Robert Kraft On Patriots All Time Spending Spree

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft admits the team’s unprecedented spending spree was a scramble to make up for mistakes.

The New England Patriots spent an NFL-record $165 million in guaranteed money this past free agency. This is partly because they were in a favorable salary cap situation compared to other teams.

It’s also because New England hasn’t done well in previous drafts, as Robert Kraft explains.

“What happened here last year was not something to our liking. We had to make the corrections,” Kraft said. 

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“In all the businesses we’re involved in, we try to take advantage of inefficiencies in the market. We were in a unique cap situation this year and it allowed us to try to [fix] things we missed, to a certain extent, in the draft. So this was our best opportunity.

“In the end, it all comes out to what happens on the field and how well people execute. You really don’t know how good a draft is for at least two years, especially in the environment we’re in now … I’m not quite sure still now what our offseason training and learning abilities will be. I think last year, younger players were really disadvantaged because they didn’t have the time to learn.

Read: Denver Broncos Should Look To Add Another Quarterback In The Upcoming 2021 NFL Draft

“In the end, if you want to have a good, consistent, winning football team, you can’t do it in free agency. You have to do it through the draft. I don’t feel we’ve done the greatest job the last few years and I really hope, and I believe, I’ve seen a different approach this year,” Kraft said.

Despite the spending spree, the quarterback position is one that could still be upgraded. While Kraft had kind words for both Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham, the NFL world knows New England still has a Tom Brady shaped hole under center.