The New England Patriots' embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday was a significant setback in the team's rebuild. As our Tom E. Curran wrote the following day, every member of the organization should be under scrutiny over the final five games to determine if they should be part of the team's long-term plans.
But in some respects, such setbacks were to be expected for a team with an overhauled coaching staff and front office. And it appears ownership is aware of that.
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When asked to describe how Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft might feel right now watching a team that's 3-9 under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo (after going 4-13 in Bill Belichick's final year as head coach), Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer suggested there's a sense of resignation and acceptance.
"The word I land on is 'resigned,'" Breer said Tuesday on Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video player above. "I think (the Krafts) understand where they're at. They understand that it's going to take a while. And I think the reality of, 'Look, this was always going to be a multi-offseason rebuild,' has hit them in the face."
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The Krafts pulled the plug on Belichick in January after the Patriots' worst season since 1992 and installed a new head coach in Mayo, who brought in an entirely new coaching staff. Director of player personnel Eliot Wolf was elevated to de facto general manager, and while the front office appears to have hit a home run with first-round draft pick Drake Maye, Wolf and Co. haven't surrounded their rookie quarterback with nearly enough talent to date.
This team has the resources to improve that situation next offseason (a projected $140 million in cap space, most in the NFL), but the reality is that improvement will take time.
"You're resigned to where you are," Breer continued. "You have too many holes at too many premium positions to get it done in short order, and this is a transition year.
"I think a lot of people around here have talked about this is Year 2 of the rebuild. It's not. It's Year 1. So, you're certainly not out of the woods yet, and I think the Krafts are resigned to that right now."
Our Patriots Insider Phil Perry reported earlier this season that Mayo and Wolf both have an "extremely good chance" to keep their jobs in 2025, in part due to the Krafts' understanding that this will be a long rebuild. That said, there also needs to be a sense of urgency in the organization to set Maye up for success as quickly as possible. A franchise quarterback on a rookie contract is the NFL's most valuable asset, and the sooner the Patriots can maximize that, the better.
The Krafts' "resignation" may buy Mayo and Wolf a bit more time, but if Year 2 of the rebuild looks the same as Year 1, ownership's mindset might flip quickly to urgency -- and action.
Check out more from Breer, Perry and Early Edition host Trenni Casey in the video below.
