Kraft talks Patriots' free-agent haul: 'It was a chance for us to recharge'
Robert Kraft said a unique set of circumstances led to the New England Patriots spending lavishly in free agency.
The Patriots owner said the NFL's falling salary cap combined with his team's surplus in cap space created a favorable situation for unusual free-agent spending. With multiple franchises impacted by the cap, New England also had less competition for players on the open market.
"Look, we want to win. We're spoiled. We got used to winning all the time. And that's our objective," Kraft said, according to Albert Breer of MMQB. "It's a very competitive sport, it's all geared to having every team be 8-8 over a long balance of time, the way the draft is, the way we all have a salary cap."
He continued: "It was a chance for us to recharge. We've never done anything like this in all the years I've owned the team. So what we did, as we were competing for new players, normally in free agency, you'll have 10 or 12 teams going after it. Here, we had two or three."
New England signed numerous players to long-term deals in the first wave of free agency, with none more lucrative than pass-rusher Matt Judon's four-year contract worth up to $54 million. The team focused on tight ends, too, giving Jonnu Smith a contract worth up to $50 million and inking Hunter Henry to a deal that could pay him up to $37.5 million, according to Spotrac.
The Patriots also added versatile defensive back Jalen Mills and receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. They managed to re-sign veteran center David Andrews as well.
"Look, we're not going to know till the fall - we always used to make fun of the people who won the headlines in March - but here I believe we really improved our team," Kraft said.
He added: "We gotta win, and I think we're in a better position than we were two weeks ago to do that. But we'll let things play out. I've never had to come up with as much capital this fast - if you total the numbers - but we're happy to do it, and we hope it has the right outcome."
The Patriots finished 7-9 in 2020, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It was their first losing campaign since 2000.
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