New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo admitted to feeling disappointed in missing out on wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency, when speaking at the NFL annual meeting on Sunday.
Ridley was thought to be one of the top receivers during the free agency period. He was coming off a 2023 season that saw him record 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans for four years and $92 million.
New England will likely have to add to their wide receiver group through the draft or via trade. However, it hasn’t all been bad for the Patriots. Mayo did note the importance of re-signing key in-house free agents, such as offensive lineman Mike Onwenu.
“The most important thing for us was to get our people back here. Re-sign our players — the Mike Onwenus of the world,” said Mayo, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “We have some good players that we like to keep and that’s kind of part of the culture that we want to build. Obviously, we were disappointed that Ridley went in a different direction, but we’re good. I like the direction that we’re going.”
New England still needs a true top wide receiver, which is something they have been missing for several years now.
The 2024 NFL draft is deep with receiver talent, and the Patriots should be in the mix to add to their roster. It all comes down to finding the right players and developing them well enough to compete.