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Jason McCourty used a humorous analogy to explain Patriots’ quiet start to free agency
"That was Jerod Mayo at the beginning of his tenure. He said, 'We have cash to burn.'"
Jason McCourty’s take on the Patriots offseason so far: The Patriots have a fresh start under Jerod Mayo. After 24 seasons under Bill Belichick, some New England fans may have been hoping for a more aggressive approach to the offseason following years of Belichickian restraint. Mayo’s early comments about having “cash to burn” only furthered the notion that the Patriots might make some bold signings.
The reality has been a little different, however, as the Patriots have so far made only modest moves (including re-upping several players from 2023, including Michael Onwenu, Josh Uche, and Hunter Henry, along with applying the transition tag to Kyle Dugger). Examining the strategy of Mayo, director of scouting Eliot Wolf, and the rest of Patriots management, former New England safety Jason McCourty offered his take in a segment for “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network.
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McCourty used an analogy: He compared the end of Belichick’s time and the subsequent start of the Mayo era to a young person getting out on their own, finally moving away from their childhood home.
“You’ve been kind of under your dad’s rule, and your dad would always say, ‘Hey as long as you’re under my roof, you’re going to live by my rules. If you don’t like it, you can get out on your own and figure out life for yourself,'” said McCourty, referencing Belichick.
In getting rid of Belichick and installing Mayo, McCourty — again in the language of his analogy — noted that New England’s new head coach initially began with a very different mindset.
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“Now you’re out on your own, and you’re telling your buddies, ‘We’re hitting the club, we’re staying out as late as we want, we’re having house parties, we’re going to go all-in,” McCourty joked, though he quickly brought back to the Patriots. “That was Jerod Mayo at the beginning of his tenure. He said, ‘We have cash to burn.'”
Yet the youthful exuberance has already given way once the “utility bills” of building an NFL roster started to pile up.
“Then all of a sudden you get there and start looking at the rundown of the utilities and everything, and how much furniture costs, and what the taxes are going to be like. You’re like, ‘Hey fellas, about that club, we’re not going to be able to do table service. No bottle service. We’re going to have to go through general admission.”
“That’s the Patriots right now,” McCourty explained. “That voice is still in their head of, ‘Alright, we have to be responsible. We’re going to make the necessary picks and moves to build our team.'”
This approach was what led New England to start free agency by responsibly trying to keep players from the 2023 roster whose contracts were up.
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And while McCourty said that he likes the rational decision-making from New England, he isn’t sure it will “move the needle.”
“I don’t know that there’s enough in that locker room for whether it’s Jacoby Brissett, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye to really do anything in the AFC East this year,” said McCourty. “I feel like what they’re looking at is, ‘You know what? We’re going to be responsible for the future. We’re not just going to go out and spend a ton of cash and just bring guys in and make moves.”
Here’s the full segment:
Trivia: Jason McCourty had to wait until the sixth round of the NFL draft to hear his name called by the Titans. Who was the first defensive back taken in that year’s draft?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He won Super Bowls with the Saints and Eagles.
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins defeated the Senators 6-2 on Tuesday. Boston will host the Rangers tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Celtics face the Bucks at TD Garden tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Also tonight, PWHL Boston are on the road to play Toronto at 7 p.m.
And up north in Vermont, USL League Two side Vermont Green FC pulled a 4-3 upset win over Lexington SC in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. It’s the first time the tournament has ever had a game played in the state.
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Some Red Sox good news: While there may not be a ton of optimism around the 2024 Red Sox, Triston Casas showed some potential in Tuesday’s spring training game with a towering home run.
On this day: In 1987, Larry Bird dropped 42 points and 12 rebounds in a 112-108 win over the SuperSonics at the Boston Garden.
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Elsewhere, Rick Pitino and Providence basketball prepared for a massive Elite Eight matchup with Georgetown in the men’s NCAA tournament. The Friars would pull off an upset and reach the school’s second Final Four appearance.
Daily highlight: Zion Williamson threw it down with force in a Pelicans win over the Nets on Tuesday.
Trivia answer: Malcolm Jenkins
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