Patriots coach Jerod Mayo backtracks on ‘burn some cash’ comments
"You don’t have to spend all of it in one year," Mayo said.
The Patriots have a little more than $75 million dollars in cap space, according to Spotrac.
Last month, head coach Jerod Mayo talked about his eagerness to spend it, telling listeners during an appearance on WEEI that New England was “ready to burn some cash.”
This week, Mayo backtracked on those comments, according to MassLive’s Karen Guregian.
“You know, I kind of misspoke when I said ‘burn some cash’ but I was excited when you see those numbers,” Mayo told MassLive. “But when you reflect on those numbers … you don’t have to spend all of it in one year.”
Some of the money will be allocated to retaining current players. Offensive lineman Mike Onwenu and safety Kyle Dugger would be in for big pay raises if the Patriots opt to re-sign them.
“Those are two humongous targets,” Mayo said. “I would love to have those guys back.”
Onwenu made an average of $874,269 over each of the past four seasons, Spotrac reports. His salary could jump to $20.9 million for next season alone if the Patriots decide to place the franchise tag on him.
Dugger’s cap hit clocked in at $3,647,891 last season. The franchise tag value for his position would be north of $17 million.
Both players are among the top-30 free-agents in the league according to ESPN.
The Patriots will also weigh their options when it comes to adding pieces via free agency.
“This is going to be a process,” Mayo continued. “So I don’t want people to think, ‘you got $60 million, $70 million, whatever, so let’s get this guy, that guy, that guy … it may work for a couple games, or maybe a season, but it won’t work long term.”
The Patriots’ course of action during the upcoming draft could significantly impact how the team spends during this offseason. The Athletic reported Thursday that New England is “heavily leaning” towards taking a quarterback at No. 3 overall.
“In my mind, the most important piece is the quarterback,” Mayo said. “He touches the ball on every single play (on offense). He touches the ball, distributes the ball. You want that leadership. You want leadership from that spot. So to me, that’s the No. 1 (thing).”
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