Robert Kraft says cash ‘won’t ever be the problem’ in response to Belichick’s spending feedback

Patriots

“Cash spending won’t ever be the problem, I promise you, or I will promote the crew.”

The Patriots have a mediocre 25-25 report since Tom Brady left, and the strain is on head coach and common supervisor Invoice Belichick to make issues higher.

Throughout his end-of-the-year press convention, Belichick identified that New England has been on the backside of the league in spending over the previous three seasons. His feedback have been in response to a query concerning the worth the Patriots obtained out of their dear 2021 free-agent class.

“Our spending in 2020, our spending in 2021, and our spending in 2022 — the mixture of that — was we have been twenty seventh within the league in money spending,” Belichick stated on the time. “Couple years we’re low, one yr was excessive, however over a three-year interval, we’re one of many lowest spending groups within the league.

“Had we averaged that out in these three years, you’ll have had the identical numbers,” Belichick continued. “Whether or not it’s two low and one excessive, two medium, three mediums, two form of excessive and one actually low, no matter it’s, there’s a median that comes. That’s the three-year common, we’re twenty seventh within the league in money spending.”

Greg Bedard, of the Boston Sports activities Journal, requested Kraft concerning the feedback this week.

“So I requested Robert about Invoice Belichick’s feedback, about how they’re one of many lowest cash-spending groups within the league,” Bedard stated on NBC Sports activities Boston’s Early Version. “And a number of followers took that as somewhat little bit of a shot at possession, that the Krafts aren’t keen to spend for this crew. And I requested Robert about that, and I simply need to quote him precisely.

“He says, ‘He has by no means come to me and never gotten every thing he wished from a cash-spending perspective. We’ve got by no means set limits.’ And he additional went on to say, ‘Cash spending won’t ever be the problem, I promise you, or I’ll promote the crew.’ In order that’s fairly definitive.”

To date this offseason, the Patriots have signed receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for a similar quantity (three years, $33 million) that Jakobi Meyers went to Las Vegas for. The Pats added veteran move catcher Mike Gesicki on a one-year deal, amongst different free-agent signings. The crew additionally re-signed receiver DeVante Parker and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley this week.

They’re additionally reportedly within the combine without cost agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Patriots’ payroll at the moment stands at $203,597,868, which is the second-lowest within the league, in line with Spotrac. The crew is about $15 million below the wage cap.