Patriots Talk Podcast

How do Patriots convince marquee players to come to Foxboro?

The Patriots have a ton of salary cap space, but will that be enough to sign marquee players?

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Phil Perry shares his strategy for how the Patriots should address their biggest needs this offseason, and who his top 5 player Wishlist is.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the New England Patriots never had to make a sales pitch to free agents or trade targets.

Everyone knew the Patriots were a near-lock to reach at least the AFC Championship Game on an annual basis. If you were an offensive player, you could play alongside the best quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. Bill Belichick was the best head coach of all time and would maximize your potential.

It was an easy sell.

That scenario no longer exists. Brady and Belichick are gone, and the Patriots just completed their second straight 4-13 season. The last time they won four or fewer games in back-to-back seasons was 1967-70.

The Patriots have around $120 million in salary cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap, which allows them to potentially be a huge player in the free agent and trade markets. But sometimes money alone can't lure premier free agents to a losing team.

🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Who are some of the big names the Patriots could target in trades? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

The state of the franchise -- one winning season and zero playoff wins since Brady left after the 2019 campaign -- and cold weather are probably the two primary obstacles the Patriots face when pursuing marquee talent.

So, how can the Patriots convince players to come to chilly Foxboro?

The simplest answer is win some games and prove you're a contender again, which might not happen in the short term.

"It feels like some of the things that make them unappetizing as a locale aren't going anywhere," Phil Perry told Tom E. Curran on the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Talk Podcast. "I guess until you become a great team, like Buffalo -- nobody is looking to go to Buffalo for all the same reasons they're not looking to come to Massachusetts. The weather, the taxes. It's probably a little bit worse in Massachusetts than it is in New York. I won't pretend to know all the ins and outs of the tax situations people in Western New York are dealing with there.

"But (the Bills) were eventually able to attract players because they clearly had a great quarterback and they clearly were gonna be in the championship mix year in and year out. The Patriots are at least a year away from that, maybe two or three. That's probably what you have to do, unless you're willing to way overpay.

"We were talking about some of these guys last night. Tee Higgins is a good example. I've seen projections for Higgins having a total value on his next contract being somewhere in the four-year, $27-28 million per season range, which would put him in the top 10 among receivers, and a total value of around $110 million. But that might be for a locale that he's interested in.

"If he's not interested in the Patriots, then what do you have to give him in order to encourage him to want to be here? Does the total value have to get up closer to $130 million?"

The Patriots have taken a few steps toward becoming a more attractive destination over the last 12 months.

They drafted Drake Maye in 2024, and he looks like a potential franchise quarterback after an impressive rookie season. They also hired Mike Vrabel to be their new head coach, and he is well-respected around the league. Josh McDaniels has returned to be the offensive coordinator. His track record in that role speaks for itself.

If the Patriots show meaningful progress next season, then they might be a destination for free agents. But right now, getting top players to come to Foxboro might be a tough sell without a huge overpay.

Also in this episode:

  • Which players could the Patriots acquire via trade?
  • The insanity of the WR market
  • Andy Reid vs. Bill Belichick debate
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