Robert Kraft: If there was ever a year to spend in free agency, this is the year – NBC Sports

New England Patriots Vs. Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium

Getty Images

Patriots owner Robert Kraft admitted earlier this month that his team’s brass always made fun of the organizations that spent heavily in free agency.

Then his own team went 7-9 in 2020.

Now New England has signed several high-profile free agents in an effort to once again become competitive in 2021. But there’s a method to the team’s approach that has a lot to do with this season’s depressed salary cap.

“If there was ever a year to [spend a lot of money], this would be the year because we moved quickly and instead of having 10-12 teams compete against us there were only 2-3,” Kraft said during a conference call on Wednesday, via Ryan Hannable of WEEI. “I really hope it makes a difference. I’m excited about this upcoming season.”

The Patriots still have some work to do, including potentially finding a long-term solution at quarterback. But it’s clear that after the first losing season in well over a decade in 2020, New England isn’t complacent enough to sit back and just let another one happen.