractive destination for free agents. They weren’t exactly big spenders when it came to marquee names, and it didn’t seem like players were itching to play for Belichick at any point.
Mike Evans Had No Interest In Playing For New England
People within Jayden Daniels’s camp don’t want him to be drafted by the Patriots, per @PhilAPerry
“There are those in [Jayden Daniels’] camp who would really rather he not come to New England. And that’s probably climate-related.” https://t.co/0elcmRiFe7 pic.twitter.com/unYDwF613v
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 5, 2024
It appears that the notion still exists. According to a report by The Athletic’s Chad Graff, the Patriots showed interest in signing marquee free agent wide receiver Mike Evans last week, but Evans apparently showed zero interest in return. And the case may be the same for Baker Mayfield as New England looks for a new signal caller this off-season as well:
They had planned on making a run at Buccaneers free agent-to-be wide receiver Mike Evans. But even before Evans agreed to a two-year contract Monday to stay in Tampa Bay, the receiver had no interest in coming to the Patriots, according to a league source. The same may be the case for his quarterback.
The Patriots have plenty of rebuilding to do, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They were anemic at times last season with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at the helm, and there was very little elite talent to speak of anywhere on the roster.
But the new regime in New England will do what they can with their assets this off-season, and they hold the valuable 3rd overall pick in the upcoming draft. They have been rumored to be interested in one of the highly-touted quarterback prospects with that selection, which may be one of the few ways that they can get a high-profile player to come to New England.
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